Today we’d like to introduce you to Claire Ernst.
Hi Claire, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I come from an extremely musical family, born and raised in Hightstown New Jersey. My dad is a jazz pianist, my mom is a singer and they met on tour so music has definitely always been at the forefront of our family, and my mind. I wrote my first song in second grade for my teacher who was going away because she was pregnant, it was called “We Have Faith in You” and I somehow got my whole class to sing it to her. Ever since then I fell in love with songwriting and it became the most interesting thing about music to me. My dad played a lot of Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, and jazz growing up, but then my mom listened to a lot of country so it led to me develop a pretty diverse interest in R&B/jazz musically, but then country lyrically. I just kept writing and writing when I was in my teens, and I released my first song at 14 called “Stupid Boys”, which is exactly what you would expect a 15 year old to write and release. At the time, “Same Trailer Different Park” by Kacey Musgraves was my songwriting bible and I began studying the way she was able to tell a story. I kept on releasing through my time in high school and then fell in love with Belmont here in Nashville after touring it when my oldest brother attended. Once I realized you could study songwriting, I was in and started school in 2018.
Belmont was one of the best experiences of my life, I was suddenly surrounded by musicians, artists and creatives and people that were better than me, it was exactly what I needed! I immediately started cowriting and creating music with my friends, which then made me want to release my first EP, called “Answer Me”. I made this EP with my best friends and producer Lulu Prost, it was a magically pure experience that honestly I don’t think I’ll ever be able to replicate in my adult life. It was just 18 year old me and Lulu in a dorm room, collaborating for the first time, and hearing my music feel more me than it ever had before then. I’m so thankful to have had that experience and for people to be still loving that project makes me so happy!!
Belmont gave me so many opportunities, but it also very directly gave me my publishing deal with SeaGayle Music Publishing in 2021, when Chris Dubois was my Lyric Writing professor (over zoom (covid)) and offered me a deal! I have been with them since then and it has been such an amazing few years.I have learned so much , collaborating with new people everyday, and I’ve even gotten some cuts under my belt on records by Atlus and Molly Grace! It’s been so fun to talk that artist hat off and just be in the room. Also since being with SeaGayle, I put out another EP called “Sophomore Slump”, which was the first time I’d ever had Nashville session musicians (and my dad!) play my songs front to back in a few hours and it was MAGIC!
After my sophomore EP, I wanted to put together an album to introduce myself to the world and industry, so I put my debut album “Oh, Hello!” out this past April. That was the biggest learning and growing experience, and it felt so freeing to finally have a 12 song project to show everyone the exact things I love about making music and all of my sonic personalities. I had the most fun creating that with friend Caleb Lee, and all my other friends who were a part of it.
Currently, I’m knee deep in my next album, that will be out next year, and this music feels like the most mature and fully developed version of myself. it feels like 25 year old Claire, just like “Answer Me” feels like 18 year old Claire. I can’t wait to start rolling it out and showing everyone what I’ve been working on this year!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing is ever reaaaally a smooth road, and the music industry is definitely no exception. For the most part it’s full of fun, creative challenges but there are some pockets of discomfort and disappointment. My boyfriend and I also say it feels like a big huge mountain that everyones climbing, some people are ahead some people behind, but the mountain is so big its hard to even know where you are on it, or when you actually get to the top, if you’ll even like it or not.
I think my biggest struggle has been realizing that saying what I want/need is not being a “diva” or “bitch”. I think getting a publishing deal at 21 gave me a terrible case of imposter syndrome and I sometimes would hold back honestly just to be the people pleaser in the room. It’s also so hard for me to say no, especially at this point in my career where it feels like I should say yes to every tour and every write and everything thrown my way, but sometimes there is more power in saying no when the opportunity is maybe not valuing your time or energy. Saying no has led me to other opportunities that saying yes wouldn’t have, if that makes sense.
My next album is going to speak on this career choice a little bit more, and the chaos it ensues sometimes. I realized that this year when I was releasing a favorite song of mine, “Me at the Moment”, a song very literally about how in this current moment I couldn’t be better, and then the day after it released was my grandmothers funeral. It was this shock of the duality of being extremely proud and excited about something professionally, and the same time grieving and going through personal struggles. Having to post instagram stories thanking playlists while at the wake lunch. Of course this confusion made me think of my idols and how the biggest artists probably have had to miss many funerals, birthdays, weddings, and big milestones in life whilst chasing their dreams. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but I can’t let that get in the way of my goals and ambitions. Because at the end of the day, the people I love will always be the first to say, go for it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I always say that I make Pop/R&B music, but I’m not even quite sure if that fits the bill to be honest. I make music that combines country songwriting and storytelling, with R&B grooves and chords, all while keeping the integrity of a commercially pop hook. I usually start a song at the piano or guitar, but usually piano (thanks dad). I’ve played piano for most of my life but stopped formal lessons around 12 because I was just looking at my fingers and the shapes I was making rather than the sheet music. I am a very musically, melodically inspired person so I’ve honestly never started a song just from lyrics only. With my melodic obsessions, singing is obviously super important to me and I look up to saaaangers like Jasmine Sullivan, Yebba., Torri Kelly, I could go on and on. I think my love of all of these different aspects of music add up to my unique, ear catching sound.
My favorite thing music gives us is the gift of relatability, of bringing all different people from different walks of life all together in a room, playing them an undeniably well written song , and somehow, someway each person can take something from that song and apply it to their lives. Not to be that girl, but it really is a universal language!!
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I wore a lot of different hats, I danced, played basketball, lacrosse, softball, field hockey, and then obviously sang (maybe too loud and often). I loved theater, and just being a dramatic attention loving little girl. I was that girl still wanting to play house or make believe games when we were probably too old to still be doing that lol. I was the musical one in the friend group, always forcing my friends to sing with me even if they didn’t want to haha. I definitely went through a bit of a bad girl phase as most teenagers do, but thats sort of a right of passage honestly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://claireernst.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claire.ernst
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-95G2TXj_I_Llf71RPNWIQ
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@claire.ernst?lang=en
