Carly Rose Sonenclar Interview: Talks Album, Charity Work, And Her Musical Love For Sam Smith

Back in August, we wrote a story about Carly Rose Sonenclar's ice bucket challenge fail. Simple enough, but our site was flooded with a huge amount of Carly's fans, and it ultimately became one of the biggest stories we ever had.

Carly clearly has a very dedicated fan base, and it's easy to see why. She's sweet, talented, and humble.

Since her X-Factor breakout, Carly has been working on her music and living a life most 15-year-olds could only dream of.

We had an opportunity to ask Carly some questions and even sneak in an inquiry about that infamous ice bucket challenge fail!

Have things calmed down at all since you took X-Factor by storm in 2012?

Yes and no.

While I was on the show I didn't have to go to school (we were tutored on set) so I could invest all of my time and energy on my performances.

Now that I am going to public school it can be hard to balance the amount of homework that we get with writing and recording music, performances and appearances...but it is definitely worth it!

You recently released a live studio version of 'Everybody's Watching', what was it like doing a music video live and all in one take like that?

It was actually taped from a live Stageit show that I did.

Stageit shows are live concerts or performances that fans can watch in real time on their computers. We had extra cameras and sound equipment there so that we were able to make this version extra special.

You recently started a campaign to sell t-shirts for the charity 'Musicians On Call' at Represent.com. How did this come about?

I wanted to involve a charity in the release of my "Everybody's Watching" video because the theme of the song is about how people are distracted by their phones and social media and I thought it would be cool to show how social media can be put to good use! I think Musicians On Call is a great organization because I believe in the healing power of music.

Being only 15-years-old with your career, what do you like to do with your down time?

Well I don't have very much of it! But one of my favorite things to do is to listen to music.

I constantly have my headphones on and love discovering new sounds and artists. I also love to go running, watch re-runs of my favorite TV shows like Friday Night Lights and Gossip Girl and spend time with my friends.

What has been some of your favorite musical moments in the past year?

I love what Sam Smith is doing and it has been great watching how he has broken into the music industry. I think he will only continue to get bigger. And I am loving the new stuff from Arctic Monkeys.

When can your fans expect an album release?

Although I don't have information yet on when I will be releasing my album, I am working hard to have some new music to share with everyone in the new year.

I know how patiently people have been waiting for it and I can't thank them enough for that.

So be honest, with your infamous ice bucket challenge blooper video (we will link it), was that a real attempt? And, did the bucket land on anyone?

Yes, believe it or not that was real!! We were on vacation and I was fooling around with my brother, Russ, and it just happened.

And no, it did not land on anyone! We were out on the balcony of the hotel room and the bucket fell on a lower balcony so fortunately it did not hit anyone!

What other message(s) do you want to shout out to your fans?

I want them to know how much I love them and appreciate all of their support.

I know everyone is really anxious for me to get new music out there and I want everyone to know that I am too! Although sometimes things in this business take a lot longer than we would want I am enjoying the creative process, which has been very fun and exciting for me, and I really appreciate everyone's patience.