For Carmen Justice, glitter is the new black.…
It goes with everything. The infectiously optimistic pop artist wears it well, reflecting light and positivity not only through her music, but also through her outgoing personality. Growing up in Hendersonville, Tennessee, 20 miles north of Nashville, Justice had her heart set on the stage from a very early age. “From like age 3, I have only ever loved music. I don’t ever remember wanting to do anything else, really,” she admits. “It’s just always been a part of who I am.” Just shy of graduating with a degree in music from Belmont University, Justice signed on the dotted line with a major label at 20 years old, touring the country with an all-female group at the height of the girl band phenomenon in the early 2010s. It was a pivotal time for her—both as a woman and as an artist trying to find her footing in a characteristically male-dominated industry. After the group decided to split, Justice seized the opportunity to hit the reset button. “I had to reevaluate and ask myself, ‘Why am I doing this? Why do I love music in the first place? And what do I want to say?’ I realized I’ve always been an artist, and I’ve always had things I want to say through my music.”
Carmen spent the next few years writing songs for television and film resulting in several song placements on MTV, ABC, TV Land, The CW and most recently, on a high-profile Gatorade commercial. The time away from the spotlight, ironically, gave Justice the clarity she needed to step back into the recording studio to create songs for herself. And now, armed with a newfound confidence and a bold sense of identity, Justice is back in the spotlight. This time, she’s flying solo; and she’s exactly who she is—nothing more, nothing less. Signed to upstart multi-genre indie label, Paravel Records, this next chapter of Justice’s artistry sparkles with the confidence of someone who’s found the gold at the end of the rainbow. Or perhaps she simply now recognizes that the gold was inside of her the whole time; she’s just finally letting the world see her shine. “I truly feel like I’m just being myself, and I don’t care to impress anyone. I’m not trying to fit in or do what’s cool,” she asserts. “I’m finally making the music I’ve been waiting years to make, and it’s a really refreshing feeling to be in that place of complete freedom.”
