We had the good fortune of connecting with Carla Gover and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carla, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am from coal country in eastern Kentucky, and my family has lived in this part of the world for 8 generations. You can’t be from Appalachia without it being a major part of your identity, even if it winds up just being the thing that you are trying to hide or rebel against. The media stereotypes and stigma about our culture are so pervasive, and as someone who performs traditional Appalachian music and dance, it has also become part of my life’s work to help shift the narrative about what it means to be from this place. I want folks to get their stories about Kentucky from Kentuckians rather than Hollywood. And I especially want Kentuckians to stop internalizing the dark stereotypes about our region and embrace a more true and nuanced version of our identity.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

Like many creative people I don’t just do one Art form. I’d say the three main things I love most are: being a singer songwriter, being a traditional Appalachian Ballad Singer and banjo player, and a Flatfooter and Clogger. There is a distinct Kentucky flavor to my entire body of work. One of the things that sets me apart is that I’m an 8-th-generation Kentuckian. Although Appalachian Music is popular among performers around the world, I feel that there’s something special when folks who are from a culture and place are performing and sharing it.
I am also a dedicated teacher of traditional Appalachian dance, and I am very excited about the online Appalachian Flatfooting and Clogging Academy which I developed during the pandemic.
Even though I’m touring again, now, I am still running the Academy, and the business lessons that I learned from starting it continue to help my business across-the-board today
It’s definitely not always been easy to be a self-employed musician, and I think the main way that I have overcome my challenges is that I’ve been persistent and willing to make mistakes, and also to seek out people that know more than I do when there’s something I’m trying to learn or get better at. I have learned that it is crucial to just show up and do the daily, unglamorous parts of the work of being a professional artist, even though it is not what most artist would prefer to do. That includes marketing, promotion, sales, and all of the other stuff that many of us fantasize about having a team to do for us. For most of us that never happens and I consider learning to do and enjoy those things my admission ticket for getting to be a professional.
What I want people to know via my brand and my story is that Kentucky is a much more nuanced and diverse place than most people think it is.I want to be one of the Kentuckians who is helping to shift the narrative about what it means to be from here

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to give a shoutout to my parents and siblings, who have always encouraged my creative endeavors and career, my grandmother, who was a total East Kentucky QUEEN and taught me 90% of everything I know (including how to sing), and the deep vein of poetry and song that runs through Kentucky thicker than the coal seams.

Website: https://carlagover.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kentuckycarla/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carlagovermusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/KentuckyCarla

Image Credits
Malcolm Wilson Hannah K. Thomas Miloš Miladinović

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