Carolina East Shares Powerful Live Rendition of “Until You Are Sorry” Featuring Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Band
Award-winning East Coast artist Carolina East returns with a stunning live version of her 2021 single “Until You Are Sorry,” offering a raw, emotionally charged performance that highlights her commanding voice and magnetic stage presence.
“‘Until You Are Sorry’ was born from the quiet strength it takes to walk away from someone who refuses to take accountability,” East shares. “It’s about loving yourself enough to wait for the apology you know you deserve.”
Originally recorded for a TV special in Halifax, NS, during the height of the pandemic, this version captures East at a career-defining moment – performing live alongside Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Band, an experience she describes as “a dream come true.”
“This recording has become one of my favourites,” she says. “It was one of the first times I truly felt myself on stage – like I belonged up there with those incredible musicians. I’m so proud to finally share it with the world.”
Mixed by Cory Tetford, the live cut brings a fresh energy and emotional clarity to the track, bridging the intimate and the epic.
Blending country, pop, and folk with the rich storytelling traditions of her Newfoundland and Labrador roots, Carolina East is one of Canada’s most compelling and versatile voices. Her songs explore themes of resilience, love, and self-discovery, delivered with soul-stirring vocals and striking authenticity.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Absolutely! I’m Carolina East! A singer, songwriter, professional oversharer, and proud Newfoundlander with a big voice and even bigger feelings. I make emotional pop-country-soul-something-or-other that’ll either make you cry in your car or dance in your kitchen (sometimes both at the same time).
I’ve been lucky enough to open for legends like Shania Twain and Kane Brown, and most recently, I had the surreal honour of performing Until You Are Sorry live with none other than Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Band, which is basically the East Coast version of sharing a stage with royalty.
When I’m not on stage, I’m likely crying over a dog video, aggressively defending pineapple on pizza, or turning my life’s drama into your next favourite sad bop.
Nice to meet ya!
Let’s talk about this stunning live version of “Until You Are Sorry.” What made you want to revisit this song in a live format?
Well, first of all, thank you for calling it stunning! I’ll be putting that word in my bio immediately.
Until You Are Sorry is one of those songs that came straight from my guts. It’s about that feeling when you know you deserve better, but you’re still standing in the wreckage holding a bouquet of red flags, waiting for someone to realize what they lost. It’s emotional, it’s raw, and I wanted to revisit it in a way that felt just as vulnerable, but also powerful.
Performing it live with Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Band was like giving the song a new pair of wings (with a bit of East Coast grit, obviously). Their energy, their musicianship, turned my sad little heartbreak anthem into this epic, soul-stirring moment. It was electric. You can feel the audience breathing with you. Crying with you. Cheering when they should probably be texting their ex.
The live version just hits different. And honestly, I wanted people to hear that version that spills out from my chest with zero filters.
You’ve said this song was born from “quiet strength.” What inspired that message, and how did the emotion shift in the live performance?
At its core, Until You Are Sorry is about reclaiming your power without setting the whole house on fire, tempting as that may be. It’s that deep, grounded kind of strength that doesn’t always come with yelling or big speeches. Sometimes it’s just choosing to walk away with your head held high, even if your heart’s in pieces and your mascara is on its own personal journey down your face.
I wrote it during a time when I felt incredibly hurt but also very clear: I wasn’t going to beg for closure, or patch up someone else’s mess. It’s about knowing your worth and waiting, not for them to change, but for yourself to heal.
Now, in the live performance… whew. The emotion shifts big time. With the full band and audience energy, it transforms from a quiet internal monologue to this empowered declaration. There’s a certain magic in sharing that pain and strength out loud, and with Alan and the band behind me, it felt like I wasn’t just telling my story, I was telling everyone’s who’s ever held their tongue, taken the high road, and still walked away stronger.
Also, there may have been some dramatic arm gestures. Possibly a hair flip. Quiet strength, but make it theatrical.
Performing alongside Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Band sounds like a career high. What was that moment like for you, personally and professionally?
Honestly? It felt like being knighted… but with a fiddle solo and a full house singing along.
Alan Doyle is not just a legend, he’s our legend. Every East Coaster grows up with that voice somewhere in the background: in the car on the way to the cabin, at a kitchen party, or blaring while your aunt teaches you how to jive with a glass of wine in hand. So to be asked to perform my song, my story, alongside him and his Beautiful Band? That was surreal.
Professionally, it was one of those moments that felt like a stamp of approval from the universe. Like, “Yes, girl, keep going. You’re not nuts. This means something.” It opened doors, introduced me to new listeners, and most importantly, it gave the song a whole new life.
Personally, though? It meant even more. I’ve been through hell and back with my health, my heart, and my heels (those things have seen some trauma). To be standing on that stage, fully present, doing what I love, surrounded by people I admire? It wasn’t just a performance. It was a celebration of survival, growth, and gratitude.
And I will absolutely be name-dropping this moment until the day I’m old and grey and still wearing sequins to Sobeys.
The track was mixed by Cory Tetford—how did his touch help shape the final version of this live recording?
Ah, the wizard himself! Cory Tetford! Honestly, if my vocals were a cake, Cory came in with the perfect icing, lighting, and a dramatic slow-mo cake-cutting montage.
Cory has this uncanny ability to take a live performance, with all its raw energy, mic bleed, audience noise, and spontaneous moments, and polish it just enough to keep the soul intact. He didn’t try to make it sound like a studio recording. He leaned into the magic of the live setting, the breath, the imperfections, the realness, and made it shine. His mix gave Until You Are Sorry that cinematic, goosebump-inducing swell, while still letting the vulnerability punch you right in the feelings.
Working with him on this track was such a dream that I’m now thrilled (and slightly giddy) to say… we’re working on a full studio album together, with Cory producing! I knew after hearing the live mix that I wanted that same depth, warmth, and emotional instinct to shape this next chapter of music. He just gets it. The songs. The story. Me.
So if this live track hit you in the heart, just wait ’til you hear what we’re cooking up next.
Looking back at your journey so far—from your 2021 release to now—how do you feel you’ve evolved as a performer and songwriter?
Whew. Buckle up, we’ve been on a ride. Since 2021, I’ve grown in ways I didn’t even know were possible, both on stage and off (emotionally and, let’s be honest, in my contouring skills too).
As a songwriter, I’ve gotten braver. In 2021, I was still filtering things a bit, smoothing the edges, worrying about making things palatable. But life came at me fast (and with some very dramatic plot twists), and now I write from a place of brutal honesty and emotional clarity. I don’t sugarcoat the mess anymore. I honour it. My songs now feel like journal entries that accidentally got a glam makeover and a string section.
As a performer, I’ve dropped the pressure to be perfect. After going through serious health challenges, I realized what a privilege it is to just be up there, breathing, singing, connecting. I perform like someone who knows what it’s like to lose everything… and then get a second chance. There’s more fire in my belly now, but also more joy. More gratitude. More sequins (obviously).
I used to perform to prove something. Now I perform to share something. And I think that’s where the magic lives.
What’s next for you? Is this live release a standalone moment, or a sign of more live recordings—or maybe even a live album—to come?
Oh, you’ve got good instincts! While this live version of Until You Are Sorry was definitely a special moment, it’s also a little sneak peek of what’s brewing behind the scenes.
I won’t say a full live album is definitely on the horizon… but I also won’t not say it. Let’s just say I’ve caught the bug for capturing that electric, real-time magic. There’s something so raw and communal about live recordings; it’s not just the music, it’s the energy, the audience, the unpredictable beauty of the moment. And I want more of that.
But the big news? I’m deep into a brand new studio album with Cory Tetford at the helm as producer, and it’s shaping up to be the most honest, powerful, and very Carolina collection yet. Think big feelings, Newfoundland soul, some glitter, and songs that’ll hit you in the chest and make you text someone you probably shouldn’t.
So, this live release is just the beginning. Buckle up—things are about to get beautifully loud.