A sense of curiosity and ambition can be heard throughout Loyle Carner’s catalogue, stretching back to his debut album, 2017’s Yesterday’s Gone.
Developing a signature style of storytelling, one mixes the grit of his experiences with diaristic lyrics and a warm presence, it’s not surprising that Carner earned a Mercury Prize nomination for his debut – an achievement he’d replicate in 2023 with his third album, hugo.
The South London artist has always carried himself with a grounded confidence, built out of knowledge that the impact of his words and music would become bigger than any gratifying accolades.
Not only a successful musician and actor, Carner’s work as a passionate advocate for those living with dyslexia and ADHD has brought light to many young fans and those who have felt underrepresented in his community.
It was around the Yesterday’s Gone cycle that I first met Carner, then on his debut Australian visit as part of 2017’s Groovin the Moo tour. To experience his effortlessly riotous music live back then, contrasted with his old-soul personality offstage — such a combination instantly made him an intriguing person to get to know.
In the years that followed, Carner’s work has continued to intensify in terms of sound and songwriting depth. His latest album, hopefully !, is concerned with fatherhood, Carner’s own childhood, and ultimately becoming a man who is stepping further into a spotlight he is comfortable with.
His Australian return in 2025 has seen Carner perform on his biggest stages in the country to date, taking in shows at iconic venues like Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl and the Sydney Opera House Forecourt.
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Speaking with him during a drive to the Opera House, Carner is open about how the tour has been a dream.
“There’s such an openness and generosity with the fans,” he says. “The Opera House is iconic and the way I’ve seen it my whole life, even when I was at school, it’s felt so far away and basically impossible to even visit. To know that however many thousands are coming to see the things that we’ve made, it’s a lot to hold onto. It’s magic.”
These impressive shows add to a run of bucket list live events Carner has been racking up in recent history.
From Glastonbury to Wembley Arena, Alexandra Palace and the Royal Albert Hall, Carner has become an increasingly commanding presence on stages that a young kid from South Croydon might not even be able to picture for himself.
Carner’s ability to disrupt expectation — of his own image and sound — is key to his enduring success. Being able to feel that energy fed back to him by audiences around the world on this album cycle has been fulfilling.
“With every album, especially someone like me, the artist shifts a little in who they are, each time. They’re learning more and more about who they are,” he explains. “Things are always changing, so it’s nice to see people keep figuring out, bit by bit, who I am – and also, who they can be. There are pockets of the crowd who prefer certain songs for certain moments.
“What is nice, is that it feels like there’s feeling where everyone has gotten something from the show. I’ve been to gigs where everyone is waiting for the same moment; it feels like at my gigs, everyone is waiting for different moments. It’s a nice thing. No two people are the same.”
Reflecting on the direction an album like hopefully ! has taken him as a creative, Carner feels at home pushing himself (and the listener) into territory that has felt scary yet fulfilling.
“For the first time ever, I’ve tried to be a reflection of all the things I’ve listened to, not just the things that I understand people think I listen to,” Carner admits. “I’ve been feeling comfortable in making people feel uncomfortable. When I was growing up, I never wanted to make people feel uncomfortable, so sometimes I’d make myself uncomfortable instead. To get to a place where you’re comfortable in who you are… I wouldn’t have been able to do it on the last album or the one before that.
“I’m maybe influenced more these days by my friends and what I see, I’m more influenced by the moment than what I’m seeking out. Being outside, nature, the natural world. The things I see as not having a way of expressing themselves, except through me. I’m trying to be outside more.”
Now with two young children of his own, Carner’s perspectives on the world have understandably changed. The vital power of language has never wavered from his work, yet with more age and experience behind him, Carner feels more comfortable in his own skin than ever before.
“It’s not that bad, doing things that you wanna do!” he says. “Doing the things you feel like you have to do. If you’re doing it for the right reasons, the things you give are always going to be more meaningful, than if you’re just giving something away because you feel like you have to.
“I think it’s really easy to underestimate it all: your audience, the other human beings who are consuming your stuff. I don’t need to do anything anyone else can do, because the other person who can do it… will.”
“I’m becoming more comfortable with the things that make us different,” Carner adds. “We don’t realise it when we’re kids that, when we get older, these are going to be the things that we hold onto, that we don’t want to lose. Sometimes, the things I’ve lost along the way… I’m spending more time trying to get them back. I’m spending more energy on trying to get them back, than I did trying to get rid of them.”
Check out Loyle Carner’s upcoming tour dates here.
