Carter Vail (born 1996 or 1997)[1][2] is an American content creator and musician. Vail first became popular in April 2024 after releasing a musical sketch on TikTok entitled "Dirt Man."
Early life, education and career
Vail was raised in the state of Connecticut.[2] He played in a band in both middle and high school.[2] As of 2014, he was attending Wilton High School in Wilton, Connecticut, where he was a member of the school's Best Buddies club.[3]
He studied audio engineering at the University of Miami.[1][4][5] He briefly worked at a guitar pedal factory after graduating from university.[1][5] He quit his job at the factory after two weeks of working there.[1] Before his factory job, he worked at music studios as a repair person.[1] He and some friends then decided to open a studio in Nashville, Tennessee.[5]
Musical career
Vail first became known after the release of his 2018 debut song "Melatonin."[6] His debut album Red Eyes was released in 2020.[6]
He began to post "short comedy songs" to social media because of a lack of people hiring his studio for work.[5] In April 2024, he released a comedy musical sketch on TikTok entitled "Dirt Man."[4][5] The Boston Globe described the "roughly 30-second" bossa nova track as being "about a mythical, cowboy-hat-wearing figure who visits men at night and takes them to his mountain lair if they forget to leave a tribute of dirt under their pillows."[2] The track went viral on the Internet, reaching 20 million views on social media by July 2024 and becoming his most popular song.[2]
His musical inspirations include the bands Vampire Weekend and The National.[5] He describes his non-comedy music as indie rock.[1]
He signed to the Detroit-based record label Assemble Sound in December 2022.[6] His LP 100 Cowboys was released on the label in July 2024.[5]
Personal life
As of June 2024, Vail lives in Los Angeles[2] and is a full-time musician. His roommate is producer and songwriter Noah Tauscher.[1]
Discography
Title | Album details |
---|---|
Red Eyes |
|
100 Cowboys |
|
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Novak, Matt (June 7, 2024). "How 'The Dirt Man' Went Viral on TikTok and Inspired Some Wild Lore". Gizmodo. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Juul, Matt (July 8, 2024). "The 'Dirt Man' cometh: New England native Carter Vail struck TikTok comedy gold. What's next? A 'cowboy-breakup record.'". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ Borden Herve, Heather (June 9, 2014). "Wilton HS Seniors Organize to Choose Very Special Prom Queen [VIDEO]". Good Morning Wilton. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ a b Krueger, Alyson (January 2, 2025). "Internet Star? Rock Star? Carter Vail Would Like to Be Both". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Jones, C. T. (September 16, 2024). "Carter Vail Is a Lovesick Cowboy for the Digital Age". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Carter Vail Signs to Assemble Sound/Atlantic Records". Music Connection. December 8, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
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