Carter James makes amends on “Sorry I Hurt You”

By Sarah Fournell

Boston-based singer songwriter Carter James, sat down to talk with me about  hair dye, personal growth, and how hyperpop is “chaotic but in a good way”on Monday afternoon. as their single “Time” hit 300,000 streams. As we celebrated the milestone we reminisced on their old music, and how they’ve changed and grown into a more confident artist within the past year. Carter’s newest project is “Sorry I Hurt You,” an upbeat, dance-through-the-tears track that serves as a bittersweet letter to the people they hurt in an attempt to find themself. And find themself they did. 

Growth hasn’t always been easy, as suggested by the sentiment of “Sorry I Hurt You.” It took a global pandemic to make them face the harsh reality of sacrifice for the sake of sanity. For Carter, personal growth has translated beyond the personal, into their music and professional life. In March of 2020, they became affiliated with Universal Music Group, who backed their song “Time” and continues to work with them on a case by case basis. 

“I didn’t even know how to re-evaluate going forward. No one did. So I didn’t feel down in the dumps about it. I was like, let me just take it one day at a time, and then one hour at a time, and then one minute at a time.” 

The big picture disappeared until what truly mattered unearthed. For Carter, that was making music. Everything else became insignificant, except writing and making music. The unanimous and overwhelming sense of isolation felt in the past year inspired Carter to “make music to make people feel less alone.” As the pandemic brought more free time, they pushed themself creatively. They began producing one song everyday, and posting sound bytes to TikTok. Their videos helped them stay motivated and connected  to their supporters. A few years ago, Carter wrote songs inspired by their favorite Norwegian TV show, Skam. The songs went viral in Norway, giving Carter a loyal foreign fanbase. 

“Everything is true, but it’s fictional, it’s a Frankenstein of real situations.” 

Carter is a collage artist in all aspects of their production. Not only do they create the artwork for their music, but their lyrics are expressed as a collage of experiences and emotions. Although each situation they write about is unique, there’s an united emotional truth to it all. The sentiment of “Sorry I Hurt You” is what makes it so relatable that it hurts. It’s an upbeat chronicle of broken relationships, borrowed sweaters, and apology letters. The power of Carter’s lyricism is that it transcends beyond experiences and straight into the raw emotions of it all. The mellow danceability is just an added plus. 

 “I very rarely just write about one specific situation, it’s always a mumbo-jumbo of a lot of my experiences mashed into one. “Sorry I Hurt You” is like a blanket apology, it’s not really just about one person. That way no one can text me and be mad about it if they see this interview! I’m in the clear.”

“Sorry I Hurt You” is just the beginning of Carter’s new sound. Their aim when writing was to subvert expectations, achieved by experimenting with tempo. Carter’s goal was to break out of the boxes they put themselves in while producing music. During their challenge to make a song everyday, Carter noticed they ended up accidentally making different versions of the same song. They said their approach is to come up with a chorus, and build the rest later. With this project, they changed that: “Sorry I Hurt You” started with the intro, and continued to write it in letter format.

“Sorry I Hurt You” comes out Friday, April 16th and will be available on all streaming platforms.