How a lifelong love of classic country led one Belmont songwriter from campus performances to Nissan Stadium
On a drizzly evening in late June, emerging country artist Carlisle Wright stood side stage at Nissan Stadium as 55,000 fans waited to join her in celebrating the music and legacy of Alan Jackson. Feeling at once anxious, overwhelmed and excited, Wright gripped her guitar and whispered a quick prayer. She was moments away from her biggest and most personally significant show to date.
Suddenly, the tension shattered with a tap on her shoulder. It was time for her entrance.
Hooked on Country
From her earliest memories, country music has always been a part of Wright’s life.
“My dad used to make me CD mixtapes to listen to before bed with soothing music from artists like Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline,” she said. “It was very important to him that I learn the ‘real country music’ and get a taste of its authenticity.”
Wright picked up the guitar in preschool and immediately began learning songs from those mixtapes. Undeterred by the instrument’s size in her small hands, her practice soon led to humming melodies and writing songs of her own.
“I was hooked on classic country,” she said. “Even today, that nostalgic and comforting sound is a guiding star for me.”
What constitutes “real country” may elude easy definition, but that doesn’t bother Wright, who feels little need to explain it. To her, it is more important to have an intuitive sense of sincerity and truth in music, which comes from studying classic records and the history of the genre.
“What connects with people are real-life, true stories,” she said. “When you look back at the greats, what you find is a collection of people giving voice to how they feel instead of trying to write a hit. That kind of vulnerability can transport listeners back in time, and that’s the same feeling I’m trying to capture with my own music.”
Building her brand on the look and feel of classic country, Wright is participating in a movement of young people who are returning to the genre’s roots. “There are a lot of classic country fans now who may not have loved it 10 years ago. It’s starting to become more popular through artists like Zach Top, who are bringing the sound back and making it more relevant,” she explained.
Now a rising senior songwriting student at Belmont, Wright has found good company with others who share her appreciation for these artists.
Finding Her People
“When deciding where to attend college, I was drawn to the atmosphere at Belmont,” she said. “There are just so many opportunities here for creative people, and I knew that my path would eventually lead to Nashville someday.”
So confident in her decision after visiting campus, Wright applied exclusively to Belmont.
Once she arrived, as a songwriting major with a minor in music business, Belmont provided the environment that has helped shape her into the artist she is today. Through regular critique and writing with peers, her love for songwriting evolved into the professional skill that launched her career.
“I’m not afraid of feedback,” she articulated. “I always feel like honest critique makes my work stronger and fuels better songs.”
Wright’s journey through Belmont has been guided by professors who shaped her experience of the industry and sharpened her as a creative. “Copyright Law was one of my most difficult classes, but also one of the most rewarding ones,” she said. “It was taught by Rush Hicks, who I still keep in touch with.”
When it came to putting together a live band, Wright had to look no further than her own residence hall. The first member was recruited just outside Patton Hall, where Wright met him jamming with another student. After an impromptu audition playing “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash, she gave him the gig.
“I’ve been incredibly lucky with the people who joined my band,” she reflected. “It’s so much fun to have great players who can bring the songs to life with their own musical voices. Our chemistry onstage comes from being such good friends off stage.”
From small independent venues to massive stadiums, Wright and her band have been diligently playing the local circuit and tightening up their live sound. In January, the group played Belmont’s Country Showcase in the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, where they won first place.
“Country Showcase had some kind of magic in it,” she said. “Getting to know everyone who was involved was so great, and the team let me have a lot of creative control.”
Backstage, the communal atmosphere among the performers calmed any pre-show jitters and provided a place for them to enjoy the moment. By bringing together students from a variety of majors and degree programs, the showcase sparked out-of-the-box collaborations where everyone’s roles were essential, and everyone worked together to bring the production to life.
Wright’s success at the Country Showcase earned her a performance slot at CMA Fest in June. Between security procedures, transportation logistics and artist services, Wright gained a firsthand look at the operational side of the festival for the first time.
"I grew up going to CMA Fest every year and have always dreamed of playing it someday,” she said. “Finally getting to perform was surreal. I thought only my friends and family would show up, but suddenly I was being escorted to a meet-and-greet and standing on a stage facing a sea of people.”
Making History
Wright’s experience on the CMA Fest stage prepared her for an even bigger opportunity on one of the biggest stages in Nashville.
In June, country music icon Alan Jackson gave the final performance of his career at Nissan Stadium. Joining him was a star-studded cast of supporting artists, each covering one of his hits. This revolving door of opening acts included musicians such as George Strait, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert and others. Playing the second slot of the evening, Wright made her stadium debut with Jackson’s song “Burnin’ the Honky Tonks Down.”
"Back in September of last year, I got a call from my Uncle Hat asking if I would open for him at a show this summer,” Wright recounted. “As it got closer, I just couldn'believe it was real. I was so honored to be able to represent him and his career.”
Supporting Wright and all the artists performing for the show was an all-star band that included Ryan Joseph, aassistant professor of music and longtime fiddle player for Alan Jackson.
“One of my favorite things as a professor is bringing students onto big stages and remembering what it was like to be in their shoes,” he said. “That whole night was very special for me, being privileged to have spent 14 years with this artist who shaped the face of music and finally seeing it all brought to a close.”
This performance marked a milestone in Wright’s budding career. The sold-out event extended beyond Nissan Stadium through ticketed livestreams on Broadway and in Belmont’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. A total of 80,000 fans across all channels were estimated to have watched live, with hundreds of thousands of views amassed by online recordings afterwards.
“When choosing which of his songs to play, I wanted to pick one that represented me and my brand as an artist,” she said. “I play a honky tonk every week and wanted to get the crowd moving. I think the drummer was playing as fast as he could!”
Looking Forward
Following the excitement of her Nissan Stadium performance, Wright has returned her focus to the steady work and goal setting that built her career in the first place.
"I’m continuing to write every day and work on my craft,” she said. “I’ve got new music on the way and hopes of joining a touring band as an opening act. Since what I love most is performing live, I’m trying to focus on building my audience one fan at a time. Each new listener makes a huge difference.”
As she prepares to make the next strides in her career, inspired by her heroes and supported by her band, she seeks to stay true to her roots and bring in as many new fans as possible to the musical culture that she loves. She is, in the immortal words of Alan Jackson, “keepin’ it country.”
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