For the past six years, Julie Carter-Moriva has been splitting her time between her home in Crivitz, a part-time teaching job in Green Bay and a songwriting career in Nashville.
She’s hoping the payoff for all her travel comes this summer, when she finds out if a group she’s been working with can make it to the top of the CMT reality show “Can You Duet?” (Saturdays for eight weeks, beginning June 20) and nab a recording contract.
The program, from the producers of “American Idol,” looks for the next great country duo. Carter-Moriva, who founded the local chapter of the Nashville Songwriter’s Association International, writes for Joshua Scott Jones and Meghan Linsey of Steel Magnolia, one of the show’s hopefuls. If they make it to the originals episode they’ll be featuring one of Carter-Moriva’s songs.
“This is a dream I’ve had since I was 15 years old,” she says.” It’s been a long road. A lot of almost. You wonder at the time, why did this fall through? It’s a really tough business.”
The hours are long and success often elusive for aspiring songwriters, but Carter-Moriva, who lives in Crivitz with her husband, Matt, and daughter, Haley, has paid her dues and is hopeful the show will lead to a writing contract.
“Next to winning the lottery, getting a song on an album and having it hit the charts is a scarce thing,” she says. “Just like with anything else, there’s politics and there’s business. To get through all those doors and navigate yourself to a place where it’s actually happening, I think it was meant to be.
“Meghan and Josh are going to be the next big thing. They are so charismatic, and their music is so catchy and likable. I’m so blessed to part of it.”
More from Julie
Q. How did you find Meghan and Josh?
A. I met Meghan about 4 ½ years ago. She had just moved to Nashville at 18 years old. A co-writer friend who knew (Meghan and I) said you guys have to meet, I think you’d hit it off.
We had lunch and I thought, I’d love to hear her voice. So we went for a car ride and I said why don’t you put some tracks in, and sing me some of your songs?
It dropped me. Her voice was so awesome. This big, gigantic bluesy old soul coming out of this young, little petite blond girl just blew me away.
Over the next couple years we remained close friends, and she met Josh Jones.