The song appears on her forthcoming album
Vanessa Carlton is thrilled to release her new track “Animal,” produced by Dave Fridmann (MGMT, Flaming Lips), which will appear on her new album Veils to be released in early 2026.
“The song is about stoicism. The idea of knowing we cannot control external forces; she is being hunted, and she accepts the reality of what is happening. The acceptance allows her to truly see the animal. Does she even identify with this creature? Every human has an animal within them. Are you hunting? Are you being hunted? Who is the animal?” Carlton shares.
Carlton has constantly challenged both herself and the expectations that surround her throughout her lengthy, accomplished career: she was discovered as a singer-songwriter/pianist when a cassette tape demo was given to legendary music impresario Ahmet Ertegun. With her debut single “A Thousand Miles,” Carlton soared to the top of the Billboard charts and garnered multiple Grammy nominations, and continues to find success across genres.
Though that song is only a small fraction of the body of work and artistic identity she’s developed since then, ever evolved and grown as a performer and songwriter. In the summer of 2019, she made her Broadway debut as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Most recently, Carlton scored her first film, Wish You Were Here, alongside her husband, John McCauley of Deer Tick. The film was directed by Julia Stiles.
