At only 22 years old, Charleston, South Carolina, singer-songwriter Chad Wolf moved to Los Angeles to follow his dream of making it as a musician. Like many, Wolf held a string on undesirable professions in the process, including cleaning toilets! But things really started to take off for him after a friend introduced him to Swedish producer Max Martin (Britney Spears, Robyn).

Fast-forward to present day. Wolf will release his 12-song masterpiece, Coming to Terms, on May 20 under the name Carolina Liar and is now part of a six-man band. His music has been featured on "The Hills," with "I'm Not Over" being played on the show's season finale last night. "Beautiful World" will be part of the "Gossip Girl" season finale on May 19, while his track "Show Me What I'm Looking For" will soon be a part of NBC's commercials for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

For the inaugural installment of "As Heard on TV," Buzznet's new series spotlighting music featured prominently on the tube, we recently chatted with Wolf about his newfound TV fame and the pressure that comes with it. Is Wolf a bigger fan of "The Hills" or "Gossip Girl"? What music would be featured on a show about his life? Wolf opens up and lets us into his "Beautiful World."


[Carolina Liar at the MTV "The Hills" season finale party]

Buzznet: What went through your heads the first time you heard one of your songs on TV?

Chad Wolf: I still think that we're getting "Punk'd" in some way. It didn't seem real to any of us at the time. I just didn't know what to think. But man, what a great thing to experience ... and it's done so much for us!

Buzznet: Are you happy about the placement of the songs in the shows?

Wolf: Oh yeah. It definitely feels like there is a real emotional connection to the scenes. I like that the placements were really thought through.

Buzznet: Are you a fan of "The Hills" and/or "Gossip Girl"? Who is your favorite character on either or both shows?

Wolf: I love both shows! Everyone involved has given us a real gift and got our music out there for the world to see and hear. I will always be a fan.

Buzznet: Going forward, whenever you write a new song, are you going to be thinking, "Is this song good enough to be heard on TV?"

Wolf: Nah. I'm just gonna ask myself, "Is this actually safe enough to play for anybody, anywhere?" I still get nervous playing new ideas for people, so taking it to TV is something I'd have to ask someone else!

Buzznet: Has having your music featured on "The Hills" and "Gossip Girl" changed the type of audience that comes to your shows?

Wolf: We don't know yet. We are just waiting to see. This is all so new for us. We start our first tour this coming week, so we are excited to see what could or could not be happening at a show.


[Carolina Liar at the MTV "The Hills" season finale party]

Buzznet: Have you discovered any new music that you really enjoy on "The Hills," "Gossip Girl" or any other shows?

Wolf: I'm always finding music on shows — that's more than likely what makes me look up from a computer or stop for a moment. It's always about the music. Then I'll check out the show.

Buzznet: If they were going to make a TV show about your life, who would be on the soundtrack?

Wolf: Wow, that's a great way to ask that question. I would say Level 42, Chet Baker, Tom Waits, Nina Simone, The Cardigans, Les Paul and Mary Ford, The Cure, Robert Johnson, Wes Montgomery, New Order — we might need to do a box set, actually.

Buzznet: Is there a specific message you want listeners to get out of your music?

Wolf: There's really no message. Just the hope that somehow our stories are ones that everyone who listens can relate to in their own way and that we get to share a moment in someone's life we might have never met without the music.

Buzznet: You spent many years in the coffee house circuit. Are you still going to perform in such small venues? What's been the best show of your career thus far?

Wolf: One of the best shows I've had was playing at a college for kids with MS (multiple sclerosis). These kids gave us more than any crowd I've ever played for, and it was really an honor to share our music with them.

Buzznet: You struggled in the L.A. scene for quite some time. What advice do you have for aspiring musicians who want to keep the dream alive but also need to pay their bills at the same time?

Wolf: I would say imagine the life that you want to live and start living that life every day. Try to feel the emotion that you have everything you ever wanted and somehow it will happen. Don't every stop, no matter what.

Carolina Liar will be playing a string of dates on the West Coast beginning Thursday in Tuscon, Arizona, and ending May 25 in Denver. Unable to attend? Watch them when they perform on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on June 12.