Introducing #151 - Sarah Carton
Let us introduce you to Sarah Carton, who has just released her debut track ‘Beaches on the Thames’. Taking influences from the like of The Streets, Kate Tempest and Noname - this first single by Sarah sees her create her own alternative r&b sound while mixing it with spoken word and bedroom beats. It certainly throws her out there as an artist to keep your eye on, she took a moment to talk to us about her music.
Hey there! So how are you?
Hey! I’m pretty good thanks. Just in lockdown with my boyfriend in Devon. It’s like a working from home holiday/ relationship experiment, but going well, and nice to finally have some time to record music. Excited to head back to London soon though.
Can you tell us who you are?
I’m a singer/ songwriter, actor and music producer originally from a town called Bishops Stortford in Hertfordshire, now based in London. I’ve been writing & doing live performances for a couple of years now - bit of a mixture of spoken word, original music and acting - but only just starting to release my own music which is mad scary but very exciting. I’ve been studying music production at Tileyard in London, so finally at a point where I feel confident enough adding my own production to my tracks.
Your new track ‘Beaches on the Thames’ is out now - can you tell us what the track is about?
It started during that weird limbo period at the beginning of the coronavirus lock-down in London, when it was impossible to find toilet roll and people didn’t know if they could go to the pub or not. I was suddenly in isolation living with my boyfriend for the first time and wrote most of the lyrics on my phone notes in his flat one evening, while literally looking at reflections of streetlights on the banks of the Thames (hence the chorus). Beaches is about slowing down for long enough to appreciate our relationships and the environment. The lyrics, “toxins in the lungs, clearing the stream”, are inspired by news articles around how the lock-down has led to the clearing of the water in Venice canals and drops in CO2 emissions.
There is a lot of spoken word in your music style, are there any key spoken word influences you draw on when writing? Whether it be a theme or maybe even another spoken word performer.
I never self-described myself as a spoken-word artist or knew what that even was until I auditioned for the Roundhouse Resident Artist programme and they asked me that same question. I did a degree in drama and wrote my own shows that incorporated poetry with acting and music, so I guess the style of those has filtered into my music. I’m a massive fan of The Streets & Kate Tempest, I love the way they can make chatting with honesty and detail about everyday life so lyrical and relatable, so I’ll always have those artists on a bit of a pedestal when I approach my own tracks.
Who would you say are your key musical influences?
So many. I went through every wave of fangirl you can imagine as a teenager. I used to love Lily Allen and Kate Nash (My Best Friend Is You – still one of my favourite albums), so I think I bring a bit of their styles to the table. Spoken word and production wise I love The Streets and Kate Tempest, as mentioned before. Other spoken word style influences would be Hak Baker and Noname and a couple of my other favourite artists right now are Tirzah & Connie Constance. The new singles I’m working on are more of a scratchy/ indie-pop/ beat-based love song vibe, with some more singing.
You are based in North London, what are your favorite things to do there?
I only recently moved to North East London from South London (Streatham Hill), so I feel like a bit of an imposter, having spent most of my time there and in Brixton since moving to the city. I’d just moved into my new flat before I ran away from London for a bit during lock-down, so can’t give the full lowdown on the local area just yet. You’ll usually find me dotted around the city in pubs or watching live music at venues like SCALA, Old Blue Last, Omeara, Hootenanny’s and Shacklewell Arms.
Recently you were a Resident Artist at The Roundhouse in Camden, can you tell us some more about that?
Loved it, they’re such a supportive and nurturing team. I was a Resident Artist for a year from 2018 – 2019 and learnt so much. They programmed my own original spoken word and live music show, 'This In Progress', with my friend & talented musician, Oliver Rudge (Oliver Say) at their Last Word festival. That was a pretty amazing experience, performing in the Roundhouse Dorfman Hub, which is like an underground brick chamber with corridors and stuff it’s mental. They also gave us free use of their midi-suites and studios, which is where I recorded ‘No Slave’, the first single I released last year in collaboration with producer Ancona.