Rising Music Star Carina Allen On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

Don’t take things personally — Professional relationships are ‘professional relationships’ for a reason. I’ve had many times where the lines are blurred, working with a lot of friends as clients. It’s hard to not take criticism or feedback personally, but most of the time, it’s really not personal! Treat people with compassion but know what your professional boundaries are. It will make the entire process easier.

As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Carina Allen (aka rlyblonde).

After years of being the go-to photographer for New York’s favorite indie acts, Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist Carina Allen, aka rlyblonde, is taking her turn in the spotlight with her new music project. Her introductory single, “Fantasy,” flickers between gritty alt-rock and serene, melodic pop. Lyrically, the song echoes the familiar themes of heartbreak, identity, and growth that can also be seen in her past self-portraiture and personal photography work.

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?

I grew up in the suburbs of New York. My family was always very encouraging of me pursuing art, particularly photography. My dad let me borrow his camera for years, and I became really attached to that. I had a guitar in high school but was preoccupied enough with other hobbies that I didn’t really get back into it properly until 2020.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I’ve been working as a photographer for years and predominantly work with musicians. I love what I do, and I love the community around me as well, but years of creating artwork around other artists’ music really made me want to create my own project in full. I’m not sure there was really one moment alone that brought me to pursuing music, rather just years of observing and dreaming.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

Hard to pinpoint one thing but meeting and working some of my favorite artists like Donna Missal, Pom Pom Squad, Sir Chloe, and Crumb have been huge moments for me. It’s cool to finally meet people you’ve been inspired by for a while.

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?

Oh gosh, I think I honestly used to feel a lot of shame around making mistakes, so I don’t really remember any of them fondly or with much humor, haha. I think a lot of my biggest mistakes over the years led me, as an artist, to create stronger professional boundaries. Every opportunity where something doesn’t go exactly right, or an unexpected issue comes up, basically shows me where I need to have better boundaries or better preparation around my work.

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?

Honestly, I think a lot of people don’t like to talk about financial assistance when it comes to art. I think people find it very taboo to discuss money and where they get it, which just sort of contributes to a very disillusioned way of looking at the world, and the creative scene in general. When my grandfather passed away, he left some money for both my brother and I, as a safety net for later in our lives. It was totally unexpected; my grandfather was always really modest, he worked as a guidance counselor. But that money has helped me have a foundation for my life and my art that a lot of people don’t have, and there’s not a day when I don’t think about it or thank him.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

I live by the mantra “it is what it is.” Sometimes things just happen in life, and you have to just keep rolling. There’s a lot of things I can’t control in life and it’s something that reminds me to focus on the things that are in my control.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I’m working on starting up a production company to cater towards other music artists looking for visual direction and production. I’m really excited to see what future projects that brings along! I also have another music video coming up that we shot a few weeks back for my next single, “Spiltmilk,” which will be out soon! I’m excited to have another release to really dig into!

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?

I think it’s important for people to be able to see themselves in art. I think good art taps into something personal. I know not everyone will relate to my artwork specifically, but there’s some other artwork out there that will, and that’s why I think it’s so important for a really wide variety of artists to have the platforms to share their work. It’s really validating to see a piece of work with someone who looks like you as the focus, or to listen to a song and relate really specifically to what the artist is saying. There’s a lot of value in just feeling seen or understood on a human level.

On the other hand, I think it’s really important for people to see people different from themselves represented in art too. There’s a lot of people that grow up in very secluded areas, around one particular type of person or experience. It’s impossible to grow up in a way where you can possibly understand everyone’s lived experience. It’s important to have diversity in art so that people can see other ways of living, understand other experiences outside their own, and build compassion beyond their own lived experience.

I think industry-wise, it’s even more important to have diversity behind the scenes. It’s easy to tokenize people as diversity becomes “trendy” and popular, but that doesn’t really do a whole lot for society. It’s important to have different voices in the writing rooms, in production meetings, on the payroll, etc. If the work isn’t happening behind the scenes, we’re still going to stay stuck as a society.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

1. Your first job will not be your only job — I waited to move to NYC until I had a full-time job secured, which of course fell through within my first month in Brooklyn. Anything can happen, so it’s crucial to not stay too attached to one particular outcome.
2. Have a savings account — for obvious reasons!
3. You don’t have to take every single client that comes your way — Sometimes it’s just not the right fit and that’s okay. There will be more jobs. There were times when losing a job because a client didn’t want to sign my contract felt detrimental but, in reality, if they do not want to work with me in a standard professional way, that is not the client for me.
4. You do not need to limit yourself to one medium or one career path — I’m 27, I’m still trying new things, and I’m more excited about my work than ever before! Changing paths or ending a chapter of your life does not mean you’re giving up, it simply means you’re moving on to something more aligned with your goals.
5. Don’t take things personally — Professional relationships are ‘professional relationships’ for a reason. I’ve had many times where the lines are blurred, working with a lot of friends as clients. It’s hard to not take criticism or feedback personally, but most of the time, it’s really not personal! Treat people with compassion but know what your professional boundaries are. It will make the entire process easier.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Take breaks, exercise, and feed yourself. Take at least two days off a week. Have hobbies outside of your profession. Spend time in nature.

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. :-)

World peace? This is a huge question! I’d like to create spaces in the creative scene where people can feel safe, cherished, and inspired. Whether that be physical creative spaces or venues, events, etc. I think it’s hard to imagine dealing with all the world’s problems at once, so I try to place my focus on improving things on a local level for the people who are around me.

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. :-)

Liz Phair or Avril Lavigne! I’m a big fan!

How can our readers follow you online?

Pretty much at @rlyblonde anywhere you could look for me!

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!