Getting us on our feet on a bleak Tuesday afternoon is no easy task, but dropping a ball of high-energy, feel-good, summer-ready tracks, Shy Carter has no trouble achieving just that with his latest EP, “The Rest Of Us”. From the infectiously cheerful “Beer With My Friends” to the heartfelt piano ballad in “Good Love”, the eight track playlist has a soundscape for every mood or occasion. And whether it be played at a party with friends or alone on a weekday night, Shy Carter’s rich vocals are enough to get anyone deep in their feels.

“This EP is good music for good people!” Carter says on the EP, “We’ve got something for everyone – the party people, the people who are feeling the feels… and the rest of us! Much love to my team, my producer, my co-writers and all y’all beautiful people.”

Upon the release of “The Rest Of Us”, we spoke with Carter about his musical inspirations, and the gruelling process of creating an EP during a pandemic. To stream the full album and to read the interview, scroll below…

Hey Shy, how are you? How has this past year been?
Hey, I’m great! This past year has been nice. It’s been great to be able to travel and do some shows and be back out in the world meeting awesome new people! I’ve also had a lot of fun being with my precious children.

With everything that happened during the pandemic, was your creativity affected?
Yes, my creativity was affected. I was pretty creative at the beginning because I was just out in the country with my studio, and I had a lot of time to reflect and enjoy life. But after a while it started to feel more mundane, and I wanted to be with people… so I didn’t feel as creative. But now we are back in full effect making sweet jams!

How did you first get into music, what sparked the interest?
I first got into music playing the saxophone and piano. I would also make little beats and try to write some songs and some raps. My dad really sparked my interest, because he was always playing guitar and singing. I really loved RnB music, like Boyz II Men, and I really wanted to sing like them. Music was magical to me and it still is.

Where are you from? Do you think your hometown impacted your sound?
I grew up in quite a few different places, but I spent my formative years right outside of Memphis, TN. It heavily influenced my sound. The underground hip hop scene spawned legendary music and the soul in the city is very profound. You can hear a whole lot of Memphis in my music and in my voice.

And now you’ve dropped your new EP “The Rest of Us”, talk us through your mindset going into the project?
My mindset going into this project was to create something special and true. I have songs on there that mean a whole lot to me, and they come from real life situations. There’s also some fun, light stuff on there because I love to have a good time! Then there are the tear-jerker songs and the soulful, sexy songs. It’s a good representation of the different kinds of feels I want to bring to the world.

Creatively, what was the most challenging aspect?
The most challenging aspect was creating this project during the beginning of a pandemic. I wasn’t able to be in one room together with people – there was a lot of sending files back and forth. I’m looking forward to being able to be more hands-on next time, but I’m still super happy with how this project turned out. It stretched my creativity in a lot of positive ways.

What do you hope people take away from it?
I hope that people feel inspired and joyful. I hope they have moments throughout the project where they can reflect on life, and I hope that they connect with the lyrics. If anyone has been through similar situations, I hope it meets them where they are… and, hopefully, makes them feel better.

Who inspires you? What are you most excited for?
I’m so inspired by my children. They have so much joy and excitement about the little things in life, and they are so naturally full of love. I’m also inspired by so many great friends and family in my life, and I’m inspired by God and this beautiful world we live in. I love that I can make music that searches for positivity in any situation, because every day above ground is a good day!