Carol Jarvis has spent most of her career in the shadows, her trombone lines quietly bolstering the sound of icons like Sting, Queen, and Amy Winehouse. Now, with ‘I Want You To Stay’, she takes a rare step into the spotlight—and does so with a brass instrument slung defiantly over her shoulder. This is not the usual trajectory for a session veteran in the electronic space, but Jarvis isn’t here to follow anyone’s rulebook.
What makes ‘I Want You To Stay’ compelling isn’t its hook (though it’s sticky), or even its meticulous production (though it’s pristine). It’s the way Jarvis reframes her instrument as a weapon of propulsion rather than ornament. In a landscape of interchangeable summer singles, here’s one that hums with a living, breathing timbre, one that doesn’t just mimic the human voice but converses with it.
We had the chance to sit down with Carol to talk all about the track, her journey and inspirations so far and much more here at LOCK!
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Hey Carol, welcome to LOCK! How are you doing?
Great thanks – thanks for having me!
Tell us all about your new single ‘I Want You To Stay’!
I started releasing some electronic/house/dance/pop music a couple of years ago, and being a professional trombonist it had to have some trombone in it too – and I think it’s my best single yet!
The song has that euphoric, summer-ready energy – was it always intended to be a summer anthem, or did it evolve that way in the studio?
Definitely always intended to be that way. There’s a reason why I tend to only release music in the summer – they’re all meant for blaring out of car stereos with the windows down!
What was the inspiration around the trombone that moulds so nicely with your electronic sound?
I noticed that trombone players only usually release either classical or jazz albums, but as it’s probably the most versatile instrument there is, I thought why can’t it be used in electronic music too? And it ended up working better than I imagined. The actual inspiration behind starting to release this type of music was that I wanted to mark ten years of being in remission from a bit of a crazy long fight with Hodgkins Lymphoma. It’s a big milestone that needed a celebratory-type genre and uplifting music, and I think this latest single absolutely hits the nail on the head!
You’ve played around the world with so many huge artists in MUSE, Michael Buble and Taylor Swift – how does releasing and potentially playing your own music compare?
It has just been my own little creative outlet on the side of what I do, but I really do enjoy it. It’s a huge bonus that people listen to it and enjoy it! I’ve now been asked to do a few solo gigs, so I might have to give in at some point and play some of my tracks live!
What do you hope listeners feel or picture when they hear ‘I Want You To Stay’ for the first time?
I hope it just makes people smile, and maybe dance. I think it’s hugely uplifting, especially in the second drop. You can’t fail but feel a sense of empowerment in that moment, and we all need a little confidence boost from time to time, so I hope it provides people with that.
With this single setting the tone, can we expect more solo electronic/dance releases from you?
Absolutely – I’ve got quite a few bits and bobs up my sleeve. First, there’s a remix by Ryder DJ coming out and it’s perfect for clubs!
And finally, what’s next for Carol Jarvis? We’re excited to hear more!
The last couple of years I’ve been touring with Rita Ora, Elbow and Ben Howard in between all sorts of other things. This year I’ve been pretty busy with Elbow again and off to do a US/Canada tour with them in Sept/Oct. And while we’re on the road I’m going to aim to get some more music released too. I don’t think there can be anything better than making a living from music, so every single day I feel incredibly grateful to do what I do and I don’t think I’ll ever take anything for granted.