Currently one of London’s most exciting newcomers, singer and spoken-word artist Sarah Carton has been making waves for quite some time. Championing music from a young age, she was able to expand her creative horizons by studying Drama at university. Through multi-disciplinary performances, the young talent mesmerized audiences far and wide, also thanks to personal and authentic lyricism.
On the back of a period of self-development, which saw her become a skilled music producer, Carton is now releasing her debut EP, ‘Raw’. Collecting six intimate and minimal gems, the record seeks to deliver a slice of human experience, offering insights into a difficult relationship.
Intrigued by the project, we caught up with Sarah Carton to find out more about her artistry and future goals… Interview below!
Hey Sarah, how is it going? Congrats on the EP release. Does it feel more like the end of a chapter, or a new beginning?
Hey! All good thanks. Thank you. A bit of both really. I wrote these songs so long ago now that it definitely feels nice to be closing the chapter on those stories and that time of my life. But as it’s such a new sound for me, it does also feel like the start of something.
We discovered ‘Beaches on the Thames’ back in 2020, a record that we still love to this day. How has your sound evolved since?
Amazing, so nice to hear that. Thank you. It’s evolved a lot I think. I’ve learnt lots more about production now and have started to be more experimental and daring with my ideas. I definitely think it’s evolved into a more moody and dark space.
What’s the relationship between spoken words and singing, in your case? is there a specific instance where you favour one or the other?
I write a lot of poetry, so I think for me, if I have an existing poem or something written I’d like to build a song around, I’ll take that spoken element as the basis of the track and build sung elements on top of it. I think sometimes I prefer spoken words when the words are the most important element and I want them to sit above the music away from the melody.
It’s surprising (and interesting) to hear such minimal and intimate productions on the EP; is there a particular ethos behind it?
The whole concept of the EP was built around the title ‘Raw’. The project was a very intimate experience for me as I wrote, recorded and produced it alone in my flat over lockdown while dealing with some difficult emotions. I wanted it to feel exposed and keep that ‘raw’ DIY demo feeling.
What’s your songwriting process like? Do you write alone or in a team?
I write alone. I’ve written in teams for other people and I find it quite hard as for me, writing is such a personal and exposing process. My songs usually start as a melody I think up while walking around or from some poetry I’ve written on my phone notes.
How do you usually perform live? Is it a fully electronic show?
At the moment, yes it’s a fully electronic show. I run everything through Ableton live and play some elements like keys and drum pads live. I’m hoping to build on my set to incorporate a live band in the near future though.
Artistically speaking, what challenges have the last two years presented you with?
I think releasing music at a time when you haven’t been able to gig has been really hard. Music is about connection with the listener and not being able to see the audience and have that in-person connection has been difficult.
What are the next steps for your project? Do you have any long-term goals?
‘Raw’ is out in the world now so the plan is to do some gigs around that and start working on some new music soon. I have quite a few songs written that I’m about to start producing which I’m really excited for. Long term I’d like to release an album but I’m taking my time with that one.
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