INTRODUCTION

Cari Fletcher (best known by her last name, FLETCHER), is an American singer/song-writer. She gained popularity while competing on the first season of X Factor USA. Fletcher has been on the fast rise to fame since she released her single, “Undrunk” in January of 2019. She gained some attention with her previous singles, which include her debut single, “War Paint” and “Wasted Youth”.

In 2018, Fletcher signed with Capitol Records where she has released every song and EP since “Undrunk”.

EARLY LIFE

Cari Fletcher was born in Asbury Park, New Jersey to New Jersey native parents, Bob and Noreen Fletcher. Her father has owned many car dealerships while her mom has been a flight attendant. Fletcher grew up taking classical vocal lessons since the age of 6.

Fletcher graduated from Wall High School (Wall Township, New Jersey) in 2012. While attending, she took part in many extra curriculars including, being on the volleyball team and staring in a short film called “How Katie Howard Found Herself”.

After graduating, Cari attended the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University. After a while, she took a leave of absence to move to Nashville, Tennessee and focus on her budding music career. Fletcher did return and completed her degree in 2016.

X FACTOR & LAKODA RAYNE

In 2011, Cari Fletcher auditioned for the first season of X Factor US. She was just 17 years old and a junior in high school. Fletcher auditioned as a solo act with “Alone” by Heart. While the other judges liked her, Simon Cowell did not – stating that there was “nothing distinctive” about her voice and ultimately called her “boring”. With the votes from the other 3 judges, Cari made it through. Later on in the competition , after boot camp, Simon Cowell (judge) put Cari in a group along with Hayley Orrantia, Paige Elizabeth Ogle, and Dani Knights. The four girls made up the girl group, Lakoda Rayne and where mentored by Paula Abdul (judge) throughout the competition. Together, the group made it to the top 9 – when they were eventually eliminated.

After the X Factor, Lakoda Rayne released their only song, “Emergency Brake” in 2012. In 2014, Cari announced that the group had disbanded.

MUSIC CAREER

In 2015, Cari Fletcher moved to Nashville Tennessee to continue building her music career, She started working with songwriter and producer, Jamie Kenney. Together, they wrote Fletcher’s debut single, “War Paint”. The song was released digitally on Spotify and later became the most viral song on the platform. In 2016, Spotify added Fletcher to their Spotify Spotlight list which helped her become a successful independent artist. “War Paint” would later be the featured single of Cari’s first EP, “Finding Fletcher”. Fletcher independently released the EP in September of 2016.

Throughout 2016 and 2017, Fletcher released more singles which include, “You Should Talk” and “I Believe You”. Along with “I Believe You”, which is in support of sexual assault survivors, Cari wrote a #MeToo inspired letter.

On August 9, 2018, Fletcher announced that she had signed with Capitol Records. Shortly after signing, Cari made her breakthrough with her single, “Undrunk”. This is the first song of hers to chart – charting on the Billboard Hot 100. “Undrunk” is also featured on Fletcher’s second EP, “You Ruined New York City For Me”. The EP also featured the popular song, “If You’re Gonna Lie”.

In May of 2019, Fletcher was the opened for LANY on their “Malibu Nights” tour. In October of 2019, It was announced that Fletcher would be a supporting act on Niall Horan’s Nice To Meet Ya tour. Unfortunately, the tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fletcher released her third EP, “The S(Ex) Tapes” in 2020. The project was inspired by the breakup with her (now ex) girlfriend. The EP features the popular single, “Bitter” (with Kito). There is also another version featuring Trevor Daniel.

As of 2021, Fletcher has gone viral on TikTok with her songs, “Girls Girls Girls” and “Cherry” (featuring Haley Kiyoko). “Girls Girls Girls” samples part of Katy Perry’s song, “I Kissed a Girl”. Cari and others have used “Cherry” to introduce themselves to others on TikTok.

Fletcher has a North America and Europe tour planned for 2022.

PERSONAL LIFE

Fletcher is a part of the LGBTQ+ community and does not put a label on herself. She supports many organizations including, GLAAD, The Trevor Project and It Gets Better. Cari has also made appearances at It’s On Us, the United State of Women Summit, Girl Up and The Teen Vogue Summit. All movements focus on women empowerment and equality.

Cari previously dated and worked with Shannon Beveridge (YouTuber). Together, they worked on music videos and promotional images for “The S(Ex) Tapes”.