Rising Music Star Cait Martin On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry
An Interview With Eden Gold
Stop trying to figure out who to imitate and trust your own voice. In this industry, there is a thin line between imitation and inspiration, and the key to being successful is being able to tread that line so that you are constantly inspired, but authentic to yourself. That requires a lot of trust, confidence, and understanding of your own voice and sound — something that new artists rarely start their careers with.
As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Cait Martin.
Cait Martin is a soulful singer from the south’s music hub, Atlanta, Georgia. In 2023, Cait appeared as a contestant on The Voice, winning a bid from each coach to join their team, but ultimately joining Team Kelly Clarkson. Her 4-Chair turn not only garnered national acclaim and internet virality, but also set the stage for her original music to shine through and be loved by millions. Her latest single, a power ballad about heartbreak entitled Not Ready, was released in July of this year.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Thanks so much for having me! My origin story starts in New Orleans, where my entire family is from. My parents, sister, and I moved to Atlanta when I was young and that’s where I stayed until the start of my career after high school. Growing up in the south, specifically Georgia, with a supportive, close-knit, loving family really fostered an environment to be authentic and creative while the southern culture — the food, music, mannerisms — shaped me into the woman I am today.
What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and how did your journey begin?
I started singing around 2 years old and just never stopped. It was clear to my family and friends that this was the only path for me. Since then, I’ve used my voice in almost every way you can think of. I started out with tours of musicals, big band singing for high end events and guest entertaining on cruise ships, and then last year was a 4-chair turn and contestant for Team Kelly Clarkson on NBC’s The VOICE. I discovered my voice at a young age, but have allowed life to shape and direct it to where I am today.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
The Voice was absolutely the most interesting and accelerating experience that’s happened to me in my career. Being a contestant on the show really allowed me to share my gift and my voice with millions of people who still listen to me today. I also developed some of the best friendships within the music industry from The Voice. We all have stayed connected, and they are like family to me.
It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Last year, I released my first independent single, called “Georgia” and shooting the visuals for the song was quite a learning experience. I had this idea to shoot a visualizer for it in one of my favorite GA State Parks, but knew it takes a team to bring a great visualizer to life. So, I enlisted the help of my boyfriend, as well as my parents. We trekked about an hour into the woods to get to this beautiful scenic creek, but the trek was full of so many stops that I realized we were losing daylight as soon as we arrived. Needless to say the hike back was in pure darkness aside from our phone flashlights. When we finally made it back to the car, we were greeted by the park rangers seconds away from starting a rescue mission! I learned a valuable lesson on time management that I’ve carried with me since then.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My strongest supporters have always been my parents. My dad’s always been my biggest fan while my mom is my most loyal rider — she’s never left my side. In fact, they both have traveled all over the country and across oceans to see me in shows. They were even my loved ones to join me on The VOICE and witness my 4-chair turn stageside.
I am closer with them than I’ve ever been. We lost my sister a few years ago, and that experience united us as a family. I owe them everything and wouldn’t be the singer I am without their love and support.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
One of my favorite parts of my career has been as a guest entertainer on cruise ships. This year, I’ve put together a few shows at sea for cruise patrons and fans. I also will be performing at a few festivals this fall, but what I’m looking forward to most this year is releasing new music. I just released my first single of the year called, “Not Ready” and collaborated with hip-hop trailblazers Nappy Roots on their recent single, “Floatin With The Wind.” All of these shows and songs are on my website, caitmartinsings.com.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
The first reason is this simple phrase: “if you can see it, you can be it,” meaning that representation is everything. If someone that looks like you is living your dream, it’s so much more inspirational to you. It allows you to visualize yourself in music, film, etc. much easier.
Secondly, diversity allows us to look silly or try and fail and try again when finding our purpose and place in this industry. I think our world, especially for entertainers, is in a place where we are scared to look silly or fail because of the people watching us via social media, etc. Fear of eternal ridicule is stopping extremely talented people before they can even start and by embracing diversity, we as an industry are making room for anyone and everyone to start to feel safe with risk-taking. Let people look silly. Let them experiment and fail, and support them throughout their journey.
Finally, through diversity and representation, the entertainment industry is breaking down barriers and shattering the “should” lines of stereotypical boxes; so, there’s never been a better time to explore avenues, carve your own path, and disrupt the path society wants to push you towards.
As a successful music star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated? How do you overcome obstacles in your career?
There’s one phrase and piece of advice that I live each moment of my day, week, year by and it’s simply: “Surround yourself with people wiser and more experienced than yourself.” Iron can’t be sharpened when it’s surrounded by cloth and the same goes for people. You can’t expect yourself to grow and overcome challenges and obstacles when you are the wisest and most experienced person in your circle. Elevating your surroundings gives you the tools, resources and support to not only overcome any trials, but elevate your life.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
They say that hindsight is 20/20 and they weren’t lying. There’s so many nuggets of wisdom I would have loved to learn as my younger self, but my top five lessons have to be:
1 . Stop trying to figure out who to imitate and trust your own voice. In this industry, there is a thin line between imitation and inspiration, and the key to being successful is being able to tread that line so that you are constantly inspired, but authentic to yourself. That requires a lot of trust, confidence, and understanding of your own voice and sound — something that new artists rarely start their careers with.
2 . Trust your experience and skills. Just like the success of your career depends on the trust you have in your voice and sound, how far you go in your career depends on the trust you invest in your experience and skills. Part of that trust includes forever learning from others and constantly growing your experience — whether it be with shows, new music, collaborations, etc. — and improving your skills as an artist, a brand, and an entrepreneur.
3 . Drink more water than you do now. This may seem trivial, but if we look at this from a physical point of view, it makes sense. Musicians, specifically singers, are using their body — specifically their vocal cords — as their instrument, business and livelihood. If you are in a constant state of dehydration, your instrument can become dried out which not only impacts how you sound, but slows down your ability to recover from a studio session or show. In a world where music is so accessible, your recovery time and pace to deliver music is critical to your success. By doing the small things like staying hydrated, you are ensuring longevity and advancement.
4 . When a good idea hits, take action. Because our music is so personal to us, I believe quite a few artists struggle with overthinking and delaying action because of overthinking. Now that I’m steady in my career, I do not allow my brain to talk myself out of a good idea or inspiration that I am excited about. Instead, I immediately act on that thought or inspiration and then decide if it’s something that I’m ready to share with the world.
5 . Hire a Stylist. A big part of creating your identity as an artist is not just your style of music, but also your personal style. For a young and budding artist, this could be an overwhelming and intense process — especially if you are trying to tackle it on your own. Hiring a stylist that can take your authentic self and help you present it in a way that resonates with your fans and music, as well as aligns with your artistry will be a huge help. Surrounding yourself with a team like a stylist, a manager, etc. also allows you to focus on what you love — the music.
Can you share some insights into your creative process? How do you approach songwriting? How do you approach musical collaborations?
The majority of my music comes from a feeling that inspires me. When I get this feeling, I usually get the lyrics and melody down first. Production is still something I’m settling into and learning so I experiment with different musicians and producers to cultivate a better understanding of that side of the industry. Overall, I’m learning to trust my instincts and vision as an artist and not feel intimidated by another person’s experience or credentials, and this has helped tremendously when collaborating. Not every idea you have is good, but every idea can be the foundation of something really amazing.
Your music has resonated with so many fans worldwide. What do you believe sets your music apart?
My vocal coach, Noel Smith, once told me that my superpower is the control and tone of my voice, so I try to make sure that those two things never get lost in the production process. I also am able to convey emotions really well so that any listener can feel the heart of what I’m singing in every song.
How do you connect with your audience?
Right now, I’m really utilizing TikTok as a way to reach my audience and fans. I go LIVE on TikTok most nights for a few hours where I’m literally talking and singing directly to my audience, and even bring in fans for special requests. It’s a moment that makes me feel validated in this industry because the exchange is so honest and raw. I am my most authentic self while singing and interacting with my audience, and those that it resonates stay, continue to come back and turn into fans. These moments also allow me to provide a space of joy and peace for people that may not have that, but need it that day. That’s what’s most important to me is connecting with my audience in a realm of kindness and love.
With your busy schedule and demanding performances, how do you prioritize self-care and maintain a balance between your personal life and career in the music industry?
What is balance? All jokes aside, balance and prioritizing my personal life is something I struggle with and I’m continually trying to improve. At the end of the day, I will always prioritize my peace and values before anything else, so I will make decisions — whether it’s in my career or personal life — with those in mind. But I’m currently working on finding where my balance lies in the grand scheme of things.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Two of the biggest pillars of my life are education and kindness. By learning about what’s happening around you and what came before you, you are able to be more empathetic towards others. So many people today are just trying to stay above water and if we were able to really learn and understand why so many people are struggling, we’d be able to naturally extend a bit more kindness.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Without a shadow of a doubt, that person would be Celine Dion. From an industry perspective, she is my biggest inspiration. I had the chance to see her in Vegas at the Colosseum, and she’s the only artist to ever make me cry just from the honor of seeing her perform. She is a forever force and legacy in the music industry.
How can our readers continue to follow your work online?
Anyone can connect with me on any social media platform @caitmartinsings. I typically go live around 9:30 PM EST on TikTok and stay until about 12 AM EST. My website is caitmartinsings.com, and people can stream “Not Ready” on all streaming platforms.
Thanks so much for this interview, it was a blast and I’m so grateful for your time!
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.
Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold.
