Sauce

Already renowned for insightful lyricism and the musicianship to convey it, at only eighteen years old, Perth singer-songwriter Claire Clarke continues to push forward into the national music scene with the release of her debut full-length album, Unhinged. We threw Carole Whitehead into her first interview for SAUCE to find out about loving the stage and singing one’s heart out when walking onto it.

So where are you today?
I’m in Perth, actually, yeah.

I hear you’ve just released your debut album, Unhinged?
The album actually hasn’t been released yet, but the first single, Blur has. That was released last month.

Oh, OK. When does the album come out, then?
The release date hasn’t been announced yet, but it should be towards the end of the year.

So how are you feeling about all that at the moment?
I’m absolutely excited. Definitely can’t wait for it to come out, and share it with everyone. It’s such an exciting time to get my music out there, after working on it for so long and everything. So yeah – very excited!

And I’ve read that you like to express yourself through your lyrics. How does it go if you’re writing about someone, and they hear the song?
[Laughs] Well, I try and make most of it a little metaphorical, so it’s kind of not related to anyone in particular, or if someone reads it … Well, actually, in some of the songs, I suppose it’s pretty direct! [Laughs] Um, no – I just write how I feel, however it comes out. I just try to do it without any barriers, so I’m not holding anything back.

And you’ve said that you’re “pretty crazy” as well. When do you get the chance to sell that?
Well, onstage, really. Onstage I get a bit crazy, and I suppose everything … who I really am just kind of shows and shines through. I think, onstage, there’re absolutely no barriers, and you can kind of be your true self. So yeah – we get a bit wild onstage, definitely. [Laughs]

So you’ll be doing that in your upcoming shows – getting a bit wild?
Definitely, yes! Really, I love to interact with my audience, and really connect with people through my songs. And when I’m onstage, I’m always singing right into people, and really getting a reaction out of them. That’s what gives me my energy.

In your biography as well, it says that you were playing gigs at a younger age. What age were you when you started?
I started when I was sixteen, performing my own music. Like, the first time I stepped out on stage literally was one of those moments that I’ll never forget, and I know that sounds a bit clichéd, but [it’s] very true, because I just felt so comfortable, and I just felt like I was connecting with people on that really pure level that I think you can only do through music.

At sixteen, really?
Yeah. So, singing my own songs, it really kind of showed me that its what I want to do for the rest of my life – that one gig solidified my belief in my music, and myself, and everything. So, from then on, I couldn’t stop waiting to get onstage – I was always, “When’s the next gig?” [Laughs]

I, personally, am terrified of stages, so I can’t understand that at all! [Laughs]
“No way!” See, people say that all the time to me – even, you know, big acts. They sing to the lights and don’t think of the people, and always like, “Oh no! I don’t want to get up on stage!” But, for me, I think that’s the best part of it all. For me it’s getting up on stage and really feeling the music, and connecting with people through that and through my lyrics and everything.

You’ve mentioned that you’re from Perth – is that your favourite spot to play a gig?
Well, I don’t know, because … I’ve played in Sydney, and I’ve played in Melbourne now, but I haven’t done a full-on [tour] – I haven’t experienced every single place in Australia yet. So once I’ve done my tour for the album, I’ll get back to you on that! [Laughs] It’s exciting to play in different cities. I mean, Perth is very … you know, everyone knows everybody, and it’s a small place – it’s the most isolated city in the world. But it’s always exciting to play here, because it’s very comfortable, and the music scene’s great here. But it’s also really exciting when you go over to, say, Sydney and Melbourne and Brisbane and that … and it’s a completely different audience; completely different vibe. That’s really cool … I haven’t been down to Tasmania yet, but I’m planning to.

www.myspace.com/claireclarke

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