Cari Q (born Cari Quoyeser, November 10, 1990) is an

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

singer, songwriter, lyricist, performer, artist, voice actor, and podcaster from

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, based in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Performing with a band and as a solo artist, Cari appeared on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

Soundcheck A sound check is the preparation that takes place before a concert, speech, or similar performance to adjust the sound on the venue's sound reinforcement or public address system. The performer and the audio engineers run through a small p ...

with Ben Folds, was a singer with the Houston Texans

cheerleaders Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

, and sang at the 2011 NFL draft party. She played at the SXSW music festival on-primary source neededand competed on

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

( season 11) in January 2012.

Early life and education

Cari Quoyeser was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She attended Stratford High School. Cari holds a bachelor's degree in history from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

, graduating in 2013. In 2022, Quoyeser earned a Master of Business Administration from Bologna Business School.

Career

Cari began her music career as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Houston-based band Suburban Warfare in early 2009. The Cari Quoyeser Band made their live performing debut at Fitzgerald's in Houston, Texas on June 25, 2010. Cari also started a solo project, Cari Q, recording her solo debut album ''Blueprints to Infinity'' in 2012 at

SugarHill Recording Studios SugarHill Recording Studios is a recording studio in Houston, Texas. The studio was important in launching the careers of such artists as Lightnin' Hopkins, The Big Bopper, George Jones, the Sir Douglas Quintet, Roy Head, and Freddy Fender. It is ...

. In 2009, Suburban Warfare appeared on NPR's Soundcheck with Ben Folds. As a solo act, Cari Q was a showcasing artist at the SXSW Music festival in March 2010.. From 2011 to 2013, Cari performed as a singer with the Houston Texans cheerleaders, performing at the 2011 NFL draft party. Cari competed on American Idol (season 11) in an episode broadcast in January 2012. Starting in 2014, Cari Q embarked on a European tour, additionally performing multiple concerts in Israel, as well as at the 2014 Fete de la Musique in France. In 2017, she headlined at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe From 2012 through 2018, Cari lived and performed in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. She played the 2015 Heart of Texas Rockfest, a showcase for unsigned local artists during the annual SXSW music festival. In 2018, Cari relocated from Austin, Texas, to

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. Upon graduating with her MBA in 2021, Cari joined Musixmatch as their global Artists Community Manager. In 2022, Cari Quoyeser founded the podcast ''The Mix'', where she interviews musical acts and discusses important trends in music and technology. She currently resides in Bologna, Italy where she is taking a break from recording and playing live to work on songwriting.

Discography

Albums

* ''Blueprints to Infinity'' (2012) * ''Driftwork Sound Sessions'' (2019)

Singles

* ''Fall of Rome'' (2015) * ''Byzantium'' (2019) * ''When You're Around'' (2020) * ''Kill Me Twice'' (2020) * ''Negev'' (2020)

References

External links

CariQmusic.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cari Q American rock songwriters American rock musicians 1990 births American women singer-songwriters American women rock singers Singers from Houston Writers from Houston Living people Singers from Austin, Texas 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century American guitarists Singer-songwriters from Texas Guitarists from Texas 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singer-songwriters