Artist Bio

Carl Brister is an international recording artist and multi-genre singer/songwriter who has been featured on NBC’s Access Hollywood, ABC’s Here and Now, BET, Aspire Network, and more who also received a 2023 first-ballot Grammy® nomination in the categories of Best Traditional R&B Performance and Best Video for his cover of the Janet Jackson classic “Let’s Wait Awhile” which he executive produced.

A former educator of over 10 years in Newark, NJ Public schools, Carl was honored with the award of “Highly Effective” educator and continues to provide inspiring masterclasses and workshops for students on vocal performance, Soul Music, Songwriting and Discovering their “Superpower” within. He also provides professional development for teachers on culturally responsive teaching in the areas of General Music, Vocal Instructions, and Math and through the arts.

In 2024, Carl was awarded the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. award for his leadership in the community through the arts by The Human Relations Commission of West Orange, NJ. In 2023, Carl received a grant by the NJ Council of the Arts to study as a teaching artist with the APLI program where he was trained to use his talents to better serve those in neurodiverse and marginalized communities.

As a survivor of a tragic incident of sexual abuse by a trusted family friend as a child, Carl knows the challenges of trauma and has been an advocate for Child Abuse Prevention through his music and community outreach involvements. His acclaimed songs “Trauma” and “Enough Is Enough” speak profoundly to global challenges and were both in consideration for the 2023 Grammy for “Best Song for Social Change” award.

Married to his college sweetheart, and a proud dad of two sons who were raised in the township of West Orange, NJ, family is often the subject of Carl Brister’s music. His acclaimed songs “Trauma” and “Enough Is Enough” speak profoundly to global challenges and were both in consideration for the 2023 Grammy for “Best Song for Social Change” award.

In 2016, Carl began The Love+Unity Fest with the purpose of bringing the community together through music and the arts after acts of racial intolerance threatened to divide the nation. In May 2024, the township of West Orange issued a proclamation declaring this event to be a town-wide holiday. As the founder of this event as well as his non-profit organization, Music Village, Carl adds, “No matter the twists and turns, ups or downs, my work as an artist in the community will always lead people back to hope and love.”