Singer, songwriter and performer Karli Whetstone is what country music needs today. She brings with her a voice, music and songbook second to none. Karli is authentic, captivating, and someone you need to know. Grounded in her midwest roots, she knows who she is and what she wants to sing and write about. Having honed her skills amongst Nashville’s elite since her move in 2006, Karli is ready to introduce herself to the country music audience with the ease and skill of a veteran. Karli is undeniable.
2015 is Karli’s biggest year to date. She filmed and released her first ever music video, “Frozen,” directed by the great Roman White. With the majority of the video taking place underwater audiences couldn’t get enough. Featured on Country Weekly, Zuus TV, CMT.com to name a few, “Frozen,” has been viewed over a million times, and has introduced Karli to thousands of new fans. Karli’s social media following is strong and growing daily.
With the accomplishments of, “Frozen,” Karli knew her next project had to be her best work yet. Through the success of, “Frozen,” Karli was introduced to Grammy Award-winning producer Tone Def, (Green Day, Santana, Chris Isaak), and the two hit it off immediately. “Meeting Tone was the greatest thing to happen to my career to date. Our visions were so similar at our very first meeting, that I knew this project needed his guiding hand.” As a result, they hit the ground running on their first project together. Penning four of the six songs together on Karli’s EP, they have an amazing partnership. “I think the main difference in this EP is trust. From our first meeting, I had an innate trust in Tone. It was his trust in me not only as a singer/artist, but as a songwriter, that helped create the atmosphere for my most authentic music to date. This project is very much a picture of who I am, where I come from and what country music means to me.”
Working with the best Nashville has to offer in the studio, Adam Shoenfeld, Mike Johnson, Jason Mowery, Derek Wells, Joe Dunne and Nir Z, helped create a fresh new sound that is purely Karli. “It’s amazing to me to listen to these songs and hear the first brainstorming session Tone and I had at Crema come to life. These six songs are everything we discussed wanting to create that day: Raw, Real, Unique, Authentic, Connectable. It meant more to me than I can say when even in the early stages of recording the musicians were coming up to me describing these songs with those exact descriptions. To have people I admire complement this project in such a way was a dream come true.”
The sound of Karli’s voice and music are not easily describable. Says Karli, “Ugh, I hate that question. I feel like no matter how you answer it, you always sound egotistical.” Simply said, she is a modern day Shania Twain, meets the rawness and pipes of a Gretchen Wilson. The authenticity of this sound can be heard from the first note, “Having co-written five of the six songs on this EP, I fought pretty hard with Tone to not record, “Miles On These Tires,” I told him it was way too personal and autobiographical, and I refused to record it! Clearly he was impressed with my threat, and luckily I trusted him, because that song is the backbone of this entire project.”
Karli has shared the stage with some of country music’s biggest stars including, Taylor Swift, Joe Nichols, Phil Vassar to name a few, and with over a decade of dance experience Karli can command a stage. Karli has also had the honor of performing the National Anthem in the presence of our Special Operations Forces when she was asked by the East Coast Navy SEAL reunion team to open the weekend celebrations. Encouraged by the SEAL’s, Karli decided to record and release her version of the National Anthem, which became a top 15 seller on iTunes.
Years of hard work and dedication to her craft have brought Karli to this moment. “I think you reach a point in your career when you just know you are ready, and I can say I’m ready! I’m proud to have worked on this project and shared in the creative process with the incredible people I have. Tone pushed me to be the best artist, singer and songwriter I could be and as a result, I have six songs I can’t wait to share with country music.”