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10 Questions with ... Charlie Rey
October 14, 2019
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1. Share about your career journey as an artist. What's the path looked like that's brought you to where you are now?
My journey from mainstream music to the Christian music industry is unusual. I started in mainstream music because I wanted the fame and fortune that came with it. I always found myself in the room with all the right people. I played the right shows, and I had the right team surrounding me. But I was being handed empty promises. As a result, this took a toll on my mental health. I became very bitter and angry, feeling empty inside. After I was shelved by a label, I decided to close the curtain on music for good. The only good thing that came from my tour was meeting my wife on a cruise ship.
A few years later, while she was five months pregnant with our first child, I suffered a health scare. After dozens of ER visits, anxiety attacks left and right, I was diagnosed with a rare disease called Transverse Myelitis. I was slowly becoming paralyzed one body part at a time until I was in a wheelchair, unable to walk. In the process of being told I may have Multiple Sclerosis or a tumor in my spinal cord, my wife had gone into pre-term labor from the stress of my condition. Sitting in the hospital waiting to see if my wife and baby would be OK, I was at a point where I had no where to turn. I decided to pray. I wondered why was this all happening? Were my past sins catching up to me? I made a promise to God at that moment; If you keep my wife and child safe, and heal me enough to allow me to run and play with my kid one day, I'll dedicate the rest of my life to serving your purpose. I had no idea what that meant at the time because music was just about finished for me, but if there was one person that could deliver me, it was Jesus. Shortly after that my wife's pre-term labor was stopped and a few hrs later we were sent home with a baby still safe in the womb.
Another miracle had occurred upon standing to my feet, I felt my foot on the ground for the first time in months. Three years later, I'm now 99% healed, and have two healthy kids. It took me three years to hear how God called me to uphold my promise. I now know it's creating music for His purpose. I figured I'd release some music that I had written during my struggles without letting the outcome of it consume me and let God do whatever He wanted with it. I still have and will continue to have that mentality. Whether my music touches one million people or just one person, God's plan is unfolding in His way, i'm just doing what He has called me to.
2. At what point did you realize you had talent as a musician and potential to make a career out of it?
I started off as just a guitar player. I started writing songs because that's what Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin did. I couldn't find a singer to lead the band, so I just figured I would do it. I'm sure it was very painful for the listeners to hear a brand new singer/songwriter learning how to sing on the job! After tons of vocal lessons, I tried out for "The Voice" and when I had Adam Levine and Blake Shelton turn for me, I thought, "maybe i'm not as bad as I think I am." That's the moment I had decided to go all in on music.
3. Who are your most important influences?
Since I started writing songs and singing in high school, a huge influence to me was John Mayer because he has a lower tone of voice like I do. And I mean, what can we say about his songwriting and guitar playing? It speaks for itself. Nowadays, I really like what Lauv is doing with his production. He's kinda just doing it the way he wants and not really caring about what "needs to be done." I dig that.
On a more interpersonal level, I have a close friend of mine who is like an older brother to me. He was a high school dropout, enlisted in the army, went back to junior college, got accepted and graduated from UCLA, just completed his master's degree at Harvard and now has his dream job working on Wall Street as an equity research analyst. That kind of work ethic and attitude really inspires me to work my tail off to achieve my dreams without any excuses. Doesn't matter where you come from or where you've been, success favors the hardest workers.
4. If you weren't doing the music thing what kind of career do you suspect you'd be pursuing?
Way back when, I was really close to going pro in Motocross. I eventually broke too many bones, so I stopped racing. Music is my love, so I would be behind the scenes in music as a manager or producer. I'm actually a student at University of Southern California pursuing my BA in Music Business!
5. You were recently a contestant on the TV show The Voice. What were you biggest takeaways from that experience? What did you learn about yourself through the process?
I learned how good some singers are that get so little recognition. I also learned that it takes more than just being a good singer to make a career in music. A lot of the contestants could melt your face with their singing and raw talent, but would be partying the night before an audition, or in the real world, never put forth the effort to create music or book shows. I know that executives look at all of that stuff because they look at us as investments. And if the investment has destructive or lazy behaviors, they'll look elsewhere.
I learned how to believe in myself. Being around those raw-talented singers was extremely intimidating. But I put my head down, prepared myself the best way I knew how to get a spot on a team, and I did! I trusted the work I put in and believed in myself which I definitely had to learn.
6. You've taken a very DIY approach to getting your music out there. Even initially put your own single out to radio independently without promotion. What does that say about your personality?
At the risk of sounding cliché, I'm a go-getter. I don't like to wait for people to decide if I'm worth their time, because I know what I can bring to the table. I also like to see how much I can do myself before I pay someone to do it. That's how I approach life in general and it shows in my music career. I have waited on people before in my career and it has gotten me nowhere. This time, I decided to give it another shot by myself regardless of who was behind me. Music is tricky, because it's a team sport and you need everyone on board to be successful. But, I believe that you need to show your team that you're going to go full-speed with or without them.
7. What is your take on the current landscape of CCM from your point-of- view? What made you decide to be a part of that world?
I think everyone in the CCM realm is doing God's work and it's great. Christian music is supposed to empathize and encourage people. If it's doing that for people, then it's doing it's job. I feel God calling me into CCM for different reasons; but, one that stands out in my mind is my wife. She loves dope beats from modern production, but she wants safe music to listen to while the kids are in the backseat. I wanted to fill that need for her and make new music that is both relevant and feeds her and the kids spiritually, while allowing them to groove.
8. What would you say is your biggest platform at this stage in your life and career? What message do you most want to project to people?
Right now, it's letting people see what I do and what my testimony and message is. God loves us right where we're at and there's nothing we can do to change that love. I want my generation to know this. The best way I know how to do that is through music. It's our job as true Christians to spread His love. I want to show my generation that the Jesus that I know, loves you just the way you are.
9. Who have you been listening to recently that inspires you both creatively and spiritually?
I like to keep things fresh, so i'll keep up with Top 40 for inspiration. But I love just collaborating with producers and just seeing where the Spirit leads us. Spiritually i've been really just trying to hear from Jesus himself. There are great passages out there but, nothing is more powerful than just being quiet and reflecting on where God has me.
10. What in your world's coming up in the near future that's capturing your attention the most?
I'm stoked to start touring! We're doing a radio promo tour here in September, and I'm putting together a west coast tour. Again, it's all DIY, so I'm doing this in the dark but; I have help from friends who have done it before so I'm not completely alone. I can't wait to see where God calls me to share His love.
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