Aoife Carton is a London based, Dublin born singer songwriter. Developing her sound since she started songwriting at 15, Aoife’s newer music has developed a Country-Pop feel. Following her first release of 2021 “Who I Am Today”, Alison chatted to Aoife about visiting Nashville, her songwriting and her new release coming very soon!
You have been writing and songwriting since you were 15. Where do you draw your inspiration from? Has your approach changed much over the years?
Most of the time my inspiration comes from personal experience, but I also like to challenge myself with writing exercises like picking a random word and seeing where it takes me. Sometimes that can be exciting, as I end up writing about something that subconsciously has been on my mind, but I may not have actively sat down to write it otherwise. My approach has definitely evolved over the past 9 years. The first song I wrote when I was 15 was about (what I thought was) my first heartbreak – and it was pretty much a word for word retelling. My writing in college got a lot more metaphorical, and now I think it’s somewhere in between the two. I’ve always loved imagery, in poetry and in music, so I think the most consistent part of my songwriting is that it’s always an image that comes first – and makes me think, ‘I have to write that.’
You took a solo trip to Nashville in 2017, and it seems you instantly fell in love with the city. How has Nashville impacted your relationship with music?
Nashville to this day is the best experience I’ve ever had. No matter where I travel to in the future, I don’t think I’ll ever replicate the feeling of finally getting to visit a city that I dreamed of for so long. I’ve been back once since, and I plan to make it as regular a thing as possible. In Nashville, everyone is chasing the same thing, but somehow it doesn’t feel like a competition, or for me it didn’t anyway. The musicians I met were so willing to write, to bring me along to venues, to introduce me to other musicians. It reminded me to pursue music because I love it, and for no other reason.
Who are your favourite artists to listen to? Do they influence your sound much?
My favourite artist to listen to at the moment is Tenille Townes. I could listen to her album ‘The Lemonade Stand’ all day everyday and never get tired of it. The energy in her music has definitely influenced my recent writing. Taylor Swift was my first ever favourite artist, when I was fourteen, and I still love her music now. I admire the imagery in her two newest albums she released last year, and definitely strive to write such beautiful, detailed lyrics! I also love just sticking on a Country playlist and finding new artists – there are so many different styles within Country music now, and it’s fun to listen and experiment!
The release of your latest single ‘Who I Am Today’ went down a storm – congrats! Have you any more releases or exciting plans in store for us this year?
Thank you! Releasing Who I Am Today has been so much fun, and I’m so grateful for the lovely messages I’ve received from people who’ve listened. I do have more releases in store, and not too far away either! My new single, ‘Not What I’m Into’ is out on June 4th!
Releasing these past few months has been difficult – trying to safely schedule recording sessions and photoshoots in between lockdowns – so there were definitely some setbacks, but I’m hoping that 2021 will still be my biggest year for releases yet!
Listen to Aoife Carton on Spotify.
Follow Aoife on Instagram for more updates.
Image by Ruby Gaunt.
Interview by Alison Kenny.
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