Carter Vail
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{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Carter Vail
| image = Carter Vail in a 2024 interview for Popdust.png
| caption = In a 2024 interview
| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|27|2024|6|7}}
| alma_mater = University of Miami
| occupation = {{hlist|Content creator|musician}}
| years_active = 2018–present
| module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes
| background = solo_singer
| genre = {{hlist|Indie rock|comedy music}}
| label = {{hlist|Assemble Sound}}
}}
| website = {{URL|cartervail.com}}
}}
Carter Vail (born {{birth based on age as of date|27|2024|6|7|noage=1}}){{Cite web |last=Juul |first=Matt |date=July 8, 2024 |title=The 'Dirt Man' cometh: New England native Carter Vail struck TikTok comedy gold. What's next? A 'cowboy-breakup record.' |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/07/08/arts/dirt-man-carter-vail/ |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240708133303/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/07/08/arts/dirt-man-carter-vail/ |archive-date=July 8, 2024 |access-date=January 19, 2025 |website=The Boston Globe |language=en-US}} 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 played in a band in middle and high school in Wilton, Connecticut.{{Cite web |last=Borden Herve |first=Heather |date=June 9, 2014 |title=Wilton HS Seniors Organize to Choose Very Special Prom Queen [VIDEO] |url=https://goodmorningwilton.com/wilton-hs-seniors-organize-to-choose-very-special-prom-queen-2/ |access-date=January 19, 2025 |website=Good Morning Wilton |language=en-US}}
He studied audio engineering at the University of Miami.{{Cite news |last=Krueger |first=Alyson |date=January 2, 2025 |title=Internet Star? Rock Star? Carter Vail Would Like to Be Both. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/02/style/carter-vail.html |access-date=January 10, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite magazine |last=Jones |first=C. T. |date=September 16, 2024 |title=Carter Vail Is a Lovesick Cowboy for the Digital Age |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/carter-vail-creator-dirt-man-100-cowboys-1235101791/ |access-date=January 10, 2025 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} He briefly worked at a guitar pedal factory after graduating from university. He quit his job at the factory after two weeks of working there. Before his factory job, he worked at music studios as a repair person. He and some friends then decided to open a studio in Nashville, Tennessee.
Musical career
Vail first became known after the release of his 2018 debut song "Melatonin".{{Cite web |date=December 8, 2022 |title=Carter Vail Signs to Assemble Sound/Atlantic Records |url=https://www.musicconnection.com/carter-vail-signs-to-assemble-sound-atlantic-records/ |access-date=January 19, 2025 |website=Music Connection |language=en-US}} His debut album Red Eyes was released in 2020.
He began to post "short comedy songs" to social media because of a lack of people hiring his studio for work. In April 2024, he released a comedy musical sketch on TikTok entitled "Dirt Man." 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." The track went viral on the Internet, reaching 20 million views on social media by July 2024 and becoming his most popular song.
His musical inspirations include the bands Vampire Weekend and The National. He describes his non-comedy music as indie rock.
He signed to the Detroit-based record label Assemble Sound in December 2022. His LP 100 Cowboys was released on the label in July 2024.
Personal life
As of June 2024, Vail lives in Los Angeles and is a full-time musician. His roommate is producer and songwriter Noah Tauscher.{{Cite web |last=Novak |first=Matt |date=June 7, 2024 |title=How 'The Dirt Man' Went Viral on TikTok and Inspired Some Wild Lore |url=https://gizmodo.com/dirt-man-tiktok-carter-vail-viral-youtube-instagram-1851524961 |access-date=January 19, 2025 |website=Gizmodo |language=en-US}}