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It would have been neat to be in Cody Carrera’s shoes on Tuesday, when he flew to Los Angeles and looked up to see a billboard introducing his debut album looming large over the Sunset Strip.
Not bad for an actor, singer and songwriter who grew up in Murphy and today lives in Hiawassee, Ga.
The Cherokee Scout introduced readers to the then 25-year-old Carrera in the April 11, 2018, edition. That article focused primarily on his acting career, which had taken him from Big The Musical at the nearby Peacock Performing Arts Center to New York City and roles in the television shows Glee, Lab Rats, 90210 and Kickin’ It, as well as the independent film Ashley and being an extra in The Amazing Spider-Man.
Since then, Carrera returned to the tri-state area and began working on what would become his first full-length album, Shattered Signs & Deadly Sins, which is filled with what he calls “Gothic pop.” The album is “dripped in dark metaphors and religious imagery, using haunting string arrangements juxtaposed with club-banging hooks.” As kids used to say on American Bandstand, “It’s got a good beat and you can dance to it.”
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Each song also corresponds with an astrological sign, giving it another layer of artistry. He also took the time to make his first full-length album more than just a collection of songs, but to tie them together into a cohesive vision. He went so far as to have individual artwork with each song, showing attention to detail.
Carrera called the overall story behind the album, “A look at life, grief and the hardships of living in your 20s. It’s for all the outsiders out there.”
The video for his first single from the album, “False Advertisement” – which was filmed at the Peacock – is filled with that kind of imagery, the sparse yet room-filling musical arrangement allowing the story behind the song to come to life. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the actor in Carrera enjoyed being a performance artist in the video, during which he “bared his soul” to meet his creative vision.
So, what happens next? In a perfect world, a national record label would come calling, pick up Carrera and whisk him off for a breakthrough year, and more, as he has already written his second album and also wants to continue acting. Even better would be the opportunity to open on tour for Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift, his two primary entertainment inspirations.
That would be especially nice since he’s funded everything himself so far, which isn’t easy to do and left him exhausted.
“It would be great to do this for living,” Carrera said with a laugh, “and not have to work at a dry cleaners.”
Carrera was born in Plantation, Fla., but moved to Murphy when he was only 6 years old. “I was bullied growing up in school,” he said, so much so that he was pulled out and homeschooled.
However, he never let that stop him from being himself and pursuing his dreams. Faith and family pulled him through some dark days in 2020, when his mother was injured, he was bitten a snake, got COVID-19 on his birthday and robbed in Atlanta.
Some of Carrera’s songs are more uplifting. “Catch the Light,” which has a feature with upcoming pop artist ML Moseley, tells of “making the most of the time we have left and not to waste it.” That’s good advice for people of any age.
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Shattered Signs & Deadly Sins was officially released on Oct. 28. Order a copy, watch his videos or learn more about him online at www.codycarrera.com.
David Brown is publisher of the Cherokee Scout. You can reach him by phone, 837-5122; email, dbrown@cherokeescout.com; or on Twitter @daviddBstroh.