Photo courtesy of Kinsey Mhire. Audrey Karrasch performs for a show in Nashville. The Reno native just released her debut music video, “Euphoria.”
By Samantha Johnson
Born and raised in Reno, Audrey Karrasch has loved music since she was a little girl. Many first heard of her when she competed on the hit television show “The Voice,” but now Karrasch is hoping to expand her horizons as an artist. Instead of signing with a record label, she has released her own extended play, including a new music video called “Euphoria.”
“It felt fulfilling to know that I finally did something on my own and people can hear it,” Karrasch said “It’s harder to cross over from a major label and doing your own thing. It was really important for me to do my own music and have control over all of it.”
Photo courtesy of Kinsey Mhire. Audrey Karrasch appeared on the hit television show, “The Voice,” but decided to continue in the music industry as an independent artist instead of signing with a label.
Karrasch first picked up music when she played drums for the Pine Middle School jazz band and continued doing community shows until she graduated from Galena High School in 2010. When she was 14 she started her music career in a local band called Passed Judgment. Her band won a contest to be the opening performance for Paper Tongues and Neon Trees three years later at the Knitting Factory, and that’s where she met her manager, Aswan North, who is a singer in Paper Tongues. He has mentored her throughout the years, including landing her an audition on the show “American Idol,” but when she was turned down she decided to continue pursuing music while she worked as a model in New York.
It was in 2013 when Karrasch appeared on “The Voice,” and she said it was great exposure but not something that influenced her music.
“I’m on a different path; I’m not interested in being on another reality show,” Karrasch said. “When you’re on ‘The Voice’ they do a good job of making you feel important. It was cool seeing how it all worked, the TV show not really the music industry.”
While Karrasch didn’t win the fourth season of “The Voice,” she pushed herself to continue writing original songs, which eventually led to the release of her music video, “Euphoria.” She said her journey as an independent artist has been a roller coaster, but she finds comfort knowing she always has a home in Reno.
“I think any teenager, wherever you’re from, you kind of want to get up and leave,” Karrasch said. “I was so determined to get out of town for so long, and then within a year just visiting one time made me appreciate my own town more. It’s kept me grounded.”
Photo courtesy of Kinsey Mhire. Audrey Karrasch described herself as an optimistic, driven and laid-back person. She has been playing and writing music since she was in middle school.
Karrasch plans on doing a small tour, but didn’t say she was planning on releasing a full-length album any time soon. She will tour in New York, Los Angeles and possibly Nashville after she visits Reno. She said the spontaneous lifestyle isn’t for everybody, but she enjoys performing and interacting with people rather than being in the studio. For college students trying to make their way into the music world, Karrasch said to stay optimistic.
“If you’re writing and a singer just … constantly [be] releasing music and play as much as you can, even if you’re not satisfied with a song,” Karrasch said. “It can all make it better from there, so [don’t] really be hard on yourself.”
Karrasch said she will be performing at the Studio On 4th on Friday, Dec. 4, and it will be an 18-years-and-older event. For more information, follow Karrasch on Twitter @AudreyKarrasch.
Samantha Johnson can be reached at samanthaj@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @SamRayJohnson.
