Before Carmel made her debut EP, the New Jersey native and mother of two was content to let music play a backseat role in her life. But after being discovered by superstar producer Val Garay, Carmel embraced her natural gifts, and found the voice that had always been inside of her. The EP features six deeply personal songs that were co-written with Garay and singer/songwriter Wendy Parr. They combine old school songcraft, airtight melodies with modern pop accessibility. The EP was inspired by the death of her older brother Lou, whom she shared a deep connection with. “We were like telepathic twins,” she says, emotion welling in her voice, “and he introduced me to so much music. He was an incredible guitar player too.” It was her brother’s untimely death that prompted Carmel to begin writing songs, as a way of dealing with the pain. And as is often the case, the best music is inspired by loss. She grew up in a small New Jersey town where there wasn’t much to do, so music became her outlet. “I was always singing into a hair brush, and I found I could mimic anyone.” After graduating college, she moved to New York City, without having a job or apartment lined up. She started selling real estate, which is how she met her husband – she rented him an apartment, and they never said goodbye. Eventually, they moved to Marin in Northern California and raised two boys. She then met Val Garay, the Grammy Award-Winning Producer behind the Kim Carnes smash hit “Bette Davis Eyes,” and Garay was instantly won over by Carmel’s pure vocal tone and grace in the studio, and together along with Wendy Parr they began writing the songs that make up the new EP. “She lets the ‘process’ happen, which for someone who’s been doing this for a relatively short time is amazing,” says Garay, whose credits include albums with Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Neil Diamond, Elton John and many others. “I've been doing this a long time, and all I can tell you is some very good things are going to happen from these songs we wrote.” “I’ve met some incredible people on this journey, “ says Carmel, “which has only increased my desire to share my passion for writing and singing with the world.”