Clairo is experiencing internet virality for the second time in her career. At least, she is when we meet, as summer 2024 draws to a sleepy close and autumn sets in thick and fast. The 26-year-old singer is going viral on two counts: firstly, for her syrupy love song ‘Juna’, taken from her recent album Charm. And secondly, for the latest term in internet talk, “Clairo shade”, involving a Brooklyn lesbian rooftop party where – famously – a twink fell through the roof. I’ll leave you to look that one up (he’s OK by the way).
Her first masterclass in setting the internet alight happened back in 2017, when, in the space of a few hours, the then-teenager wrote, recorded, filmed and uploaded her lo-fi gem ‘Pretty Girl’. When she filmed it, she was still wearing makeup from the night before. Little did she know, it would kickstart a globally successful music career and land her a record deal.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, but raised in Carlisle, Massachusetts, Claire Cottrill uploaded her first YouTube video aged just 13 – a Maroon 5 cover, no less. Her MacBook was her greatest tool and she used it well, leading the charge of the bedroom pop movement. It makes sense, then, that we speak through a screen. Though, the woman in front of me is very different to the mascara-smeared teen we once knew.
She’s poised, fresh-faced and wearing a simple, silk white shirt. Her shaggy hair is piled on top of her head, and though she speaks with grace, you can still feel the playful cheekiness of her ‘Pretty Girl’ days peeking through. You could call it charm. Her appropriately named third studio album was released earlier this summer, to much critical acclaim. Charm moves away from the soft, delicate acoustics of her previous albums, Immunity (2019) and Sling (2021), and is a rich, soulful blend of genres comprising jazz, soft rock and psychedelic synths. It’s nourishing, and proof of Cottrill’s sound maturing with her.
BEAT has caught her on the precipice of yet another whirlwind: her first world tour in two years. Thankfully, she’s got just enough time to squeeze in our cover story before she jets off.
How are you feeling about going on tour?
I’m feeling good about it. I haven’t been on tour for a while, so I’m a little nervous about being on stage again and working that muscle. I wouldn’t say performing comes naturally to me; it’s something that I’m generally nervous about. I’ve learned over the years that it’s more of a muscle for me and something that I have to put effort into.
What song are you most looking forward to playing?
I’m really excited about playing ‘Juna’ because of the moment it’s been having. It’s really cool. It’s not something I expected to happen, but it’s something I hoped would happen. I love that song so much, and now that that’s happening, I can’t wait to hear people sing it back to me – or to see people do the mouth trumpet in the audience.
So you didn’t expect ‘Juna’ to go viral? How did you feel when it did?
So happy. It’s the coolest thing ever, that that happened. I love how fun and flirty it is, and I think that song represents the album really well. I always refer to it as the backbone of the record, so for ‘Juna’ to resonate is really cool.
Have you seen many of the TikToks?
Yeah, it was a really cute trend. I don’t think I’ve ever had something go this viral in real time. Like, if it happened, it happened a lot later after the release, or the song was having a semi-resurgence. But this is the first time it’s ever happened right around the release. I was like, “I put this out a week ago?”
Plus you made a music video, which you don’t usually do…
I haven’t done a music video in a long time. I just always assumed that if I were to put a video to a song of mine, it would take away the meaning that someone has already had from the song. I compare it a lot to when a movie is made from a book, and you’ve read the book and you’re like “Oh, the characters are all very different to what I thought, the whole landscape is different, and now I feel different.” So I was always afraid I was going to do that. But I don’t think I knew how fun, beautiful and expansive they could be.
Will it be the only video from the album?
I don’t know. I don’t have anything planned, but maybe there will be more. I’m definitely open to it.
If you could choose any film director to direct your next video, who would it be?
Oh my God. Good question. I mean, duh, but like, probably Sofia Coppola. It’s written all over me, I love her so much. That would be so cool.
We need to manifest that. So your career started online and now you’ve gone viral again, but what’s your relationship like with the internet now?
I definitely limit my time now more than ever. But I’m still a twenty-something person, so I’m online all the time regardless. My relationship to the internet has changed. Growing up on the internet, you have the ability to remain anonymous and you’re kind of just absorbing media. You’re the person who gets to absorb what’s happening in the world. But once it changed and I became something that was being consumed, that’s a really hard shift. I couldn’t be online any more because I was all over it and I didn’t wanna see myself. But it’s a relationship that needs maintaining because it can suck you in really quickly and be a negative thing. I’m trying.
Do you ever feel nostalgic for platforms like Tumblr and Rookie?
Totally. I was very invested in both those things, like a lot. Tavi Gevinson, Petra Collins, they really influenced me. Really, anyone who was putting things online that were creative. Especially Rookie; it felt so singular, it was really speaking to the experience of a 15-year-old girl. It gave me a lot of hope and drive to become a creative person. They helped me discover more about myself – even though they could be very dark at times.
Do you feel pressured to be on TikTok?
For sure. I do think it can be a soul-sucking place, but it’s also a wonderful place. It’s just very extreme. You can experience the hardest laugh you’ve ever had, and then feel horrible the next video. Plus the pressure that’s put on musicians to have a TikTok presence is really interesting to me. It feels strange. I think you should do it if you want to, because there are benefits to it, but I also fully understand that someone would want to stay away from that.
You must’ve heard about “Clairo shade”?
I have. It’s really funny.
Did you hear about the “Clairo shade” party in New York?
I did see that. I feel really bad for that person [who fell through the roof]. Glad he’s OK.
Where is your head at with music right now? Are you someone who can sit with a project, or are you already thinking about the next one?
I feel so satisfied with this record. I’m now learning that my process is different to when I was younger and putting songs on the internet. I would make a song, like it, and then post it that same night. But with albums, it’s about the body and continuity. I take more and more time as I make albums; I took three years to make Charm. I’m getting more comfortable with sitting on things and allowing them to have a life of their own.
Do you think your next album will take more than three years to make?
It could. Probably. Three years felt great, but I could take more time for sure.
Finally, your album is called Charm; what’s the last thing that charmed you?
[Long pause] We went to a coffee shop this morning with my drummer Eddie, and the guy working there already knew Eddie’s order. He was making it already. I found that to be really, really cute.
