Tileyard London’s MA Commercial Songwriting & Production – validated by NTU and Confetti – has a number of successful musicians for alumni, including the fantastic Carrie Baxter.
Tileyard London offer a MA Commercial Songwriting and Production course, validated by Nottingham Trent University in partnership with Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies. The course is an industry-driven practical programme, with a number of real success stories for alumni.
One of them is Carrie Baxter – Carrie’s career has seen her featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday multiple times, and has gained her acclaim from the likes of Gilles Peterson, The Sunday Times and Hot Press. Check her out on Spotify to find out more, and have a listen to her incredible EP ‘Placebo’.
We were lucky enough to catch up with her to find out more about her experiences at Tileyard and in the music industry.
When did you first start singing/performing – is it something you always wanted to pursue as a career?
I have been on stage most of my life, in different forms. I was an actress for a while, I danced professionally for quite a number of years, then it was musical theatre and so actually being an artist was the last thing to come. I felt throughout the years I was pursuing the same thing in all these art forms but I wasn’t feeling totally fulfilled. I was searching for that freedom of self expression and creation but didn’t find it until I started songwriting which subsequently led me to pursuing a career as an artist.
What made you decide to take the Tileyard MA course?
At the time I felt myself moving further and further away from the idea of having music as a career, it just felt so impossible. I love to study anyway and I knew I needed to be totally immersed in the industry if this was going to work. The MA course was an intervention on my own life if you will haha !
How has your music career changed since you graduated?
I’m in a totally different position since I left Tileyard. I do miss it still a lot to this day. The sense of community and the fun I had among my fellow graduates was so amazing that leaving that cocoon can be quite daunting. I’m not where I want to be yet but the journey ahead looks very exciting. I’ve managed to build a team around me, get a number of great releases under my belt and a growing fan base so we’re on the right path.
We’ve listened to your album ‘Placebo’ which is really beautiful. Who/which genres would you say influences your style?
Firstly, thank you for listening. I’m very glad you enjoyed it. The two main genres that I’m heavily influenced by are Hiphop and Jazz. They have both impacted my life on a significant level. For that particular record I modelled it on an old school hip hop mixtape but with the feel of a live jazz club. I drew a lot of inspiration from Amy’s Frank album and Kendrick Lamar’s ‘good kid maad city’. Books played a huge part in the lyrical themes of Placebo and also the musical “Wild party” played a role in the creation so quite a random mixture but nonetheless, I like to think it worked.
Check out Carrie performing ‘Love Me Better’, filmed at Tileyard.
Are you interested in studying the MA Commercial Songwriting & Production at Tileyard? Visit their website to find out more.
