The poetic, life affirming songs of Brighton raised, London based Grace Carter have seen her ranked in third place in the BBC Music Sounds of 2019. The list is compiled by DJs, critics and other leading music experts to highlight the best new talent for the new year.
Carter is now in preparation for her debut album after she was signed to Polydor, and is under the same managed company as Dua Lipa, who she supported on tour. Speaking to BBC News, Carter revealed how she found her voice, and connection with music: “I was a difficult child for sure. I was a very angry child and I hadn’t quite found a way to let it out, apart from shouting for a long time.
“My mum met my stepdad when I was 13 and he was the person who really changed me as a child and the way I looked at my life and dealt with things. He got me a guitar and said, ‘Instead of shouting at everyone and getting really angry, why don’t you just try and talk about the things you’re feeling?’”
It seems that Carter’s broken family during her childhood, caused her a lot of angst, however she believes that was a pivotal point for her, and music became her way of expressing her anger and emotions. Carters raw and emotional single ‘Why Her Not Me’, was an expression of the anger and sadness she felt towards her biological father.
She said on this song that “sadly, today I figured out the reason my dad wasn’t in life was because he was raising another family but I want to know why he picked them over me. Why her not me?. I literally just said that and the song wrote itself.”
When asked if she was glad that she put such personal information out there for everyone to hear Carter explained that for her she was “just an open book”, and “I didn’t really think about it”.
Writing for Carter seems to have been a healing experience as she explained “It was really hard (releasing ‘Why Her Not Me’) I think the month after I put Why Her Not Me out, I felt pretty exposed. I felt like I’d shared a lot. But at the same time I felt like I’d got a lot back, and through sharing that story and being open, it allowed a lot of young people to be open as well. As hard as it was, it was also extremely empowering and exciting that I was encouraging young people to talk and be open about their feelings (about) situations they’ve been through, and help them realise that actually they’re not the only ones who have felt it.”
Carter also revealed some of her biggest musical influences including, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Amy Winehouse and Carole King. Grace Carters music is often referred to as melancholy and sad, yet her lyrics are often thoughtful and empowering too. in her own words she explains “I never want to be a victim, and that’s the main thing. Of course there are sad subjects through all my songs; but at the end of it i’m stronger than all that.” For the complete BBC Music Sounds of 2019 click here.
