Singer/songwriter Brynn Cartelli's relationship with the piano dates back to when she was 5 years old. That's when she started learning to play the instrument, later adding voice lessons and guitar to her toolkit in middle school.
But everything changed for Cartelli in 2018, when she became the youngest person to win The Voice at just 15 years old. The next year, she went on tour, launching into a superstar music career at a whiplash-inducing rate — and the singer says she craved some familiar comforts and reminders of home as she acclimated to life as a touring pop star.
In this episode of It Goes to 11, meet Cartelli's trusty Nord Stage 3 keyboard, the instrument that helped her feel at home on her very first tour. "I just had it in the back of the tour bus for a long time, and I was writing songs on it," she recalls.
"Immediately, it just was a little piece of home for me. I was like, 'This is my old best friend,'" Cartelling continues. "Just because I learned piano when I was 5, so that was my first instrument. When I first got the Nord, I was very excited for the adventures we were gonna have together."
The instrument was a reminder of where she came from. Not only did it take her back to her childhood in small-town Massachusetts, but Cartelli says the instrument makes her feel closer to her family. "My mom's father, who I never met, he played piano, and I feel very spiritually connected to him," she adds. "So I think the piano has always been a really emotional instrument for me."
It's also versatile: When she needed comfort and reminders of home, she was able to write simple, story-heavy songs on her keyboard. Now, as she's feeling more confident and experimental, the Nord is continuing to grow and evolve with her.
"Now I'm at a point where I have a lot more fun in the studio and I'm able to just be creative," Cartelli explains, "and I think that is reflected with my relationship with the Nord."
Press play on the video above to hear Cartelli's full thoughts on her favorite instrument, and check back to GRAMMY.com every Wednesday for more episodes of It Goes to 11.