Yesterday we wrote about Jekalyn Carr’s latest single, ‘Great Christmas‘. We’ve been following her career for a number of years now, and so we asked her a few questions about her music, her inspirations, future plans, and of course, her great Christmas this year.
Hello Jekalyn, thank you for speaking to us today! And happy holidays to you! What makes a great Christmas for you?
What makes a great Christmas for me is when I get the opportunity to spend time with my family. We laugh, enjoy one another, we eat good & we just have a good time together. We talk about the true meaning of Christmas & we just share love and even exchange gifts amongst each other. However mainly I think it’s being able to sit amongst each other and just embrace life. Embrace the fact that we are all together because we all have our own lives. I travel so much throughout the year, however being able to go home and be with my family every year for Christmas always makes a great Christmas for me.
What are your plans for this year?
My plan for this year is to go back home. Every year my family, we have a different theme for Christmas. For example, one year we did an “Italian Christmas” and the list goes on. This year we have two themes. We’re going to do “celebrity theme” where everybody dresses as one of their favourite celebrities and as far as the food, we’re doing Chinese and we’re also going to have different eggrolls. Of course, we have to do our famous family Christmas karaoke, so I look forward to that!
We’ve been following your music career for a few years now, and we know you’ve been involved in music and singing pretty much all your life. If suddenly there was no music left in the world, what would you do otherwise?
I would have to say I would still be doing motivational speaking. I would definitely be in the fashion world. In the beauty world. I’d still be an entrepreneur. So basically, the only thing different would be the music eliminated. I’d still be into television as well.
Who or what do you find to be the most inspiring in your life, and why?
My parents for sure. They have been with me since day one. They’ve been encouraging me, pushing me, believing in me and they always give me great advice especially along my journey. It’s basically like a family affair. We stick together, we work together, we write together, we lift each other. We just do all these amazing things together and so being able to have accountable and dependable people in my corner has been essential to my journey.
What advice do you have for anyone who is hoping to get into a music career?
Stay true to who you are as an artist and also don’t forget the bigger picture. I believe that there are so many different great and amazing gifts and so many different styles that you come across, however I feel like if you are trying to create a legacy for yourself & build your own lane of artistry for yourself.
One of the biggest and main things you have to keep in mind is you have to give the people who you are. You can have inspirations. You can have people that you look up to, however at the end of the day the world needs what you have and what you carry.
Also, throughout your different accomplishments and the many great things that happens for you – If you’re not careful sometimes it can distract you. It can make you forget about the “why” which should be to help people through music and through your gifts. So, it’s very important that you don’t forget that is the bigger picture.
Yes, our accomplishments are amazing, however never allow them to become more important than your purpose and helping people through your purpose and the gifts that God has placed in you.
What lessons have you learned along the way that you feel you can share?
I’ve learned to protect my purpose. I’ve learned to treat people right. I’ve learned to love who I am and love what I have to offer to the world. I’ve learned to make sure you have the right people in your corner. People that can correct you when you’re wrong and celebrate you when you’re right. I’ve learned to encourage myself, to build myself and not wait on others to do that because you may not get it from someone else all the time. You have to learn to push yourself, believe in yourself & encourage yourself.
Even at times where seems like nothing is happening for you, because you sacrifice a lot and sometimes it seems like you’re going in circles. It will seem like you’ve hit a dead end, however you have to know that even in those times that something great is happening. Something great is around the corner. Just keep pushing yourself to believe that and don’t stop until you reach your finished line. Not every day is going to be a day filled with sunshine. You’re going to have those moments and times where you feel like giving up, but it doesn’t have to be the end of your story.
What’s next for Jekalyn Carr?
I’m definitely a woman of vision there’s always something I have a desire to do. My biggest thing is how can I reach more people and encourage more people through my music and in my career in general. Sometimes I don’t know right off the back what that may look like or what the plan may be, however I’m always positioned to do positive things to make sure more people are inspired, uplifted and encouraged.
Finally, what question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview, but nobody ever does? And what is the answer to that question?
What do I like to do to unwind or things I like to do for fun – I’m a country girl. I love ATV riding. I love riding my horses. I’m also a huge movie fan. I love relaxing and watching a good movie.
‘Great Christmas’ is out now, and you can watch the music video below.
Find out more about Jekalyn Carr and her music online on her official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
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