In her own words, Carla Marie is a songwriter and producer who has written for people like Beyoncé, Sean Paul, Britney Spears, Craig David, Girls Aloud, Paloma Faith and more. She is also “known as a campaigner”, winning awards for her contribution to pushing for change in the music industry through her work as the founder of Girls I Rate (GIR) and collaborations with well-known brands such as Spotify.

Founded in 2016, GIR aims to “create a movement that provides females with a voice and platform, unite [them] and create opportunities for females within the music and creative industries”. Its moniker also gives us insight into Carla Marie’s upbringing and how it has inspired her.

“I grew up in Harlesden [North-West London]. That’s my roots and how I came up with that name is because every time I go back to Harlesden and I go to the local food shops, all my Yardie bedrins always say to me, ‘Yeah, she a big song writer, yuh nuh? Mi rate her!’ So that’s how I came up with the name.”