This record was an escape... I get to create this other world

American singer Vanessa Carlton talks to CASEY COOPER-FISKE and CARLA FERIC about Veils, her first album in six years, and finally making her UK festival debut

- CASEY COOPER-FISKE and CARLA FERIC

AMERICAN singer Vanessa Carlton was only in her early 20s when her first single A Thousand Miles was a smash hit around the world, but despite her early success, she believes she is only now hitting her songwriting stride in middle age.

The 45-year-old released her album Veils in April this year, her first record in six years, and Vanessa says the work was like therapy for her, having felt defined by her earliest songs, which also include recognisable tracks such as Ordinary Day and Pretty Baby.

A Thousand Miles earned her three Grammy nominations, and is without doubt the song she is best known for, but recently the singer has been branching out, providing the film score for 2025 romantic drama Wish You Were Here, and even making her Broadway debut in the Carole King musical Beautiful.

However, away from music, it is gardening which is taking up most of her free time.

“I just love sitting in my garden, I just want to watch the birds,” she exclaims. “I am obsessed with gardening right now, so it's such a part of my life, but I feel like I’m able to bring what I see in the garden, what I experience in my garden, to my performances.”

She says that Veils allowed her to create a fantasy world which she could escape into, much like her garden, and credits the record with making her feel better about herself. “For Veils, I’m in my mid-40s, and I as a woman (am having) such an incredible time.