Singer, songwriter, producer, Rob Carona is ready to share his passion to dream with country music fans. We had the chance to chat with Rob about his upcoming EP, Drive, and get to know what drives him to keep going. Rob has an attitude and outlook that left us wanting to dream right along with him.
Born and raised in California, Carona’s familial Louisiana roots influenced him. Growing up, his grandparents would take him down to the French Quarter to listen to Jazz music. Back at home he would hear his sisters playing Garth Brooks, Clay Walker, and Randy Travis. At ten years old Rob saw his friends going to piano class, while he was stuck in math class. Wanting to get out of math he thought he would give the piano thing a try and he stuck with it (and got out of math class). At sixteen he picked up his dad’s guitar and started to teach himself how to play. From there he broke the news to his parents that he didn’t want to go to college but he wanted to play music.
Starting out in coffee houses, Rob played traditional country, which wasn’t “cool” back then and left him hearing crickets from the crowd. Influenced by artists Rob Thomas, GooGoo Dolls, and Edwin McCain, Rob took on their style and crowds started to engage with him. Around the age of 17, Rob started doing gigs and pouring his soul into his music, soon realizing that he was trying to receive validation from others and lost whom he (and his music) truly was. Once he realized he needed to get back to his roots, Drive was born; the result of wanting to be an example to others, not stopping until you succeed, and being a dreamer. Inspired by artists such as Keith Urban, Need to Breathe, and Black Crowes, Corona grew in to his own sound – each artist has his or her own uniqueness that he could relate to, inspring him to create music that is authentic to him and wanting the fans to feel inspired by his music.
Carona has always been a dreamer since he can remember – he didn’t have a lot of friends growing up, so dreaming was his way of escaping. This sense of isolation would deter others from making huge strides in life, but not Rob – fortunately, coming from a supportive family, they instilled a belief that he could do anything he set his mind to. Never fearing rejection, Carona has such strength and belief in his craft that he would walk right into a label and not be worried about what they thought. However, as shown above, this wasn’t always the story.
Connected with an organization called Heart Songs for Veterans, 40% of his royalties from his single “Drive” are donated to the organization, which helps veterans of the United States military in many ways. Rob wanted to do something more than just music and this is his way to give back, has he had several family members serve in the military. Without their sacrifice, making music wouldn’t be a possibility.
Extra: Rob shared a “pinch me” moment in his career with us. Years ago a local radio station was having a contest, so he entered. At this time he had no band, but he couldn’t pass on the chance to open for Kenny Chesney. Rob made it to the final round where he competed against other artists who had been playing with each other for years and were put together groups. As luck would have it fans loved Rob’s music and he won. Rob threw together a band and had their allotted 3 songs ready to open for Kenny. Show day comes and they asked Rob to play a 45-minute set shortly before taking the stage. With only 3 practice songs under their belt they quickly figured out what they could fill the set with and had an unbelievable time in front of 30k fans.
Get your copy of Rob’s EP “Drive” on iTunes