We caught up with artist NORD, to get the scoop on his latest project and success in the music industry.

• First and foremost, I’m glad to have you here with us today. Could you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got started?

My name is Carter Davis, artist name NORD, and I am an 18 year-old Hip-Hop and R&B focused musical artist. I was born and raised in the Portland, Oregon (U.S.) metro area and first began creating music in my self-built bedroom studio in late 2021. I released my first single “INDUSTRY” in August of 2021, and since then it has caught the attention of hundreds of thousands of listeners globally. My music, including my latest single “SORRY”, is available to purchase and stream on all major platforms.

• Do you compose your own music and make your own beats? Is it typically a collaborative effort?

My music is typically created collaboratively, with the instrumental/beat production being put in the hands of a select few producers that I originally met online and have fortunately been given the opportunity to work with consistently since starting my music career. As far as lyric writing and ideas for songs, I typically brainstorm themes and write all of my lyrics independently based on a culmination of my current and past emotions, experiences, and inspirations. My philosophy has always been the idea of collaboration and working with others being a key part in composing music of any kind, so any music you hear from me has most definitely been contributed to in some way by somebody else, or even multiple people that I trust musically.

• Who were your initial musical influences? Who had the greatest overall influence on you?

My initial musical influences were the artists that I listened to the most at the time of beginning my music endeavors, and still listen to frequently to this day. These artists consist of Xavier Weeks, DIRTYXAN, and Kevin Powers. The music and style of these artists have always had a dramatic impact on my musical aspirations and decisions. However, apart from stylistic influence, I consider myself to be my biggest influence in my career.

• What do you believe are the essential stylistic qualities that help your music resonate with listeners?

The essential stylistic qualities that can be observed in my music that resonate with listeners the most would have to be the smooth, melodic instrumentals that still pack a booming kick paired with the punchy Hip-Hop influenced vocals that ride on topics which almost everyone can relate to in their own relationship experiences.

• What has been the most difficult event in your profession or life thus far, and how have you overcome it?

A recurring event that has been somewhat difficult to navigate so far in my career as an artist is commonly referred to as “writer’s block”. Consistently writing meaningful and catchy lyrics that are required to make new songs can be especially challenging at times especially when you’re not motivated and or are lacking inspiration, and working to overcome the fact that constantly writing new meaningful music isn’t a realistic expectation in my workflow has been a journey that I’ve been working on as a new songwriter and musician in the field. Going from having no prior musical experience to just starting composition and publishing of music within the past year has subjected me to a lot of lessons, both short-term and also ones that I’ll be continuously learning for the remainder of my career as an artist.

• On the other hand, what would you consider a high point in your career thus far?

A high point in my career thus far would have to be a very specific achievement; surpassing the milestone of 500,000 unique streams on Spotify. This had been a goal of mine ever since releasing my first single in August, and being able to achieve such a large number of listens in just under 5 months after the fact cumulatively between only the two of my released songs really proved to me that my potential as a musician and artist is not being tapped in anywhere close to its full potential.

• Could you tell us about your latest project, and what fans might expect to hear?

My next big project as an artist will be my debut album, which has yet to be announced, and will be releasing on all streaming platforms nearing the end of 2022. For updates, listeners should follow my Instagram and all of my artist streaming profiles. The songs featured on this project will be the next stepping-stone in establishing my sound as a musician and further expanding my already rapidly growing community of supporters.