‘Trusting the people I work with is integral to the writing process.’

With her new single ‘I Wasn’t Looking For You’ being added to May’s #FridayFinds Spotify Playlist, Alice Peoples chatted with Carrie Baxter to discover more about the release, the importance of working with the right people, and the representation of women in the music industry.

Hi Carrie, thanks for your time. Introduce yourself to your future fans.
I am an Irish artist and songwriter based in London who is obsessed with tea and is most likely to be found in the studio or the gym.

How would you define your music to someone who has never heard it before?
It floats somewhere in between Jazz, Hip-hop & Soul.

Who are your biggest influences?
A Tribe Called Quest, Frank Sinatra, Amy Winehouse, Norah Jones and Kendrick Lamar.

Who is involved in the creation of your tracks and what do they bring to the sound?
Most of the tracks are written and produced with two very good friends of mine, others are written with people who I just met over the course of the last year. I prefer working with people I have a relationship with, trust is integral to me in the writing process and they play a huge role in the sound selection and production of the entire track.

Do you have a favourite place to go and write your songs?
Most of my best ideas happen when I’m out and about going about my life. I rarely have a groundbreaking idea when I sit in a room to write on purpose.

What inspired you to write your latest song ‘I Wasn’t Looking For You’?
I wrote that track in lockdown. Not having a life to live meant I had to go into my archive of memories and poems to finish something I started. That song is about when someone comes along and changes your life when you least expect it.

‘Start your own collection, company or label – whatever it is, get a bunch of women together and watch what happens.’

On ‘I wasn’t looking for you’ you collaborated with Jack Tyson Charles. How did that come about?
He came about through my management who had discovered his music and played it to me. I loved his voice and on the original demo he sent over he really changed the feeling and the movement of the entire song so it was a no-brainer to move forward with Jack on the track.

Last year you recorded a cover of Billie Eilish’s ‘My Future’. What drew you to cover the track and how did you decide on the setting of it?
I was approached by a label to pick a popular song and do my own version of it. I began searching but none of the “current” songs were really resonating with me or fitting my voice. A friend of mine, Duncan Brookfield played me that song a day later and it just clicked, he is also the person who produced it and brought the idea to me about layering all the harmonies.

How do you feel the representation of women in the industry can be improved?
It’s multifaceted really, isn’t it? It needs to start in school firstly: little girls growing up need to be told to believe that these opportunities are available to them and know they are good enough to apply. I also think now that statistics can’t be ignored, it’s up to corporations to evaluate what they can do to open big opportunities up for women to grow, and not to underestimate the power of women working together. Start your own collection, company, label – whatever it is, get a bunch of women together and watch what happens.

What is a random musical fact about yourself that not many people would know?
I trained in musical theatre professionally before I turned to being an artist.

Have you got any up-and-coming projects for us to look forward to?
Yes, I will reveal all soon!

Thanks Carrie Baxter for chatting with Listen to Discover

Interview by Alice Peoples