Well, if you're like me and you love music, you probably remember buying full-length record albums in the '70s.

Then, needing to convert all of those to cassette tapes in the '80s.

Then, converting those to CDs in the '90s.

Then, downloading all those to MP3s and iPods.

Nowadays, we need things like satellite radio and subscriptions to streaming services like Pandora and Spotify.

All of that can sure make finding new music pretty darn difficult.

Carolina Impact's Jason Terzis joins us with the story of a rising local artist who's out there making a real name for herself.

- All right, so picture this.

You're 25 years old, got signed to a record label and just released your first album.

Then, you get a call.

Country legend George Strait likes your sound and wants you to open a couple shows for him later this summer.

Chris Stapleton too.

It's been that kind of whirlwind for local country musician, Carter Faith.

(crowd cheers) - [Announcer 2] Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Cherry Valley Tour.

- [Jason] You may not yet know her name or her music.

- [Announcer 2] For one unforgettable night, Carter Faith and her band invite you to their wonderful world.

- [Jason] But the country music industry sure does.

- I love writing songs, I love singing.

♪ I bet he's at the levy, in the back of his Chevy ♪ - [Jason] Playing in front of a packed house at the Neighborhood Theater in NoDa, Carter Faith is part of a wave of young up and coming artists.

♪ Yes, I'm going to Carolina in my mind ♪ But with an old school, soulful kind of sound.

- I have to remind myself that it's crazy to be able to have a career in this right now, and I do.

- She was recently asked to be on "The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon".

- And I was like, "Hell yeah, I'll do it."

- First, at Christmastime for "Ugly Sweater".

(bright music) ♪ Who's this guy in his ugly sweater?

♪ ♪ Thing's more cheesy than a block of cheddar ♪ Then again, in February, for a live feature performance.

- From her new album, "Cherry Valley", please welcome Carter Faith.

(crowd cheers) - Probably the most nervous I've ever been.

("If I Had Never Lost My Mind..." by Carter Faith) ♪ If I was a girl who wasn't deranged ♪ ♪ A little more stable, a little less strange ♪ ♪ If I That was probably the biggest thing I've done so far.

- Probably my favorite, the one I listen to over and over again and never get tired of is "If I Had Never Lost My Mind".

The one she sang on Jimmy Fallon.

- [Jason] Oh, and think we forgot to mention Carter is one of our own.

- Growing up in Davidson was my whole life, I was born and raised there.

Definitely felt like an idyllic town for sure.

(mellow western rock music) - As her pink plastic Barbie guitar and microphone can attest, Carter has always had a love affair with music.

- She was always performing, like ever since she was little.

- [Jason] She remembers going on drives with her grandfather and being introduced to classic rock.

- He would drive us to preschool or to McDonald's or whatever and let us climb in the front seat and play cassettes in his car.

♪ Operator, oh, could you help me place this call?

♪ He loved Jim Croci.

♪ Some folks inherit star-spangled eyes ♪ Yeah, he loved Creedence Clearwater Revival.

- [Jason] Her dad also playing a role in her musical influence.

- And would quiz me and probably my other siblings on, "What band is this?

What's the lead singer's name?

What song is this?"

- [Jason] It was around that time Carter started taking piano and guitar lessons.

Her parents, noticing her budding talent, encouraged her to pursue it.

- So we kind of noticed really early that she had a really good voice.

- I would play down in Cornelius at Old Town Public House if you've ever been there.

(crowd cheers) - When she started performing, she would go to open mics and stuff like that and she just was consistently better.

- [Jason] By the time she graduated from high school in 2018, Carter knew exactly what she wanted to do.

- Like right around when you decide where you wanna go for college, I was like, "Ugh, I don't wanna do anything else.

I just wanna go to Nashville."

And I didn't really have to convince my parents, they, my whole life had to convince me to get on stage and sing.

So they were like, "Yeah, you should do it."

♪ And I say this is the last time ♪ - [Jason] She enrolled in a songwriting program at Belmont University in Nashville, attended Grammy Camp, and performed at the famed Bluebird Cafe.

♪ They say all I do is wonder why you're suddenly ♪ Her first single in 2020, "Leaving Tennessee", put Carter on the map.

("Leaving Tennessee" by Carter Faith) ♪ You know better, baby ♪ I ain't never leaving Tennessee ♪ Then came others, like "Greener Pastures".

("Greener Pastures" by Carter Faith) ♪ I was his Texaco, a stop just along the road ♪ ♪ I should've known I ain't his last rodeo ♪ And "Cowboys and Dreamers".

("Cowboys and Dreamers" by Carter Faith) ♪ Cowboys and dreamers fall asleep with the sky ♪ Her initial success raising eyebrows around Nashville, leading to a performance at the Grand Ole Opry.

- How would you like to make your Opry debut?

- [Jason] And a coveted record deal.

- It was just fun, like getting to go through all the songs that I had written that had really stuck with me over the couple years before the album.

And then, new songs that really felt like personal to where I was at the time.

- [Jason] Her debut full-length album, "Cherry Valley", was released in October featuring hit songs like "Betty".

("Betty" by Carter Faith) ♪ He's talkin' bout babies ♪ And fixin' up her trailer ♪ He always was a looker so I can't even hate her ♪ Since Cherry Valley's release, it's been a whirlwind of sorts for Carter.

Her video for "Bar Star" featured actor Billy Bob Thornton.

("Bar Star" by Carter Faith) ♪ 'Cause my baby's a bar star And began her run of big name encounters.

- It keeps getting crazier, like just the Jimmy Fallon thing and, but it's like one thing after another so you, you just get used to like the crazy.

- [Jason] And it's only getting bigger, better, and crazier from here.

This summer, Carter's set to open up a couple of shows for the king of country himself, George Strait.

("Run" by George Strait) ♪ Baby, run ♪ Cut a path across the blue skies ♪ - My CAA agent was like, "Apparently George Strait's been listening to your music today and likes it," and then the next day, I got an offer for these shows.

That's George Strait.

Icon, legend of all time, so those will be crazy.

And getting to see a free George Strait concert two nights in a row, I'm cool with that.

(laughs) - She's also gonna be opening shows for someone considered by many the modern day king of country, Chris Stapleton.

♪ What are you listening to?

- I think it's blowing my mind a little bit that these artists who I grew up listening to and that feel like such a big deal also use Spotify and find new artists and listen to new people that are coming up and that I'm one of them.

Y'all, my family is here.

(crowd cheers) They're up there.

- [Jason] And the next time she'll be playing back home?

In June, when she opens for Jelly Roll and Post Malone at Bank of America Stadium.

- I just love watching her do what she's so good at.

And then it's just so fun that everybody's enjoying it with us.

♪ 'Til one day you wake up, he's packing up his truck ♪ ♪ And he don't even know what he's after ♪ I don't know where, I guess, my career will head.

I have hopes and dreams for it.

I've never played shows where people were singing my lyrics back to me.

I'm happy as long as I can make this my job and career and I can, you know, buy a house with songwriting money one day.

That's, like, mind blowing to me.

♪ Colorado thought he knew me well, but I ♪ - [Jason] She's been working so hard for so long, Carter is now becoming what you might call an overnight success.

- Okay, so Carter seems like she's got a pretty busy travel schedule ahead of her.

- Yeah, and it's really cranking up right now.

Through the month of April, she's gonna be touring Europe with Tucker Wetmore performing in places like Dublin, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Belfast, and London.

And Carter's also dabbling in acting.

She was cast in an upcoming Netflix movie called "Heartland" starring Jessica Chastain and John Hawkes.

It was shot last fall.

Carter says the only reason why she could play an acting role with no acting experience is because she's playing the role of a country musician so it was a natural fit, but yeah, a very, very busy time for her and she's a very down to earth girl so we're we're wishing her all the success.

- And I'm so excited that you were able to connect with her now, because I bet before too long we're gonna say, we're gonna see her winning Grammys and all those things and we're gonna say, "We knew her when."

- We knew her when she came to PBS Charlotte.

- Thanks so much.