Carrie Brockwell will perform during Pocahontas Premieres at Pocahontas State Park on May 9. The music begins at 7 p.m., and tickets are $20. (Photo by Jeremy Ryan)
At age 19, vocalist and Chesterfield native Carrie Brockwell has already had quite the musical journey. She was the 2025 Josie Music Awards’ country female vocalist of the year and has performed everywhere from a sold-out show at the Perkinson Center for the Arts & Education in Chester to Nashville’s famed Bluebird Cafe. She’s sung on WSM 650 AM, the radio home of the Grand Ole Opry, and earned cosigns from judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie while securing a coveted Golden Ticket to compete on “American Idol.” This month, on May 9, she headlines the Pocahontas Premieres concert series at Pocahontas State Park.
“I will literally play for one person,” Brockwell jokes. Yet her latest single, “I’d Love Not To,” is perfect for when you’re indulging the urge to be a homebody. The song’s lyrics recite, “I know I’ve got these things to do, but the more I think it through, I’d love not to.” It’s a breezy repudiation of obligations, delivered with ease and delight.
Released in February, the single came together during her downtime while waiting for country star Luke Combs to finish up in a vocal booth at a recording studio in Nashville. Brian Fechino, her right-hand collaborator and former lead guitarist of the Pat McGee Band, grabbed a Merlin (a strummed dulcimer) while she sourced an idea for lyrics she’d stashed in her phone’s Notes app. Ninety minutes later, the recording was done. “We were having so much fun that it just came out of the air,” she recalls.
Some of the best songs make truth telling go down just that smoothly. “My goal is [to make] people feel like they’re seen in my music,” Brockwell says.
That goal is at the heart of her forthcoming full-length debut album, “That’s Real,” scheduled to release on May 29. Though she and Fechino have worked together since Brockwell was 14, Fechino helped her step outside her comfort zone while writing songs for the new album. Instead of starting with words, the two tracked guitar riffs and rhythm parts first, then they quite literally stepped outside, kicking around ideas for lyrics on long walks. “It was a really cool, really inspiration-focused process,” she says.
Brockwell has also found inspiration for her musical aspirations at Belmont University in Nashville, where she’s currently a sophomore at the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business. Lately she’s been digging into the economics of live music while studying the science of live sound.
As invigorating as Nashville has been, Brockwell is no less enamored with her hometown and is excited to return for Pocahontas Premieres. Despite having played high-profile gigs elsewhere, performing for supporters closer to home still feels special. “Those were the people that literally are who I am and made me who I am,” she says.
Growing up in a musical family was also formative for her. Brockwell’s father and uncle played in local rock cover band Redneck Pool Party when she was young, and she can recall dancing during the group’s practices and taking attendance on her toy easel. “I wanted to be a part of it,” she says.
Now it’s Brockwell’s turn to include her dad and uncle, as Redneck Pool Party will reunite to play an opening set during the Pocahontas Premieres concert. She can already feel the emotion building. “People are gonna have to stop me from crying at the show,” Brockwell says. “I’m gonna be like, ‘Oh, I missed this.’”
