Carter Vail
Carter Vail | |
|---|---|
 In a 2024 interview | |
| Born | 1996 or 1997 (age 29–30) |
| Alma mater | University of Miami |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2018–present |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Label |
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| Website | cartervail |
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
[edit]Vail played in a band in middle and high school[2] in Wilton, Connecticut.[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
[edit]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 some 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. Vail's most recent album, Coydog, was released under RCA Records in October 2025.
Personal life
[edit]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
[edit]| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Red Eyes |
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| The Interstellar Tennis Championship Vol. II |
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| 100 Cowboys | |
| Coydog |
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References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Novak, Matt (June 7, 2024). "How 'The Dirt Man' Went Viral on TikTok and Inspired Some Wild Lore". Gizmodo. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 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. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Borden Herve, Heather (June 9, 2014). "Wilton HS Seniors Organize to Choose Very Special Prom Queen [VIDEO]". Good Morning Wilton. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- 1 2 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.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jones, C. T. (September 16, 2024). "Carter Vail Is a Lovesick Cowboy for the Digital Age". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 "Carter Vail Signs to Assemble Sound/Atlantic Records". Music Connection. December 8, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ↑ Campbell, Caleb (June 4, 2024). "Premiere: Carter Vail Shares New Single "Harder to Kill"". Under the Radar Magazine. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ↑ Kallao, Stephen; Junod, Kimberly (February 17, 2025). "Carter Vail on his latest album, '100 Cowboys'". NPR. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
- ↑ Fairbairn, Nicki (October 30, 2025). "Carter Vail Unveils Surreal New Era with Concept EP Coydog". Mundane Magazine. Retrieved April 2, 2026.