Austin-raised singer She Burns finds confidence in her evolution

By Grace Koennecke, Editor-in-Chief

After entering the music scene in Austin, Texas, alongside her sisters, She Burns is an artist whose evolution is worth noting as she begins her solo career. 

Growing up in Austin, Carolyn Burns, the singer behind the stage name, says she began playing music in middle school and high school with her sisters as an alternative rock group. She recalls her first show being at her younger sister’s eighth-grade talent show, and her love for creating and performing has remained a steadfast passion.

Austin’s music scene has also welcomed Burns and allowed her to experience a plethora of live music growing up. She says she’s proud to be from the city, and it has given her the confidence to continue her passion for music.

“We’re called the ‘live music capital of the world’ for a reason,” Burns said. “You could go out any night of the week and see live music, so it really is a great opportunity if you have a passion for music, as long as you put your foot forward and you have some semblance of work ethic and talent, you really can gain a ton of experience here.”

Burns says the idea to pursue a solo career was due to her desire to continue evolving as an artist. While she still loves performing with her sisters, She Burns is an evolution and offshoot of the band.

Her individual sound is heavily influenced by the artists she grew up listening to, such as Breaking Benjamin and Pearl Jam. Burns says she gravitates towards heavier lyricism and distorted guitars as well as writing about her own life experiences.

“I tend to write from a place of whatever I'm going through, and songwriting and lyricism in general is such a cathartic experience for me,” Burns said. “It actually took me a while to be like, ‘You know what? I'm going to do some solo work.’ Because for me, whenever I perform solo or write solo, it's like in my bedroom, releasing heavy or any particular emotion I’m feeling. I think a lot of my personal songwriting comes from experiences and what I'm going through and maybe how I want to alchemize an experience.”

Her new single “Overdrive” was recently released, but Burns says she wrote the song at least five years ago.

“‘Overdrive’ for me was just, ‘I'm going to pick a song that I've been tinkering with for a while and simply finish it,’” Burns said. “I finished the demo in a day, and recorded it by myself. It pushed me to finalize something. I would definitely consider myself a perfectionist, so to just finish is exciting.”

Burns says the inspiration for the song came from her experience with a ‘problematic’ Austin boy in a previous relationship dynamic, unapologetically letting her emotions and thoughts reach her audience in a way that is refreshing and relatable to many.

“It was definitely one of those dynamics where I learned a ton about that relationship and myself by going through it,” Burns said. “I would say this track is definitely that cathartic release of all I learned from that particular relationship.”

As she reflects on her time in the music industry thus far, Burns says she feels some of her most noteworthy moments as an artist have been with her sisters. She remembers playing a well-known music venue in Austin, Mohawk Austin, and feeling like she could find success in the same ways many established artists who had played there before her have.

“I'd say a career highlight was playing a music venue in Austin that a lot of touring acts have played, and just playing that stage was really exciting because it's like, you grow up just watching these amazing bands, and then all of a sudden you're on that stage,” Burns said.

She also says releasing this new single has impacted her greatly as a solo artist, with her finding more excitement for the future after finishing “Overdrive,” which she believes will carry over into her next projects.

Speaking of the future, She Burns will release the music video for “Overdrive” directed by Emily Basma and with visual contribution from Gabriela Cavalier, on October 23, 2026. 

The singer will also be hosting a release show for “Overdrive” next month, with more shows to come in 2027, and plans to release short-form videos shot by Justin Wilson for the single on her social media. 

You can find She Burns music here.