Chattanooga-based singer-songwriter and country musician Amber Carrington will close out the Lakeside Live Concert Series at Chester Frost Park this Saturday, August 15th, with Bella Lam and the Boys opening.
Carrington became nationally known at only nineteen when she competed on The Voice in 2013, finishing in the top five, and putting herself and her sound on the map on a broader, national scale. Since then, she spent some time in Nashville building her career but ultimately put down roots in the Scenic City around 2016, where her husband’s family is from, becoming a staple of the local Chattanooga music scene.
With Dolly Parton as one of her major influences, Carrington’s music is steeped in a Texas country sound, infused with powerful vocals and a lot of soul. In December of 2025, she released "Back to Eden (Live at Deadbird Studios)," a live recording of a faith-based song in collaboration with Brendan Kendall and SongShare Music.
In speaking to Carrington about her life in Chattanooga and how her career and songwriting have evolved since her time on The Voice, she mentioned the biggest shift has been finding depth through years of lived experiences.
“The biggest shift since The Voice is depth. At 19, I had drive. Now, after marriage, motherhood, and a lot of ups and downs, my writing comes from a much deeper well. I still love the pure fun of a country cover gig where the whole point is celebration, but on a songwriter’s stage, it’s about my story. That duality now feels honest to who I am.
The Voice taught me two things at once: how powerful my gift was and how unprepared I was to carry it. I was 19, had already been through a lot, and suddenly I was living what looked like a dream. I didn’t have the support or foundation to navigate all that, and eventually I lost myself. Chattanooga became my reset. It took more time than I’d like to admit, but today I’m sober, grounded, raising my kids, and making a living with my voice from a place of stability. I think I’m a better artist now, because there’s a whole person behind the talent.”
Carrington will be performing at the Lakeside Live Concert Series' season finale, closing out the first annual season for the new music series. I had the opportunity to speak to Karen Shostak, Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Deputy Director, and one of the main organizers for the concert series, about what folks can expect from the series finale and her hopes for its future.
“I cannot think of a better way to close out the series. Amber has incredible talent and brings a connection to this area. People may know her from The Voice, but there’s something special about having an artist with Chattanooga roots performing here at home.
I think that final night will capture exactly what Hamilton County hoped to demonstrate with Lakeside Live!: great live music doesn’t have to be confined to a traditional venue or one part of our community. Our parks can be the venue. We started with an idea to bring music to the lake, but I think we’re beginning to build a new tradition at Chester Frost Park.”
The series is an incredibly fun way to get folks outside and is a community-focused music series made possible by the Riverview Foundation, which allowed organizers to create a true concert experience and further cemented the idea that Chester Frost can work as both a wonderful park and a lively concert venue.
When speaking to Amber Carrington about closing out the concert series, her place in the Chattanooga local scene, and what that sense of community means to her, she discussed being widely known as a cover singer here, but that she is working on a new single and is dedicated to getting back to songwriting.
In Chattanooga, I’m mostly known as a cover singer, the one people call when they need a versatile performer for an event, and I love that role. But earlier this year, performing at TEDx nudged me back toward my own songwriting, which had been on the back burner for a while.
It reminded me there’s room for both. Serving the community as a working singer and making space for my own voice. I’m now working on releasing a new single that my husband and I produced together.”
After everything she has experienced in her career so far, when asked what the next chapter looks like for her, and what makes her want to continue to perform, she detailed her identity as a singer from an early age, and that, moving forward, she wants to create and write songs that reflect and honor that part of herself.
“I didn’t decide to become a singer. I just was. I’ve been performing since childhood. What I’m chasing now isn’t fame; it’s honesty. Saturday night is about fun, singalongs, and a great live show, but looking ahead, I wanna create and release songs that are mine, not for attention, but because it’s time to honor that part of me.”
Lakeside Live Concert Series: Amber Carrington
- Saturday, August 15. 7 p.m.
- Lakeside Live! Chester Frost Park. 2277 Gold Pointe Circle N. Hixson, TN.
- Free.
- parks.hamiltontn.gov/423/Lakeside-Live-Concert-Series
- facebook.com/ambercarringtonmusic