Brighton newcomer Grace Carter sets personal stories to soulful pop perfection

The former Dua Lipa tourmate and Mike Dean (Beyoncé, Kanye West, Frank Ocean) collaborator has won a wealth of fans with her affecting, razor-sharp soul pop tones, and that's surely only going to continue with a few more pristine nuggets of noise in the chamber. As well as wielding a powerful voice, Carter lashes her offerings with undiluted emotion - these are tracks that grab you by the scruff of the neck and take you through her world.

Hear latest single "Ashes" below and get to know Carter via our Q&A after.

BESTFIT: Could you introduce yourselves for us please?
Grace Carter: "Hey I'm Grace Carter and I'm a 20-year-old singer/songwriter from Brighton "

What do you try to do with your music and how do you achieve this?
Grace: "Every song I write is about the life I've lived and I'm definitely trying to tell a story but something that's very important to me with what I do is that anyone and everyone can relate to the lyrics I write. Although they have such deep and personal meanings to me, I want other people to be able to put their lives on to my words. Not everyone has the ability to put their emotions in to words and I think that's what makes songwriting/music so powerful."

Can you tell us what musical and non-musical influences have shaped your sound?
Grace: "My childhood has been very inspirational to me, I grew up with a single mum and at 13 she met my stepdad who was a songwriter. I discovered songwriting through him which allowed me to find a release for a lot of pent-up anger I had carried through my childhood. I also found a lot of inspiration from strong female artists, growing up I listened to artists like Nina Simone, Alicia Keys, and Lauryn Hill. They're all true artists whose songs are full of emotion and honesty and that's something I always want to achieve in my songwriting."

What should people expect from your Five Day Forecast show?
Grace: "Some catchy tunes and me and my band having a great time."

What are you working on now/next?
Grace: "As well as 'Ashes' I've also been working on some other songs with Mike Dean and my friends/collaborators The 23rd so I'm super excited to put those out."

How is 2018 shaping up? What are you looking forward to this year?
Grace: "I can't wait for 2018! I'm so excited to release more music and do lots of shows. An album has always been a huge goal for me so I'd love to work on an album/release an album this year. I also had my first experience of touring last year and this year I hope to be doing lots more. I'm also excited for the unknown."