Name: Carter Gray Shelter
Hometown: Byfield, Mass.
Year: Steinhardt freshman
Dorm: Brittany residence hall
Act: Singer/songwriter

What is your biggest inspiration?
I’m most inspired by the power that music can have over an individual.

How long have you been performing and what made you interested in performing in the first place?
I’ve been performing music for five years in an ensemble and as a solo musician for two years. I started acting and learning guitar when I was young, and eventually those two hobbies began to come together in my mind. I especially fell in love with performing when I began writing my own material about four years ago.

What made you decide to participate in the UVL Prelims?
I was looking for any opportunity to perform that I could. Any chance I get to show my music to my peers I take.

What was the first thing that went through your mind when you found out you were advancing to the finals at Skirball?
I found it tough to believe I was one of the best people who had played at the prelims across the school. But at the same time, I was really happy that my music had left that much of an impression on the judges.

What would winning UVL mean to you?
It would be a huge reassurance that this is something I could do as a career. It’s hard to stay optimistic in a business that does its best to push you down, and winning something like this would definitely push me forward.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Feb. 10 print edition. Bryna Shuman is features editor. Email her at [email protected].