South West London’s dexter recently released her debut EP I Do Love a Good Sandwich, including highlight tracks ‘Blue Skies’, ‘I Like Me’ and ‘Still Got Time’, out now on Common Knowledge via AWAL.Described by Pigeons & Planes as “an incredibly gifted songwriter”, dexter has picked up fast praise from the likes of NME, DIY, Clash, The Line of Best Fit, Dummy and Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1.
dexter is the moniker of 18-year-old Charmaine, who first arrived with a series of self-uploads in 2020 that were created entirely on her phone. They caught the attention of the likes of Annie Mac and Sian Eleri on BBC Radio1, and were independently picked up by playlists including Spotify’s Fresh Finds and Our Generation, of which dexter was recently the cover. These early tracks, including ‘Maybe the Problem Is Me’ and ‘Same Way’, have now amassed over one million combined streams. Amongst all of the growing attention and acclaim, Charmaine had kept her project entirely a secret, working under the name ‘dexter’ anonymously. A recent reveal to her family has meant the project is less shrouded in secrecy, however the alias has stuck and dexter has firmly arrived.
The I Do Love a Good Sandwich represents a natural progression for dexter, aided by the recent acquisition of a MacBook and her first vocal mic, as well as sessions with local producers including Dom Valentino. dexter was in the final throes of her A Levels whilst preparing for the EP’s release and comments, “I chose the name I Do Love A Good Sandwich because I like sandwiches, you can never go wrong with a good sandwich. It doesn’t mean anything deep, I literally just like sandwiches! I’m very excited for the EP to come out because it’s my first actually properly published body of work. I made the songs a few months ago so I’m excited to finally have them come out and for people to hear it.” Capturing a raw sense of youthful melancholy and a bittersweet self-awareness, dexter’s debut will no doubt resonate with her audience and beyond.
Friday 26th November – Off The Cuff, London
