Using romance as her muse, Claire London has released her single, “Young,” a track that accounts the ups and downs of her journey towards uncovering true love. Claire, now a mix of Neo-Soul-Pop, takes a subtle shift from the sonics of her discography since her debut album “Like A Machine” in 2011, filled with distorted bass lines and bluesy pop/rock. The once hailed as a dark pop princess has settled down, yet remains sharper than ever.

Her move from NYC to LA in 2015 could be considered a life altering fateful moment where she met her husband, developed a love for the outdoors, and co-founded a music community designed to empower women in the music industry called Female Frequency. Female Frequency’s goal is for every component of their music-making to be done by women, from start to finish, including all writing, instrumentation, arrangement, performance, production, engineering, mixing, mastering, marketing and creation of visual media. Please read our exclusive interview to learn more about Claire London.

Where are you based?
Los Angeles, CA.

Do you remember your first time listening to a musician, band, or song that resonated with you? If so, what artist/song?
It’s so hard to choose just one, because I fell in love with music and singing at such a young age, but I would say hearing Whitney Houston at five years old really blew my mind.

When did you know music was your dream career path? What was the first step that you took to pursue music?
The moment I opened my mouth to sing, at age four or five, I realized I had a bigger voice than my body and a natural gift for music. From that point on, I think I always knew in my heart that music was something I would do, but I began pursuing it as a career when I was living in Orlando, FL, many years ago. I actually auditioned for a girl group that ultimately didn’t work out, but the management kept me on as a solo artist. It was my first introduction to recording with a producer and it was a great learning experience, but shortly after making an album that never saw the light of day, I moved to New York City to pursue more musical opportunities while finishing my college degree. A few years later, I really started to find myself as an artist and songwriter when I began working with some amazing musicians and mentors, and that’s when my real artist journey began.

How does your experience writing songs for other artists compare to the feeling of creating music for your own albums?
I love writing for other artists and co-writing songs for film and TV. It allows me to explore more styles that don’t necessarily fit who I am personally, which is fun and actually quite freeing. Writing my own songs is incredibly fulfilling and cathartic, of course, but I am much more of a perfectionist about ensuring it is authentically representing who I am as an artist. At the end of the day, there is nothing like writing a song that resonates with other people, no matter who it’s for.

Your new single 'Young' creates a vivid image on the reflection of ideal love. It hones in on confounding aspects of romance and nostalgia. How did the idea for this song start?
When I moved to California from NYC in 2015, I met and fell in love with my now husband, nine months into my new LA life, which changed my life in the most incredible ways. I felt a deep sense of joy and peace in my heart that I had never felt before and I wanted to express how being with him made me feel younger and more free than I ever felt when I was actually young. It was one of those moments as an artist when the words and music flowed out quickly and organically as I sat playing my keyboard one day last year. “Young” is dedicated to my husband, our love, our adventures together, and the joy and feeling of youth that one experiences in finding life-changing love, no matter your age.

Your past albums, "Like A Machine" and '"Hit The Switch", had songs with a much darker tone when compared to your new single, with tracks like "Diary of A Madwoman," Basket Case," etc. Can you talk about this shift?
It’s definitely been a journey. I was in a very different place making my first album “Like a Machine.” I was writing it during and after a traumatic break up, so I was expressing all of my pain, sadness and fear, as well as working to find myself as an artist through the process. I’m still super proud of those songs – they really captured a time, but also glad I’m not in that place mentally anymore. “Hit the Switch” was a little more feisty and electronic, which was an evolution from the first album, but also heavier in tone than what I’m currently up to. In a way, it’s been a shift from dark to light, reflective of my actual life, and that’s a cool place to be. But musically, I love all things soulful and moody and I will always be drawn to writing songs that have a darker, bluesy sound.

Since COVID put an indefinite end to live performances and festivals, many artists rely on streaming, downloads and other digital outlets to generate income. How has COVID impacted your life — both in regards to music and your life outside of work?
It’s certainly been a challenging time for everyone. With regards to music, I am lucky to have finished a few new songs before the quarantine began, including “Young”, so I’ve been focused on putting those out into the world, as well as co-writing with other writers and producers via Zoom, but I miss in-person collaborations for sure, as well as live shows in general, and it’s definitely been harder to get motivated creatively some days. As for my life outside of work, it would be weird, not to mention the biggest thing that is happening for me personally right now, which is that I am actually pregnant with my husband, and our first child. It has been a much different experience than I had envisioned, as you can imagine. Quite a wild ride!

What is your prediction on the current state of live musical performances? The importance of digital is unmistakable. Where does the music industry go from here?
My hope is that live music returns sooner than later because we all know there is nothing that can replace the experience of a live show, both for the artist and the audience, but as creatives, we are innovators, and I see people finding new ways to keep performing and creating. That continues to give me hope and inspiration, but I am just not sure where it all goes from here. I see many venues closing their doors and that feels really sad. If anything, I hope this makes us all realize how important and life-giving live shows and artists are in general. Perhaps we won’t take them for granted when they return.

Can you talk about your music community "Female Frequency"? Why was co-founding this organization important to you?
Female Frequency is a community dedicated to empowering female, trans, and non-binary music makers, producers and songwriters. My co-founders Dani Mari, Julie Kathryn (I Am Snow Angel) and I started out wanting to make an album that was created entirely by women, from start to finish, and it was a really inspiring, rewarding, and eye opening experience. It was the first time I had ever worked with a female producer, which brought to light how few were actually out there, and we began to realize how important it was to do what we were doing, that the industry needed a major shift in bringing more womxn to the forefront of production, mixing, and writing. Throughout the process, we met so many womxn who were craving a space where they could connect with each other, and it organically evolved from making an album together to building an entire community. We are all really proud of how it has developed. It has become an empowering resource to connect, learn, collaborate, inspire one another and build musical friendships, and that feels really cool.

Why do you think so many parts of the music industry is male dominated? Do you see a change happening?
There’s no doubt the music industry has been male dominated since the beginning and it seems to be a slow process for more inclusion overall, particularly in production and songwriting. Breaking the mold that’s been created and repeated for so many years is going to take more opportunities at the top level, I think, but I do see some small changes happening. There has certainly been a shift in the amount of womxn who are producing and mixing music overall, or who are interested in learning more about production, including myself. Female Frequency has been a small, but mighty, force in empowering that change, and I’m so proud to be part of that.

What advice would you give women trying to get into all aspects of the music industry?
Write from your heart, trust your ideas, work with people you respect and who respect you, use your resources and connect with your community, don’t focus too much energy on likes or streams or numbers, and mostly, keep going.

How is Female Frequency handling the times?
Since we are ultimately a community that brings people together, and most of our events and workshops are in person, it’s been challenging to navigate this new normal. I think we were all thinking the pandemic wouldn’t last as long as it has, so there hasn’t been anything happening for quite a while. In some ways, it’s been a good opportunity to re-evaluate what we want FF to be going forward, so here’s hoping we can bring more connection and opportunities for everyone when we can get back to it.

How are you staying positive during shelter in place?
Lots of outdoor time, working on creative projects, hanging with my hubby and our dog, ice cream, talking to as many friends and family as I can to stay connected.

What is your motto in life?
Trust the journey.

To learn more about Claire London, please follow her via the below platforms:
Instagram
Spotify
Claire London
Female Frequency

Team Credits:
Photographer: Anna Azarov
Make-Up Artist: Jessica deBen

Claire London: The Dark Pop Princess, Romance, & Her Happily Ever After