“That’s gonna be me some day.”
Carley Belfry was just a kid in elementary school when she made that pledge to her grandma while watching American Idol.
Even at that tender age, Belfry knew those aspiring singers on the TV screen were part of a world she wanted to inhabit – the music industry.
While time often erodes fanciful childhood dreams, the Flin Flon native, now 21, is staying true to her goal of building a career around her silky smooth voice.
“My ambition is not to be famous, but to just make the best music I can and to be able to reach out to other people through that and help them in
some way,” says Belfry, who lives in Vancouver.
To that end, the aspiring pop R&B artist is already well on her way.
Education-wise, she has earned a certificate in performing arts and completed courses in music production at schools in Victoria and Vancouver.
Performance-wise, she has been part of a number of West Coast shows, a highlight being the prestigious David Foster Foundation’s 2012 Miracle Weekend concert in Victoria.
In what was a big break for her young career, Belfry joined a chorus that backed up Josh Groban on his hit “You Raise Me Up” before a crowd of 6,000.
The concert, which also featured Sarah McLachlan and Kenny G, helped bring in $4.6 million in financial aid for Canadian families with children who need organ transplants.
“This [was] an honour for me because I have always wanted to help these people, even if it’s a small contribution,” says Belfry, “and knowing that I can make just the tiniest difference gives me so much joy and hope for what more I can do in the future.”
As part of her studies at Vancouver’s Harbourside Institute of Technology this past year, Belfry recorded three of her own songs to yield a small but heartfelt album called Storybook.
Though still unreleased, the album promises to pack emotional punch. One of the songs, “Break Me Down,” was inspired by Belfry’s late mom, Michelle.
“She was such an inspiration in keeping us all strong,” says Carley. “When I wrote that, I kind of felt like nothing can really break me down because I still have her and everything she taught me and everything we’ve been through.”
Even before heading west while still a teenager, Carley had tuned her powerful vocal cords nicely through her involvement in Flin Flon’s rich musical scene.
Her first taste of live music came at an early age when her mom, a
Flin Flon Community Choir member, would take her to choir rehearsals and performances.
Carley quickly fell in love with the harmonious vocals that filled the RH Channing Auditorium. She jumped at the chance to join The Coppertones, Flin Flon’s beloved children’s choir, and take one-on-one voice lessons.
From Grade 6 all the way through to her graduation from Hapnot Collegiate in 2011, Carley was part of the Manitoba Honour Choir.
During her four years at Hapnot, she found time as well to join the school choir and lend her talents to Dinner Theatre
productions.
Carley also had a memorable solo in the Community Choir’s blockbuster 2009 production of Evita, in which she portrayed a mistress.
“Any chance I could get up and perform, [I took],” she says.
Carley still has that hunger for the stage. As she prepares to launch her Storybook album, hopefully next month, she will return to Flin Flon next week for a pre-release party.
She plans on returning to school next year to become a veterinary assistant, but this new career is intended only to tide her over until her big musical break happens.
“Singing to me is a way of letting loose,” says Carley, a solo act. “I can express myself in a healthy way and hopefully get a message across or inspire someone else.”
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Carley’s pre-release party will take place this Monday, Oct. 13 from 7-9 pm at Johnny’s Social Club. The set list will include songs from her new album as well as other original and
cover pieces.
