Vanessa Marie Carter Reveals the Truth About Breakups on “Broke Your Own”

There was a guy and then there was a break up. After he kept circling around, Vanessa Marie Carter had no choice but to let it all out, writing “Broke Your Own.” 

Following up her 2019 ballad “Heart of a Woman,” Carter recorded “Broke Your Own” during lockdown, finding a studio to cut her vocals and producer to smooth out her story. On the country-pop ‘Broke Your Own,” Carter is unravels another, more mature, side as an artist, far removed from her 2016 self-title debut.

Now residing in Nashville, Carter is slowing rising and entering her next phase. The British Columbia-born Carter was raised in Oakville, Ontario and grew up dancing and listening to everything from classical, pop, and rock. “I have influences in every genre, I’m sure,” she says. 

Singing since she was 8, Carter started out in musical theater, but found that she enjoyed singing to a large crowd. After graduating from Wilfred Laurier University in 2011, Carter was signed to an independent record label in 2012 and ultimately releasing her first EP.

On “Broke Your Own,” finds Carter in a different place, and facing love, loss and whatever is thrown her way. Coming to terms with a toxic flame Carter sings, Now you’re sorry but I don’t feel sorry for you / You regret the way you left me in the dark… Guess the grass isn’t green, because you’re missing me, and it’s bringing you down.

“I want people to see the edgier side of my personality,” says Carter. “But I also want people to feel empowered. There’s no better feeling than when an ex comes crawling back after hurting you, and you don’t want them anymore.”