Meet Caro Pierotto

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caro Pierotto.

Caro, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Ten years ago I took a big chance. I put everything on the line in the name of a dream. I was born in the south of Brazil to an Italian descent family that was in the shoemaking business. My dad owns a shoe sole manufacturer, my uncle as well. Everyone in my family, in my town actually, was somehow involved in the business. Growing up in that scenario never really gave me the chance to think about what I wanted to with my life.

All I knew was that I was going to go to school and follow my dad’s steps and take over his company once he was ready. I had the safe steady paycheck, the husband, the penthouse, the car. I had everything money could buy, and yet, I had a big feeling that something was missing in my heart, in my being. One day, after realizing that the next step would be to get pregnant, as all my friends were doing, I looked at myself in the mirror and did not recognize the woman I had become. And definitely did not want my child to have that version of me as a mother.

After that episode, It became clear to me that my whole life had been a supporting actress role to my dad’s story, and if I didn’t do anything to change that, nobody ever would. I had to take charge of my story. And as empowering as that may sound, it was actually one the scariest moments of my journey. I had no idea how to start saving myself, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life at all. I had never had to think about it before, I basically did not know who I was without that mask I had been putting on for so long. All I know I couldn’t keep going on with that reality.

So I gathered the courage to quit my job, I sold everything I had and left that stage. I wasn’t going to play that role anymore. I needed a fresh start. I needed a clean slate. So I moved to LA, which was where I had gone to school, and I took the chance to write my own story. Three years before the breakdown, I used to have an assistant at my work.

When I interviewed her for the job, she mentioned she used to sing in her church’s choir and that she really wanted to get her bachelor degree one day. One day, I found out that the local university’s choir was giving 4 credits per semester to whoever joined their group. So I told her about it right away. She was a bit shy but signed up for the Sunday morning audition anyways. She kindly asked me if I could go tag along for moral support and I gladly did. While in the waiting room, the conductor asked me if I wanted to give it try as well since I was there anyway.

I was a great car singer, but that was it. I had never sung like that before. I didn’t even know how a choir worked. I knew nothing about Music theory. Somehow I said yes and went for it. The results were announced a week later. My assistant, unfortunately, did not make it, but I did. Little did I know that my life was about to change.

Singing in the choir became the only time I had for myself. I was not the wife, nor the daughter. I was me, a novice singer, a musician in training. We were really serious about it. Two 3 hour weekly rehearsals, concerts every month, trips across our state. Everyone was really invested in it. It was the beginning of everything. I learned how to sing properly, I learned music theory, I learned to be part of a group with people from different backgrounds, I learned how to be a human being. We all became a family. Singing with them helped me cope with my last years at my dad’s company.

One day, the university cut the funds for the choir and the whole thing fell apart. And like that, I had nothing to latch on through my hard days, and like that the realization came through. I was unhappy, unfulfilled, and had no idea of who I was or what I was doing with my life. I had been living a super stressful lifestyle for quite some time and I needed a break. So I left my family and friends and I moved to LA.

After a couple of weeks of hiatus, I started to miss the choir. I missed having that time for myself. It was then that I realized that, whenever I was singing, I didn’t feel like anything was missing, I felt whole. And then I thought, maybe that’s what I’m supposed to be doing. I was only used to sing in the choir, I had never sung publicly by myself. But again, this was a moment of reinventing myself, so it really didn’t matter what I had done or had not done before. What mattered was what I was gonna do, from then on, so I went for it.

Brazilian music is well known anywhere around the world, so my first instinct was to use that as my strength to find an opportunity to sing. I knew a bunch of Bossa Nova classics simply because I grew up in the culture, just like classic American Jazz tunes here, everyone knows them. I looked up on Craigslist for any Brazilian Music opportunities under Musicians and Bands. I found a couple of people, one of them was Antonio Cruz, a Mexican-American that was looking to put a Latin Brazilian Band together. We met at a coffee shop, played a couple of tunes and we hit it off right away. That was the beginning of my second musical learning experience.

Antonio had a Degree in Music and Economics and worked for a bank. He told me he just wanted to do the band things on the side as a fun project. And I said, me too. At the time, I still didn’t have the awareness that I was gonna be singing as a profession. I just wanted to feel more of that connection with myself again. So I agreed.

Slowly we started rehearsing regularly to build a repertoire. We found ourselves a drummer, and eventually a bassist. Next thing, we were playing at the House of Blues, The Mint, the upstairs room at The Roxy, the LA live music itinerary. Then one day Antonio came to me and said: “Now it’s time we write our own material”. I was surprised when he said that. I had had my attempts to write in my teenage years, but that had been a long time ago.

I was going through a divorce, so I thought, I’ll just dig in and see what comes out. Surely enough, we wrote 10 songs together and ‘Volta ao Mundo’ was born, under the band name Marbella. The album was produced by the Latin Grammy-winning engineer Alberto Lopez at Coney Island Studios, in Glendale. The CD became a favorite at KCRW in 2013 and was shortlisted for the American Grammy balloting that year. After 5 years with Marbella, Antonio left for New York for his Masters and I took it as a sign for me to embrace my songwriter self and went solo.

During that period of time, I met Grecco Buratto, also Latin Grammy-nominated producer, that encouraged me to start writing by myself. And so I did. Through this years I managed to become very active in the LA music scene and have been very fortunate to have weekly opportunities to perform live and try out new songs and get them ready to be recorded. Using our network of musician friends in Los Angeles, the recordings were made exclusively in home studios and mixed by the Gustavo Borner, winner of numerous American Grammy Awards, at Igloo Studios.

The album is composed by 7 songs in Portuguese and 4 in English, the rhythms vary from Xote, Reggae, Samba, Pop and Ballads, and it’s being released in singles, one per month, all the way till the end of 2018. The album is being distributed in Brazil and the world by Brazilian label YB Music. As of right, I’ve got 5 of them out and 6 are on their way. The goal is to produce music videos for all of them as well. And that’s how I got here.

Has it been a smooth road?
I think the biggest struggle is the emotional side of it all. Being an Independent and Solo artist is you with yourself. So to remain motivated and positive has always been the hardest part of it. But then I connect to the why I’m here doing this, and all that I have gone through to be here and quickly I snap out of any negative thoughts.

Also, the financial side of it, I fund it all myself as well. So I have to do what I can to generate income in order to pay for the recordings and videos. That part can be overwhelming sometimes because you find yourself investing your time in activities just for the money and it does not feel good at all. But again, I connect with why of it and keep moving forward, until I don’t have to do anything else other than Music related.

I also practice Kundalini Yoga, which helps me big time with the whole process. It always brings me to balance and helps me connect with my purpose as a human being.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I provide live music entertainment. I enjoy doing an all originals show, but I also specialize in adding Brazilian rhythms to cover songs along with my originals. That format has opened a lot of doors for me here in LA and around the world. I do corporate events, wedding receptions, birthday celebrations and any event that needs a smooth soundtrack added to it.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely. LA is a cultural melting pot. It welcomes all cultures and it ends up being shaped by it. It’s beautiful to see, musically especially. It has allowed exploring all genres of music in one place. Another special thing about it is that all great musicians from all over the world come here, so you need to be great. Good is not enough. You gotta be on top of your game if you wanna succeed of course.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.caropierotto.com
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
Melissa Castro

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