Kent native sings his way to Los Angeles

Kent native Carson Henley is a finalist in the Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter 2 competition.

Years ago at Kentlake High School, Henley thought it was “just so uncool” that his mom made him take piano lessons. Looking back, he couldn’t be more grateful.

“She knew how to get (me) started,” Henley said.

After high school, Henley began to realize his talents as a singer as well, drawing from the soulful influences of his childhood. At 21 years old, he wrote his first song, and in 2008, released his first album titled “Green Eyed Soul.”

“As far as my own material, a lot of times (I write about) relationships with people,” he said. “I find them really intriguing, and it’s the most powerful connection to me. That is really what touches me.”

So when his sister found this singer-songwriter competition online, Henley thought it’d be a great opportunity to get his name out there.

“In Seattle you’re isolated from the music scene,” Henley said. “It’s tough getting out of Seattle when you’re based here.”

To enter the competition, each applicant sent in a video performing an original song. From the 13,000 submissions received, a group of judges whittled it down to 140. From there, John Shanks, successful producer, songwriter, and musician, personally chose the ten finalists who will fly out to Los Angeles and perform at a private show to determine the winner.

“Good music finds its own audience,” said Jake Cheung, music and entertainment marketing spokesperson at Guitar Center. “We’re trying to find an artist that is talented and passionate (enough) to pursue music as a career.”

After Henley’s latest project, he believes he’s proved to his audience to be a driven artist.

The name of his album, “100 Hours,” gives a brief insight into how the record was written and recorded in just that short amount of time.

“I went into the situation with nothing written at all,” he said. “I barely made it in the 100 hours, but it was a test that stretched me.”

Henley knows that to get good results, he’s got to keep “plugging away” at pursuing his music career. That’s why he’s excited to see if this competition will be the stepping stone to something more.

“Win or lose, I will continue to do what I need to do,” Henley said. “It’s not a make or break, but it can definitely help make you.”

As a finalist, Henley automatically receives a long list of prizes, including a guitar from C.F Martin & Co., a $100 Converse gift card, and one of his singles digitally distributed by the company TuneCore. The grand prize winner receives an even longer list topping off with $10,000 cash, a four-song EP with John Shanks, and a performance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

All finalists will be flown out to Los Angeles to perform Saturday at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood.

“Our experience with last year’s competition has been extremely rewarding for everyone involved,” said Dustin Hinz, director of music, entertainment marketing and artist relations for Guitar Center. “We look forward to seeing what new talent emerges this year and helping another deserving artist share their music with the world.”