When it comes to the Irish country music scene you’d be forgiven if you thought it wasn’t a cut-throat business that required its artists to be constantly evolving.
For years fans have been witnessing a shift in energies and styles with some artists crossing from pop and rock as well as folk and trad.
It’s no wonder then when Nathan Carter burst onto the scene nearly a decade ago he changed it forever.
The thing is Nathan, 27, has much more than good looks, charm, personality and talent (all of which he has in bucket loads). He has a savvy business mind and an attention to detail when it comes to the work behind the scenes.
It was the combination of Nathan’s drive, ambition, talent and business smarts that made song-writer and manager John Farry team up with Nathan early in his career.
Now, the pair are a business match made in heaven, as Nathan’s successes just keep coming and coming.
“Things in the industry have changed for me since I started” said Nathan.
“There was once a time when there was hardly anyone at my gigs and eventually the crowds began to get bigger.
“I don’t know if I’ve changed much since the beginning, my goals and vision are still the same. I’m always striving to be a better singer, better musician and a better songwriter.
“I suppose a big change is that I’m starting to enjoy it all more. Back when I started I was so focused on the business side I didn’t get a chance to relax and enjoy what was happening.
“I’ve always had a hands on approach to the business side, things like keeping the finances in order and making sure everyone is happy and everyone is paid.”
For Nathan being involved in the business side of his music is almost as important as the performing and recording itself.
It’s the one aspect he believes all artists should fight to keep control of.
He explained: “You have to be or you’d get done over time and time again, it happens all the time in the music business with musicians, singers, even managers getting ripped off.
“If you know what’s going on then you are less likely to lose out.”
Nathan credits his time as a gigging performer in bars and restaurants around Liverpool as where he learned the ins and outs of his trade.
“I think I have always been astute when it comes to money” he said, adding: “before I moved to Ireland I was doing a one man gig in England playing twice a week in pubs and clubs. Back then I had to collect my own money at the end of the night and file my own tax return. I suppose I had a kind of had a base before I came here.”
Of course as the gigs rolls in and the album and single successes come one after another Nathan says it hasn’t made him complacent.
In fact, he’s just as ambitious as ever and has finally booked the American tour he dreamed of a few years back.
“I’m always looking to tour new places and meet new people and introduce my music to a broader audience.
“We’re going to America for the first time this September, the tour promo has started for all over North America and Canada.
“For me that’s like starting out again. It’s very exciting. People there don’t know me, they don’t know my music so it’s like basically going back to the start, and that’s a good way of keeping you grounded, it keeps you on your toes, you have to try and gain an audience again.
“I’m looking forward to playing Boston and Chicago. I’ve played Chicago before but I’ve never been to Boston nor Canada, I think Toronto will be good fun.
“I suppose I probably won’t get to see much of where we’re going though as we’re travelling by tour bus, so by the time we arrive somewhere we won’t have a lot of downtime.”
With eight releases in eight years and a relatively constant stream of gigs Nathan is careful to utilise his downtime when he gets it.
“I live in Fermanagh, I’m into water sports and Lough Erne is really good for that. I’ve got a boat and I go skiing and stuff. I try to do that as much as I can although the weather can let me down a lot” he said.
“I enjoy the cinema too and chilling out with some Netflix.”
And when he’s not relaxing or gigging, Nathan is hard at work not just on his own music but also mentoring his 18-year-old brother Jake Carter.
“Jake’s doing great, we played up in the Killarney Centre recently and I brought him up on stage to do a couple of songs. He’s doing really great” he said.
“I’m trying to steer him and advise him as much as I can but he’s very strong willed, he knows exactly what he wants to do anyway.”
Luckily for Nathan Jake isn’t a competitor in the market, in fact it has been said by some fans that Jake is the “bad boy” of the family.
Nathan said: “I think he’s just a different type of artist. We did talk at the start about how there was no point him being a carbon copy of me, he has his own identity anyway. He is a singer, musician and songwriter and he’s writing a lot of his own material.
“I think he’s going to do very well. He’s got his own tour in some great venues, he’s not doing the dance scene so he’s playing in different types of venues.
“He’s looking at the very modern country-slash-pop which I guess is what the country music is in the states – soft rock, pop country.”
Whilst Jake trailblazes his own way Nathan will continue to keep evolving his own show, something he believes is vital for survival in the country music business.
He said: “I’ve noticed even in the last three or four years in Ireland a change. I have been writing with different people and the songs on my album have been a bit more progressive than what I would have done before.
“You now have the likes of Downtown Country in Northern Ireland playing a lot of modern country stuff, to get played there and on many of the bigger stations across the UK you have to be modern.
“I’d say my music has definitely evolved and it is a constantly changing thing but you know at the end of the day a good song is still a good song.
“If it’s going to be a hit, it is going to be a hit so it probably doesn’t matter if you pop it up or you rock it up.”
What’s next for Nathan?
Like many artists despite his successes Nathan still has a bucket list of people he’d like to work with or things he’d like to do.
Although he’s ticking America off this year he’s hoping for a high-profiled collaboration in his future.
He said: “I’d love to do something with Ed Sheeran, that would be a kind of pipe dream you know, but then I’d also like to work with legends like Elton John as well, people who have stood the test of time.
“I’d love to do some more collaborations. I did a TV show for RTE last year and I’ve just finished recording a new series which is going out late October. It’s a four part series where I got to duet with people like Paul Carrick, Shane Filan and Martine McCutcheon. Different people from different genres. It’s something I really loved doing, singing different genres of music.”
And the autumn will also see the release of some more material just in time for Christmas.
“I’m back in the UK in October playing in England and Scotland and then December I will be doing a Christmas concert tour around Ireland” said Nathan.
“I’m also going to be releasing a brand new DVD and Live CD which was recorded in the 3Arena in Dublin. These will be out sometime in November.”
And as for the fans? Nathan says he simply couldn’t do what he loves without them.
He said: “I’ve been so lucky you know, the fan base are amazing, I have so many loyal fans that turn up for everything whether that be a gig, a signing, the TV shows they just turn up.
“I have been so lucky and I literally owe them my career. They gave me my career by coming to my gigs and buying the albums, they keep me here.”