Exposed Vocals Interviews Carlos Smith

Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?

Carlos Smith: I heard about Exposed Vocals through twitter. I decided to give it a shot to help gain more exposure for my journalism career.

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

Carlos Smith: I grew up in Jonesville, SC a very small town. It took me until my senior year to finally decide what I wanted to do. I had a passion for sports and I would sit and talk to anybody and have a conversation about sports. It was then I decided to pursue a career in sports journalism and entertainment.

Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

Carlos Smith: I think it’s important because it gives you an opportunity to grow and gain more exposure. One thing that I have learned is that everybody has a fan base whether it’s big or small. It’s up to you to embrace it and make the best of your opportunity.

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any journalist or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

Carlos Smith: Just continue to work hard and have faith in what you do. I am far from a finished product but I continue to sharpen my craft and pursue greatness every day. Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. There is a lesson to be learned from everything that you do.

Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?

Carlos Smith: Yes! The first time covered the Charlotte Hornets and did an on camera reporting job I was nervous. Everything was on the fly so I didn’t have the chance to write anything down. Luckily I knew a lot about the game of basketball so it felt kind of natural to me. I just applied what I knew about the game to what I saw from the team. After that I settled down and it started to feel natural. I will say I am far from perfect.

Exposed Vocals: Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?

Artist: Absolutely. I actually had a kid think I was Michael Jordan one time. We had just finished doing interviews in the Hornets locker room so we were setting up on the court to do a postgame recap. There was a line of kids who were lined up to meet the rookies P.J Hairston and Noah Vonleh at the time. All of a sudden one of the kids pointed at me and yelled out “Michael Jordan!!” The only thing I could do was smile but I had to tell the kid no I wasn’t Jordan. The kid was only like 5 or 6 so I wouldn’t expect him to know who Michael Jordan really was.

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather inspiration? What is your usual process?

Carlos Smith:  I usually gather inspiration from my peers. I study some of the great journalist such as Stephen A. Smith, Colin Cowherd, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley. My favorite personality is by far Charlamagne Tha God. I love how he gives his honest opinion on different topics going on around the world. He is definitely one of the people that when he speaks I listen.

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?

Carlos Smith: I have a twitter, soundcloud, Merit Page, and also linked in where I post some of my content and also work experience.
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cox+sports+broadcasting+carlos+smith
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/smith23-5
Twitter: @csmith_2392
Merit Page: http://meritpages.com/carlosmith

Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?

Carlos Smith: I have a lot of different music on my phone. I actually listened to Justin Beiber’s new album recently which wasn’t bad at all. He makes some great hits. I also love to listen to Adele’s Hello song. That song is amazing.

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?

 
Carlos Smith: I would definitely help take care of my parents. They have been my backbone throughout the whole process and they deserve the best. I would pay back all of my student loans because Sallie Mae is no joke lol. I would give back to the community as well because its definitely a lot of people who need help and that’s always been one of my goals to give back to the people. Also I would continue to work because when you are doing something that you truly love to me it’s not even considered to be work.

 
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?

Carlos Smith:  I don’t have a studio I just use my laptop to record. I use the software called audacity to record my podcast. I usually record at the school library that I graduated from (University of South Carolina Upstate) or I will record from. I just make the best of what I have

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

Carlos Smith: I usually promote my work through Twitter and Facebook. I also tell people that I interact with what I do on the side and I tell them where to go to find my work.

Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any journalist (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?

Carlos Smith: I would Love to sit down with Charlagmagne Tha God. He is my favorite Journalist to listen to. He just grabs your attention with how honest he is. He is also from South Carolina and to see where he is today is a beautiful thing, and gives me more motivation to keep working hard.

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

Carlos Smith: I am in the process of doing a podcast with two of my good friends from college who are also aspiring journalist. I do a little production work for my school (USC Upstate).

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t pursuing a career in Journalism, what would you be doing?

Carlos Smith: Wow. I think I would be trying to coach or playing ball. I love sports so I would definitely have to do something sports related.

Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?

Carlos Smith: The first album I actually bought was 50 Cent Get Rich or Die Trying. It is still to this day one of my favorite albums of all time. Nobody was making better music than 50 at the time in my opinion.

Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your life?

Carlos Smith: I just not to get so wrapped up in everything. I still spend time with my family and hang with my friends just to get a break and keep a level head. It’s always a good thing to make time for the people who you love and help support you all the way.

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?

Carlos Smith: They should expect great things. I will continue to work and strive for the best. I want to be another voice for the voiceless so I will continue to strive for another voice for the people. I know God has something special for me so I continue to have faith and just work hard every day.