Biography
Carlos Vara layers high-contrast production and touches of modern hip-hop and R&B over his exuberant yet brooding electro-pop. The singer-songwriter first drew widespread attention in 2018 when his debut track, “Numb,” circulated widely online. The following year he issued his major-label debut, the EP Have You Ever Seen a Boy Break Down?
Vara grew up in Lexington, South Carolina, where his father had traded a career running nightclubs for the pulpit. During junior high the onset of Tourette’s syndrome compounded the pressure Vara already felt to conceal his sexuality. Artists such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, George Michael, and Freddie Mercury offered refuge; he began singing for comfort and taught himself keyboard while absorbing their work. Several years afterward he moved away from home, landing in Nashville and supporting himself as a waiter while completing high school online. He continued writing and recording at night, issuing “Numb” in early 2018 shortly after graduation. The song landed on prominent playlists, among them one assembled by Adam Lambert, and quickly spread. Warner Records signed him late that year.
Early the following year Vara released his first Warner single, “Confident.” By then living in Los Angeles and living openly as a queer artist, he delivered the EP Have You Ever Seen a Boy Break Down? in October 2019.
Vara grew up in Lexington, South Carolina, where his father had traded a career running nightclubs for the pulpit. During junior high the onset of Tourette’s syndrome compounded the pressure Vara already felt to conceal his sexuality. Artists such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, George Michael, and Freddie Mercury offered refuge; he began singing for comfort and taught himself keyboard while absorbing their work. Several years afterward he moved away from home, landing in Nashville and supporting himself as a waiter while completing high school online. He continued writing and recording at night, issuing “Numb” in early 2018 shortly after graduation. The song landed on prominent playlists, among them one assembled by Adam Lambert, and quickly spread. Warner Records signed him late that year.
Early the following year Vara released his first Warner single, “Confident.” By then living in Los Angeles and living openly as a queer artist, he delivered the EP Have You Ever Seen a Boy Break Down? in October 2019.
Albums
Singles
