Brynn Cartelli presents exhibit inspired by debut album

Brynn Cartelli, winner of Season 14 of “The Voice,” released her debut album “OUT OF THE BLUE” on Friday, March 1. To celebrate her debut, she curated an art exhibit for the album that was open only for the release date in New York. The event ran from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Lower East Side. It contained over 30 pieces of artwork, mostly created by young female artists based in New York. 

Somehow, after opening for the “Today” show with her song “The Blue” that morning, Cartelli still had the energy to show up to the exhibit herself. She opened the exhibit with a performance of “The Blue” and “Secondhand Smoke” from the album and stayed for the entire three hours the exhibit was open greeting fans who came sporting their best blue outfits.

Cartelli is the youngest winner of The Voice to date at just 16 years old, as well as Kelly Clarkson’s first coach win of the show. After spending four years crafting her debut album, she has finally released it to the world. The album has 14 songs for a total run of 49 minutes, and it has a major blue theme. 

“It’s really exciting to see this album finally be released and just to kind of see the growth that Brynn has had as an artist over the years,” said Travis Curry, who attended the event. 

Six of the 14 songs had been released prior to the full album: “Gemini,” “Secondhand Smoke,” “Girl Code,” “Convertible in the Rain,” “Boy From Home” and “Lucky To Love You.” Having new songs on the album allowed fans to gain more favorites from Cartelli’s growing discography. 

“The song that really stood out to me was ‘Fine Line’ because of the vocals, they’re insane,” said Amanda Thesen, Cartelli’s makeup artist. “It’s like a song you want to hear Brynn Cartelli sing because the vocals are so fire.” Cartelli’s voice is powerful and mature, which she certainly shows off in this album.

Fans seem to be loving the new album. With themes ranging from crushing on a boy to being overly dependent on a friendship, there is plenty to relate to in each song. Something that Cartelli uses to her advantage is matching lyrics and music to enhance her storytelling which can instill more feeling into a song. 

“‘Running In Place’  is my favorite because I relate to it so much, and it’s my new favorite car jam,” said fan Anne Maria Mattila. The upbeat pop song uses a sense of hesitation in the beat of the chorus to create a sense that you aren’t going anywhere, like you’re running in place. The storytelling is evident in the album and is a key reason why the album as a whole is so cohesive. 

“It’s sad but heartwarming because we’re all experiencing something similar but in different ways,” said longtime fan Charlotte Scott. It is a bittersweet feeling to know that the painful songs on the album can be related to, but it is also what enhances Cartelli’s ability to connect with her fans.

“I only have one debut record, and I wanted to celebrate the New York City creatives and bring in the world of ‘OUT OF THE BLUE,’” Cartelli said. The exhibit focuses on her friends’ artworks but also allows others into the world of her album. Artists featured included Jimmy Fontaine, Elinor Kry, Ilana Guaraca, Amber Wynne-Jones, Ana Santos, Victoria Sherwood, Genevieve Geller and Ares Maia. The collection of photographs, sculptures, paintings and more was able to immerse fans into Cartelli’s creative world. 

Some of the art featured included still photographs from the music videos for songs on the album, including “Secondhand Smoke” and “Gemini.” Other photos were from the album cover photoshoot, showing the audience an inside look at that day. The outfit, a black top and a light blue tutu with a pair of ballet shoes, is featured in three other photos as Cartelli dances and poses for the camera. “It’s a beautiful way to have her songs and lyrics expressed in more than the words and to really get people feeling and understanding the vibe of ‘OUT OF THE BLUE,’” Mattila said. Just like album cover art, this exhibit was an outlet for Cartelli to push her visionary side.

Two pieces within the exhibit stood out to the viewers: the sexy fruit and the journals. The fruit piece was created by Geller from polymer clay and acrylics. The set included six different pieces titled “Bird,” “Banana,” “Mango,” “Strawberry,” “Ms. Slipper” and “Yuzu.” 

“They had a lot of personality and were very nicely done,” said Alanna Beneroff, Cartelli’s stylist for her “Gemini” music video. “Very well executed but also funny.”

Each piece in this set of clay-and-acrylic-made objects had eyes and their own pair of big lips, besides “Bird.” “Bird” was already interesting without the abnormal lips as it had a crown, bow and rings made into it. 

“The fruit sculptures were interesting because ‘OUT OF THE BLUE’ doesn’t just revolve around the color blue, it’s out of the box and weird,” said Hannah Grynberg, a senior public relations and Spanish major at Hofstra who also attended the event. 

Geller also showed two of her journals and a colored pencil drawing titled “Continual Fulfillment” and “Afternoon Scroll (Generated to be Noticed because Love Takes Time)”.

The two journals sat opposite each other on a table and were written in, lived in and created by Geller. Drawings of hearts with faces, receipts from restaurants, airplane tickets and so much more were put into these journals, cultivating an intimate and personal relationship with those who flipped through them. 

“What I also love about art like [the journals] is that it feels like art that made me want to go home and take a journal and do something similar to it like put little receipts and candy wrappers and receipts from food and flights and little things in it and draw around it and talk about how I’m feeling in those moments,” Thesen said. 

The exhibit appeared to be a hit to those who attended. It was unique to see an artist curate an art exhibit for an album release party, but then again, Cartelli has proven to be a creative person herself. With all these events, fans are eager to know what comes next in the era of “OUT OF THE BLUE.” One thing is for certain: – Cartelli’s creative flow isn’t stopping any time soon.