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From schoolyard songs to soul-stirring melodies, LEXIE CARROLL delves into the everyday magic that fuels her indie folk-pop journey. As she announces her new EP, ‘you look lovely when you’re living’, drops a new track, ‘Laundry Detergent’, and is announced for next month’s Dork’s Night Out alongside Nell Mescal and Scout, we get to know her better in our latest Hype playlist cover feature.
Words: Stephen Ackroyd.
At just nineteen, Lexie Carroll exudes a lyrical wisdom and emotional depth that belie her relatively young years. The London-based singer–slash-songwriter has rapidly made a name for herself with a sound that blends melancholic indie, folk, and pop, which, yes, means drawing comparisons to Phoebe Bridgers and Bon Iver, but she’s way more than just an artist on-trend and so-right-now. Her music echoes the same emotional depth and intricate nuances, yet she infuses her songs with a distinctly British sensibility. Her lyrical themes often explore transformation and the bittersweet nature of growth, yet her sound incorporates a lighter tone, too. Lexie’s songs, intimate glimpses into her soul, dance and skip between hopeful joy and reflective wistfulness. Today, she stands on the cusp of releasing a just announced new EP, ‘you look lovely when you’re living’, a collection that promises to be her most personal work yet.
Lexie’s journey into music began in the playgrounds of London, where she and her friends would craft their first songs. Influenced by pop and inspired by an exciting wave of YouTube artists, Lexie found in music a medium where the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary. “I’ve always really loved writing – my friends and I would make up songs in primary school. I remember we had one called ‘Best, Best Friends Forever’, which was quite the hit,” Lexie recalls.
Her early exposure to pop culture through mainstream radio and music compilations played a pivotal role in shaping her musical tastes, which were further nurtured by a supportive guitar teacher who encouraged her songwriting. “I was just a big pop fan growing up; whatever was on Capital radio or the latest ‘Now That’s What I Call…’ album was my jam,” she explains. “I did guitar lessons, and my teacher was an absolute legend; he noticed that I liked writing and was really encouraging of that. And then, in my preteen/early teen years, I was so enthralled by all the people putting their music on YouTube, like dodie and Cavetown. The fact that they seemed so “normal” and they were just making music in their bedroom and putting it online made it all seem like something I could do. That definitely spurred me on to make my own stuff. “
As Lexie matured, her music evolved from imitative compositions to authentic narratives drawn from her life. “The first song I wrote apart from my primary school friends – my solo debut – was called ‘Summer With You’, and I wrote it when I was 8, so it was probably quite a profound love song,” she jokes. “As I’ve got older, my songs have definitely become more about real things I’ve experienced or seen around me. When I was younger, and I’m sure I’m still guilty of it every now and again, I’d just try and emulate what I was listening to, so I’d write about things I had absolutely no clue about but had heard in other songs.”
“I was so enthralled by all the people putting their music on YouTube, like dodie and Cavetown”
Lexie Carroll
That’s how the best artists learn, though – grabbing shiny gems from the shelves and working out how to fit them into their own musical nest. “I still think it all helped me to get better at writing,” Lexie agrees, “just lots of practice of trying to structure songs and write succinct, nice-sounding lines – but sometimes I listen back and think, what on Earth are you going on about?”
Despite the burgeoning acclaim, Lexie remains grounded, finding the increasing attention a mix of rewarding and daunting experiences. “The majority of it is absolutely wonderful – I have met some of my favourite people and made great memories, whether really wild things like playing festivals or the more ordinary bits of chit-chat in studios or laughs in rehearsal, it’s been so fun,” she says. However, she acknowledges the pressures that come with her career: “Other parts are a bit more difficult. I think the expected demand on artists to be and do everything – make music, tour, be a social media personality, have cool fashion, be ‘authentic’ – means there is always something you aren’t doing enough of. I love being creative, and there are ways to put your own spin on making social media content, but it takes a lot of confidence, and I definitely have my moments where I don’t feel cut out for it all.”
“I’m definitely trying to write about everyday things more and more”
Lexie Carroll
Lexie’s latest single is a brilliant marker for not just where she is as an artist right now but also her undoubted potential to come. ‘Laundry Detergent’ captures the essence of new love with a unique, everyday twist. She explains, “I wrote ‘Laundry Detergent’ about the awkward but sweet part of realizing you’re starting to fall for someone. Just wanting to be around them and picking up on weird things like the smell of their clothes that you maybe wouldn’t normally notice. I actually wrote the first verse and chorus to start off with when I was in a bit of a situationship, and then that all ended. Finishing the song was a bit tricky, but I really wanted to because I loved the lyrics and the feeling of it. Even if it’s a bit tainted now, I like that I caught how I was feeling in that moment.”
The inspiration for her EP’s title, ‘You Look Lovely When You’re Living’, stems from her love for the mundanity and beauty of everyday life, particularly highlighted in the track ‘Sunflood’, which contains the lyric it’s lifted from. “I just love people living their lives,” Lexie admits, “doing their thing – it’s so nice to see.”
“I’m trying to write about everyday things more and more,” she explains. “I guess it goes back to what I was saying earlier about writing about what I’m seeing around me rather than just trying to write a dramatic break-up song because that’s what I thought songwriting was about. I love the every day; it makes me so happy and so sad! “
Among the EP’s tracks is ‘Never Made It To Glasgow’, a song born from unforeseen tour changes and a spur-of-the-moment writing session. “I was on tour opening for James Marriott, which was SO FUN, and James is so great, but he got ill and had to reschedule some of the dates,” Lexie recalls. “So, the day I was meant to be playing a show in Glasgow, I ended up going to my good friend and collaborator Jack Hardman’s house, and we decided to use that as a starting point for a song. It was so random, and unlike any other experience I’ve had writing before, but I’ve been working with Jack for a while, and so we just were having a load of fun, and it all spilt out.”
“I was on tour opening for James Marriott, which was SO FUN”
Lexie Carroll
As Lexie prepares for her upcoming tour with Bears In Trees (“It’ll be my first time going on a tour bus, so that is exciting, but also, I have no clue what to bring”), an upcoming appearance at Dork’s Night Out alongside Nell Mescal and Scout, and juggles her university exams, she remains committed to her craft, continually writing and planning for future projects. When she’s not immersed in music, she enjoys simple pleasures. “Big fan of pubs,” she reveals, “just being with friends and my family. And then anything crafty – I have a scrapbook where I document pretty much everything, which I really enjoy doing and is a nice chilled activity.”
Reflecting on the transient nature of her art, Lexie’s approach to music is as much about capturing moments as it is about creating them. Her songs are vignettes of life, woven with the threads of her experiences, thoughts, and feelings, making ‘you look lovely when you’re living’ not just a title for her latest collection, but a statement of her artistic ethos. With each note and lyric, Lexie Carroll invites her listeners into a world where ordinary moments are celebrated, examined, and transformed into something truly extraordinary.
Given her early inspiration from the world of mainstream pop and the cultural maelstrom of daytime radio, though, there’s only one question we really need an answer to. As a potential future triple-A-star herself, is Charlie Puth underrated? “I’m not sure I have any strong feelings,” she laughs, “but maybe after a smoke and seven bars of chocolate, I might change my mind.” ■
Lexie Carroll’s new single ‘Laundry Detergent’ is out now. Her new EP ‘you look lovely when you’re living’ is released on 19th June. Lexie plays Dork’s Night Out alongside Nell Mescal and Scout on 8th May – you can get tickets here. Follow Dork Mixtape on Spotify here.
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