Irish-born, London-based Carrie Baxter has been hotly tipped since her first release just 2 years ago. The genre-fusing singer-songwriter has confidently carved her space in the current soundscape with her singles exciting tastemakers far and wide, including Colors, Notion, Earmilk, BBC Radio and Hot Press who have described her as "one of the most thrilling new forces in Irish music”. Her EP “What Now”, an 8-track project, marks another impressive milestone in this burgeoning artists career as with its release she will embark on her first headline tour of the UK & IRL and further cements Carrie as an artist to keep a firm eye on.

Carrie sat down with Wordplay Magazine to answer our infamous 10 Questions:

1. So tell me, how did it all begin? What sparked your love for music?

Well I guess firstly there is no denying the presence and history of music, storytelling & rhythm in Ireland, it feels natural to love music, almost inherited love for it. I grew up in a very musical family, there was always decent music on in my house growing up and a lot of my family were/ are musicians and I was encouraged to play from a young age.

2. Who are some artists that influence you and that you want to work with in the future?

Ahh the impossible question, I’m mostly influenced by artists before me, going back to the start this includes, van Morrison, Norah Jones, a tribe called quest, kendrick Lamar, anything from Motown, Judy Garland. Current people I’d love to work with include Joesef, Tom Misch, Cleo Sol, Kendrick, Tyler the Creator, Frank Ocean, Duckwrth, Nai Palm - too many to recall.

3. What are some of the problems you have faced making and releasing the music during the corona virus pandemic?

I had very minimal face to face time with the producer of my latest EP it was mostly finished by A LOT of bounces being passed (& lost) back and forth. I lost a lot of time and was under a lot of pressure to get it over the line by the time we were allowed to mix again. I lost my job during Covid so paying for things like mixing & mastering became a huge task. Releasing music was difficult too as my entire catalogue was released during the pandemic, I don’t think it’s healthy to sit looking at the numbers and stats of your releases but it became impossible not to compare myself to how everyone else was doing as I just couldn’t escape it. I found that challenging.

4. How would you describe your sound?

Soul-Hop i guess *shrugs shoulders: if soul had a baby with Hip Hop and then R&B raised that baby! Maybe something like that lol.

5. What's your proudest moment to date so far as an artist?

Hearing my music on Radio for the first time was a particular highlight for me. Especially local radio that I grew up listening to.

6. Do you have any advice for our readers who may be trying to play the mad game of music?

Haha not really, I’m still trying to figure it out. Dive in, and keep swimming.

7. Are there any artists on your radar right now that we should check out?

Yeah really digging the stuff coming out of Ireland at the moment, I’m a big fan of Monjola - check him out! Shiv from Ireland is great too!

8. What albums are on heavy rotation on your Spotify playlist currently?

I’m guilty as charged of re-listening to the same stuff over and over again so Maverick Sabre ‘you know how it feels’ technically an EP but so great! Joesef ‘does it make you feel good’, Cleo Sol ‘Rose in the Dark’.

9. What do you like to do when you're not making music?

I work my ‘day job’ in fitness so I’m usually training, teaching or watching some sort of series.

10. Name Three things you can't live without when in the studio?

Pen & paper, piano, fizzy jellies.