Terrell Carter - Artist, Author, and Song, Career, Review
The Inspiring Terrell Carter: Musician, Actor, and Author
Terrell Carter is an American actor, musician, and author with an amazing story to tell. Raised in New York and living in Los Angeles, he rose above a troubled childhood to create a long and successful career. Carter brings memorable characters to life on set while working in the studio to create music with spirit and soul. He also started writing over recent years, sharing his inspirational story with fans in the emotional best-seller Problem Child.
Let’s learn more about this incredible artist, from his heart-wrenching story to his life-affirming music and acting career.
Captivating life story
While we are not completely defined by our past, family relationships have a huge impact on our lives. No one knows this better than Terrell Carter, who has overcome immense challenges to transform pain into power. Carter was born to a mother with intellectual disabilities, who also had one leg amputated at birth. When she was just 11 years old, she was raped by a 26-year-old family member. That’s how Carter entered the world, thrust into a highly-troubled family with a mom he describes as a “broken vessel.”
Almost unbelievable in its darkness and dysfunction, Carter’s story is one of incredible resilience and faith. In this highly challenging environment, his grandmother became his “Mom,” and his great-grandmother became his granny. Both of these figures gave Carter the love and support he needed to prosper. Carter’s birthmom Candy was still around, dropping profound wisdom despite having the intellectual age of a 9- or 10-year-old. She planted one seed in Carter’s mind early on, saying, “There is more for you than what’s here.”
When Carter’s granny died, he honored her memory by singing at her funeral. While he was singing and grieving, surrounded by fighting and weeping family members, Carter remembers how music brought everyone together. It was a profound spiritual experience for the young man, and it made him realize exactly what he needed to do with the rest of his life. While the rest of the family weren’t involved in music, singing felt like it was in Carter’s blood. Once the young man had discovered his gift for song, he was ready to spread it to the world.
Problem Child: The book
Problem Child presents the true story of Terrell Carter, written by the man himself, with support from Stacy Thunes. An emotional journey of trials and tribulations, this book is a major revelation based on a huge family secret. Carter delivers it with incredible understanding and compassion, presenting his inspiring story to the masses. Published by Post Hill Press in 2020, Problem Child is an incredible read produced with unbelievable bravery and resilience.
Acting career
Terrell Carter is a familiar face on the screen, having starred in numerous TV shows and Hollywood productions. He featured in the #1 Netflix series Beauty in Black, as well as the critically acclaimed Fox drama series Empire. Recent fans may also know Carter from the TV shows Lace and A House Divided, where he starred in 11 episodes and 18 episodes, respectively. Carter is also famous for his recurring role in the USA Network drama, Shooter, along with the HBO series The Newsroom.
On the big screen, Carter made his film debut in Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman, where he also performed the song “Father Can You Hear Me”. Since then, he’s starred in lots of great movie productions. During his early career, Carter worked on Madea’s Class Reunion in 2003, Diary of a Mad Black Woman in 2005, Friends & Lovers: The Ski Trip 2 in 2008, and Perfect Combination in 2010. Over the last decade, Terrell Carter has starred in Everything That Glitters, Falling in Love Again, Alone in the Dark, The Millennial, and My Brother’s Wife.
Musical inspiration
Terrell Carter writes music for the heart and soul. He loves healing songs that help people forget their everyday troubles and connect with a greater consciousness. According to Carter, one specific gospel song highlights his special relationship with music. “You Can’t Take My Faith Away” was written by Thomas Whitfield and performed by the Clark Sisters, and according to Carter, it’s a song that “speaks about everything.”
When talking about his greatest inspirations, Carter also mentions songs of yesterday by people like Patti Labelle and Stevie Wonder. Terrell Carter loves music with meaning, sound with soul, and lyrics that take you on a journey: “Not that I don’t like the Chris Brown’s or Rihanna’s. It’s just that the music of yesterday’s lyrics meant so much and they were so different… For me, I would take that over today’s music any day.”
Music from the soul
Carter’s own music career has been interesting, with releases spread out due to his successful acting career. He’s recorded lots of music over time, however, with eight studio albums and dozens of EPs and singles released since 2003.
If you want a fascinating insight into his music, check out this 2011 YouTube clip for an unreleased track called “1160 Hair.” While Carter hasn’t released a long-player since 2015, when Something in the Water and The Answers both came out, he’s been spending more time in the studio over recent years. These great tracks deserve special mention:
‘Won’t Bring Me Down’
This high-energy song sees the amazing Terrell Carter partner up with producer EMMBER. This track delves deep into Chicago house, with slabs of funk and R&B thrown in for good measure. Both stylistically and lyrically, this song is meant to unify. EMMBER is a fabulous queer artist from Chicago, who is now loud and proud after initially hiding their identity. Carter’s vocals add a gentle strength to their energetic house beats, with his tone sounding great against the swirling keys, high-energy risers, and cracking snare drums. In a world full of prejudice and hate, Carter is powerful when he sings “I won’t let you bring me down.”
‘The Truth’
This heartfelt track is full of beautiful emotions and infectious vibes. Produced by Luke Herbert, Carter embraces timeless soul music with tight production and smooth R&B vocals. “The Truth” feels like a solid pop song from another time, with Carter acting as the new face of modern soul. As he delivers lines like “took everything from us” and “shaking our beliefs,” he highlights the power of love as the real and unmistakable truth. Carter’s raspy voice squeezes every ounce of emotion from the lyrics as the music sways from side to side and rolls forward with incredible ease.
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