Written during a season of post-graduation uncertainty, ‘Why Should I Worry’ began as Carly Ann Taylor’s way of confronting fear and stepping boldly into a career in music. What happened next became a defining moment – from performing the track live for the first time in Sacramento to landing a record deal with Curb Records shortly after.
Carly reflects on overcoming a turbulent childhood, finding her voice through life’s challenges, and how one vulnerable song became the launchpad for an extraordinary new chapter.
Your new single, “Why Should I Worry,” has a timeless and uplifting quality. What was the most rewarding part of creating it?
Thank you so much! Why Should I Worry was born from a place of heavy worry, anxiety, and fear of my future. I was really struggling to understand where God was leading me in a specific season of my life. The fear I had was so numbing that I cried out to God to show me a way out.
At that time, my mom encouraged me with scripture from Matthew 6. If God takes care of the lilies and the birds in the air, why wouldn’t He take even better care of me? He holds the whole world in His hands, yet cares for me and holds my life and my future. So if this is the truth, then Why Should I worry?
I had just graduated from college and found myself full of fear for what was ahead of me. I knew what God was calling me to, but the road seemed extremely uncertain. I graduated with a degree in Commercial Music Production, and I knew I wanted to pursue a career in music.
After I graduated, my parents gifted me the production of a song with a dream producer of mine, Splash Of Soda. I brought in 3 songs to show him, and he loved Why Should I Worry. We finished writing it with my dad and worked on finalizing production over the summer. The song was set to be released in November of 2024 when my dad asked me to open for his band, Hopeful, at a show in Sacramento, California, which ended up being when Why Should I Worry was scheduled to be released. It was my first time ever doing my own music live outside of college performances. I closed the show with Why Should I Worry and it was incredible! That night, there happened to be two A&R reps from Curb Records at the show. Long story short, I was offered a deal with them shortly after. It felt like God said, “See? Why should you worry? I told you I’m taking care of your future.”
Now, the song is being streamed and played on the radio all over the world, and it has been amazing hearing all of the testimonies of how God met people in their own struggles, and that the song is helping them through fear and anxiety. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that a song I wrote to process my own inner battles would help so many people!
Music served as a form of escape for you while growing up. Can you recall when you first fell in love with singing?
I have been singing since I was 3 years old, and music was definitely an escape for me as I was experiencing some really tough things. I grew up singing the blues, but I never found purpose in that. When I was 15, my biological half-brother, whom I did not grow up with, invited me to visit him and his wife during the summer in California. During my visit, I started opening up about some of the things I was going through in Hawaii. As they started to learn about a lot of the things that were happening in my life at that time, they knew they couldn’t send me back.
I never returned to Hawaii. They ended up taking me in and finished raising me as their own daughter. They are now who I call my mom and my dad. They took me to church the very first Sunday I was visiting, and I accepted the Lord into my life immediately. That is when I was introduced to worship music, and everything made sense to me. Today, music isn’t an escape for me, but it is something that brings healing, and I can express my gratitude for how God rescued me and changed my story! I can definitely say I fell in love with singing when I found purpose in it through worship. I was rescued from complete dysfunction, and my entire life has been redeemed, so I feel like I really have something to sing about!
You have overcome incredible challenges at a young age. Looking back, which moments do you believe shaped your resilience the most?
When I look back now, I can see that God was with me the whole time, even on the hardest days. He had his hand of protection on me and had a plan for my life, even though I did not see it then. Growing up in a dysfunctional home shaped me in ways I didn’t fully understand then, but I see it now. I think resilience was built through every hard moment, hanging on to hope when I didn’t feel I had anything left. God came in and rescued me at the right time.
I’ve chosen to look at my childhood, even the trauma, through a lens of gratitude. Not because it was easy, but because God has redeemed it. Leaving everything behind and coming to California was a moment that forever changed me. I was desperate for a new life and salvation. I did not know any different, but I longed for stability and love. When I arrived, I was embraced by a new family, and by the love of a Savior. As time went on, I knew I had to make certain decisions in my life in order to break the cycles in my family history. Simply changing environments without changing habits and behaviors wouldn’t bring me any new results in life. Moving away from the dysfunction gave me the opportunity to reshape my mindset and behaviors.
The Lord gave me another chance. A chance to change the trajectory of my life and my family line. My new family loved me back to life, and from that point on, I understood the assignment and the gift that was given to me.
The powerful, soulful nature of your voice has been compared to artists like Adele. Which artists inspire you, and why?
Wow, that is so mind-blowing to me! I have always been drawn to the powerhouse vocalists like Adele, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Tori Kelly, so being compared to any of them is such an amazing compliment and an honor! I think what resonates with me the most is their passionate delivery. These artists have inspired me because of the confidence and freedom in their vocal performances and the emotion they convey. It has, in a way, given me confidence for my own performances.
Your music draws directly from your experiences. How does “Why Should I Worry” reflect your life so far and the beginning of your musical journey?
I wrote Why Should I Worry in a time when I had a paralyzing fear of my future. I was really struggling to understand where God was leading me in a specific season of my life. The fear I had was so numbing that I cried out to God to show me a way out. What’s wild is that I met the Curb team the very day the original version was released in 2024. After signing and revisiting the song, it felt like God was gently reminding me of His faithfulness. I wrote the song wanting to believe it, and now it is a testimony. Whether I’m in a season of anxiety or gratitude, the truth of it remains the same. His provision hasn’t changed, and neither has the promise behind the song.
Getting to release Why Should I Worry was an exceptional start to my career. Seeing how much it resonates with people, and the incredible response we have received, I truly believe this is a message from God that I will carry on for the rest of my life. Why Should I Worry?
After experiencing a difficult childhood, you were embraced by your brother and sister-in-law in your teens, marking a pivotal turning point in your life. How did that support influence your identity and music?
Before I came to California and was taken in by my new family, I tried to find myself in things that never really filled the void. I didn’t know how to love or how to be loved. I never understood what being loved sacrificially was like until I was embraced by the love of Jesus and of my new family. I no longer felt like I needed to do something to deserve love. Their consistency in loving me so well showed me, with time, that I was worthy of being loved, and I didn’t have to do anything to deserve it. My new family helped me heal and supported me to pursue my dreams and my calling. They were there for me in the late nights and early mornings, for auditions, performances, and in the exciting and boring days. I know I couldn’t have done any of it without them! They gave me a safe place and the runway to create and shape my music so I can now share it with the world. And they are now who I call my mom and my dad, and I have two little brothers and a little sister!
How do you hope your story of survival will connect with listeners?
I hope my music communicates to the listener that there’s hope in Jesus, and that no one is too far gone!! The Lord is in every detail of their life and has a beautiful plan for them. When we surrender our futures and our plans at the feet of Jesus, He is so good and so faithful to remind us that He holds it all, and that He is ready to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ever think or imagine!
Looking ahead, what are your hopes and aspirations for 2026? Can we expect new music in the works?
There’s a lot of new music coming, and I’m so excited about it!! This next chapter of music goes into different parts of my story… different seasons, different sounds, and it stretches across a few genres in a way that feels really authentic to me. I’ve also been working on some really special collaborations that I can’t wait to share!! Stay tuned!!!!
