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Bradford musician reaches over 11K monthly listeners on Spotify

Lockdown had this Bradford tap into his creative side, producing music that has gained traction on popular streaming sites
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Bradford musician Michael Carvalherio, aka CARV.

For 18-year-old Bradford resident Michale Carvalheiro, music has always been a passion, but he never had the time to really pursue it, until now.

Carvalheiro's father is a musician who plays in a local band and taught him to play guitar at a young age.  Music has always played an important part in their lives. Carvalheiro plays guitar, drums, and a bit of piano. 

When lockdowns started last spring, Carvalheiro spent a lot of time on his phone playing with the Garage Band app writing and producing his own music. 

"I had all this free time and I just was kind of bored sitting at home," he said. 

Carvalheiro would record his own instrumentals then layer them in the music app to create songs. 

He started posting his songs on the music streaming app Spotify which got a lot of attention. After two months on the app, Spotify verified him as an artist. From there, Carvalherio met a producer in town and the pair have been working together to create new music. 

"It's very exciting for him," said mom, Paula. "He really wants to get himself out there, and I thought why not let the community know about his story."

He goes by the artist name CARV and describes his music as a mix of pop and indie. One of his musical influences is the rapper The Kid Laroi. 

The four songs he has released so far include Get Away, a light melody about a couple at a party on a Saturday night who want to leave and spend more time together; Casual, an upbeat pop-rock beat about a guy wanting to keep his relationship with a girl casual and low key; April Showers, a slow tune reflecting on a breakup, reminiscing on sweet memories of a relationship; and Laying in the Snow which featuring the voice of a female alongside Carvalheiro, which starts off slow and then picks up to an upbeat feel. 

Of all his songs, Get Away has the most streams, currently and he has received around $700 in streaming royalties so far.  

Carvalheiro says the songs are all inspired by real love-life experiences. 

He is currently in his first year of university studying business administration and works part-time at a local grocery store. His goal is to eventually make music full-time. 

He is currently working on an album with his producer and spends about 20 hours a week in the studio. The album should be out later this spring. 

To listen to some of his work, he can be found on Apple Music, Spotify, Sound Cloud and iTunes under CARV. 

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, BradfordToday is doing a series featuring members of the community and how they have persevered.   If you have a unique story to share send an email to [email protected]


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Natasha Philpott

About the Author: Natasha Philpott

Natasha is the Editor for BradfordToday and InnisfilToday. She graduated from the Media Studies program at The University of Guelph-Humber. She lives in Bradford with her husband, two boys and two cats.
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