History is always forged in an unpredictable fashion. The expected always comes unexpectedly, unless we use hindsight of course. And in the case of Carmen Reece, the stars are aligning to crown her as “Diva 2.0.”
With the rapid ascent of her debut single, “Right Here,” towards the top of Billboard’s Top 40 Dance Airplay Chart, Carmen Reece became the first artist in history to have an introductory single reach the number three spot in only two weeks. And with the backing of her manager Mark Feist, whose previous work includes Beyonce, Celine Dion, and Natalie Cole, Reece is laying the perfect foundation for what appears to be a long-standing career.
Upon the release of Love in Stereo, Carmen Reece and Mark Feist managed to squeeze some time out of their busy schedules and settle down for a conversation with Clayton Perry — reflecting on Carmen’s move to the U.S., the success of “Right Here,” and the musical bonds the two share.
Within a matter of weeks, “Right Here” snagged two Top 10 placements on the Billboard charts. Why do you think people really gravitated towards this song so quickly?
Carmen Reece: When we write something — I'm sure Mark would say the same — we want to emotionally reach out to people with the content and even the story in the song. So, maybe it's that. The day that they remixed it, it was amazing. When we first heard it, we were blown away. The cut, it's working in the clubs, but I like to think that it makes you feel — it gets to you emotionally, as well.
I found the stripped-down version of the song on YouTube. Have you thought about including a similar version on the album?
Carmen Reece: Yes, we definitely have. We've talked about ownership rights and whether it will be on the album or not. I'm not sure, but I'll leave that to Mark to decide. But as for performing it live, I just love to do that version. I really do enjoy it. And it's great to play on the piano and sing with other people's songs to it.
It really showed off not only just your vocal skills, but the fact that you can actually play the piano, as well. Being a classically trained pianist, what initially drew you to this particular instrument, and how has that helped you build your career over the years?
Carmen Reece: I always try to think what initially got me into the piano. I was already operating the recorder at the age of five – I started early training in instruments. And then I did the piano and flute at the age of seven. I don't know. I mean, I picked up really quick, and I was keen to learn. My parents didn't have to push me to practice. I was there every day. But as far as helping me with what I'm doing now, I would not change it for the world. Sometimes it scares us to think, “Wow! I'm nothing if I hadn't had that musical background of playing piano.” I was in an orchestra for flute, and that classical background really did sustain me, for now, for everything I'm doing now. I play it for the world. I love it.
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