Meet Clare Estelle | English Singer-Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Clare Estelle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Clare, why did you pursue a creative career?
I don’t think it was a conscious choice to be a musician. It was something I have always been drawn too since I was a small child. I started piano lessons at eight but before then I always connected to music and would stop what I was doing to listen when classical music came on the radio. Playing music is my therapy, as is writing songs. It keeps me balanced if I can’t make music I get sad so I consider it to be an essential part of who I am. As a career I worked in TV post production as a dubbing mixer which again seemed like an obvious direction to go in for me as I preferred to do something creative rather than to just teach music to others.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think my strength lies in the classical training I have had as a pianist and a singer. I write songs the old fashioned way either at my piano or with a guitar with a pen and paper to take notes. I like to get them to a point where I can perform them before I start recording. This way the songs tend to evolve along the way so that by the time I feel ready to record them they have a strong structure and know how I want to express myself with the vocals already, I have always written poetry so lyric writing comes easily to me plus I am willing to be personal and vulnerable in my songs and I think people can connect to them more because of this. The lessons I have learned in music and in life is don’t let anyone tell you who you should be or what you are capable of achieving. Too many people try and control you for their own benefit. Music is about beautiful self expression so if you love what you are doing others will feel this in the music and be able to relate to it more deeply.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live by the sea so we would walk along the beach, (paddle if warm enough – bare in mind this is in the UK) and perhaps have a drink on the pier. Maybe we could go play a game of crazy golf or waste some money in the arcade. Hey we may even win a plushie in there if we were lucky! We could have a ride on the cliff lift to see the views from up there or visit the old castle ruins or smugglers caves. At some point we could get an ice cream! Perhaps check out the local art gallery if we wanted some culture or see a show or gig at the theatre. There are some lovely pubs and restaurants in the quaint old part of the town where we could have a nice steak as I prefer that to fish and chips! Then discover some live music afterward in one of the many local venues.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this Shoutout to my first piano teacher Elaine Korman (Keys) as she is a brilliant pianist who has worked at the Royal Opera House and the Opera Ballet at ENO in London. Her passionate playing style especially on the occasions I saw her play two piano duets with her late husband Robert Keys were truly inspirational to watch. She also has a kind heart and was able to keep me learning with her even on my awkward small child days during our lessons. We are still in touch now and she is as encouraging as ever and I know she has touched the hearts of many students and colleagues who have been lucky enough to work with her.

Also to my mother for supporting me with music lessons and believing in me.

Website: https://www.clareestelle.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clare.estelle/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-estelle-aa69b7b9/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2F www.clareestelle.com

Twitter: @ClareEstelle

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clareestellemusic/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy-GC8vyNcaLC-AU9mTXvrg

Other: https://clareestelle.bandcamp.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/44JdSwZISFRhGZVQviQzsf?si=EGsHr8n1Q9y55_W2DYN25Q

Image Credits
Photo Image credits are myself apart from: Three photos were taken by Liz Stanton Photography The White dress, the lilac dress and the photo used on the artwork for my song Electric Dawn. Cover Art created for Electric Dawn by Alexander Teglbjærg @bcpmusic1 on Twitter