A Conversation with Claire Ernst
When I asked Claire to do this interview, she asked me to sign a petition she made advocating for the removal of the word “urban” from her school's music showcase. In addition to writing incredibly personal songs about her own life, Claire is unafraid to use her voice to advocate for others. She is thoughtful and kind and cares deeply about how she chooses to use her words. I was lucky enough to get the chance to speak with her about her writing process, college, quarantine, the BLM movement, and her upcoming political release. You can read our interview below.
WHEN DID YOU START WRITING MUSIC?
The first official song I wrote was in second grade. It was called “We Have Faith In You” and it was about my teacher. I can't remember if she was pregnant or had a new job, but she was leaving. I’m pretty sure my whole class sang it to her. It could have been a figment of my imagination, but I’m almost positive it happened.
SO YOU WERE 8 YEARS OLD? THAT’S CRAZY! DO YOU STILL MAKE MUSIC THE SAME WAY YOU DID WHEN YOU WERE 8 OR HAS YOUR PROCESS CHANGED?
I vividly remember writing that song. I was outside and I started singing the melody. Sometimes I’ll have spontaneous ideas pop into my head, so in that way my process is very similar. I’ll start with some chords, sing gibberish on top, record the whole thing, and see what happens.
DOES THAT GIBBERISH END UP BEING THE WORDS OR DO YOU GO BACK AND RE-WRITE THE LYRICS?
The gibberish is totally the words. It's really interesting to go back and listen to the first time I had the idea for a song because it's literally twenty minutes of me spitting nonsense. But it’ll have some sense of words. I’ll use the same vowel sounds that I naturally spit out because I believe that kind of thing happens for a reason.
THAT’S A GREAT PROCESS.
It’s fun. When I’m writing with other people, it's completely different because I’m not by myself. When I am completely alone, that's one of my favorite ways to write.
WHAT'S THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WRITING ALONE AND CO-WRITING?
If it's not with a friend it's more professional. I’m kind of down with anything, so I like to feel out their vibe and go with their process. It's often way more straight to the point. I’m a little too embarrassed to sing gibberish in front of others. When I have more structured ideas, I articulate them better when I'm working with new people. When I’m by myself, it's free reign.
WHERE DOES YOUR INSPIRATION FOR SONGS COME FROM?
Sometimes I’ll have spontaneous ideas. I feel like a lot of songwriters are programmed to see normal things and be like, “Oh that would be a cool song.” A lot of my inspiration also comes from the piano. I’ve been gravitating a lot towards writing on that and I feel better when I do.
HAVE YOU ALWAYS PLAYED THE PIANO?
I took piano lessons up until I was 12, but I hated reading music. I’ve always been much more of an ear person than a theory person. I would memorize songs and my piano teacher would ask me how I was playing the music without looking at it. My parents are both musicians. They actually met on tour. My dad is a jazz pianist, so piano has always been the love of my life.
ARE YOU IN SCHOOL FOR MUSIC?
Yeah, I go to Belmont University and I’m a songwriting major. I love it there. I found really amazing friends—like the best friends I’ve ever had. And the music community is really accepting.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’VE LEARNED AS A SONGWRITING MAJOR THAT HAS INFLUENCED YOUR MUSIC?
My classes have made me think more critically about songwriting as a job. Before going to school for it, it was something that I always did. It wasn’t something that I had to force myself to do. It's been cool to learn all of these different technical tools to help make my songs better. And it's been fun being in a class with such creative people.
HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO COLLABORATE WITH OTHER BELMONT STUDENTS?
One of my first and best friends is a super sick indie artist. His name is Huron John. We met the first month of school and have collaborated together since then. Same with Luke Prost, who produces pretty much all of my songs. He’s incredible and we record in his dorm. I’ve met some really awesome people at Belmont and made some pretty dope stuff. So I’m excited to get back. I'm so bored here.
ARE YOU STILL COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR SCHOOL FRIENDS AT HOME SO YOU CAN RELEASE REMOTELY?
Yeah. I’m trying to put a project out by the end of the summer. I’m looking at August right now. Being in the same room with someone while you're making music is key because you’re feeling the same energies and you’re able to demonstrate your ideas. It’s definitely been a struggle being across the country. Luke’s in Nashville and I’m in New Jersey. But it’s been cool to figure it out and know how much we can do apart from each other.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO RELEASE “GENERATION” OVER QUARANTINE?
“Generation” is one of my most proud possessions as an artist so far. It’s very honest. That was the first song where I really put my feelings out so bluntly. I wrote the whole thing in one sitting, so it felt very natural. After it was recorded, I asked John if he had anything he wanted to throw on it. He wrote a really cool verse and we recorded that during quarantine. He recorded it at his home and I recorded it here. Then I sent it to Luke. That was a fun one.
WHAT'S A TYPICAL DAY IN THE LIFE BEEN LIKE FOR YOU?
It’s me, my parents, and my dog in my house right now. I have two older brothers and they are both moved out. My body wakes me up at eight in the morning. If I go back to sleep I’ll be even more tired, so I’ll wake up then. I’ll drink a lot of coffee. I’m working on making a studio in my house. I’m also working on a song called “American Dream.” It's about what I think is happening in the world right now. I can’t wait for people to hear it because it will be my first political statement song. And then I eat a bunch of meals, play with my dog, go to sleep, and do it all over again.
I LOVE THAT YOU ARE PUTTING OUT A POLITICAL STATEMENT SONG. ARE YOU READING/WATCHING/LISTENING TO ANYTHING TO STAY A PART OF THE CONVERSATION AROUND RACE?
I’m reading this book called White Fragility. I think everyone should read it. It's about why white people can’t talk about race. It's hard to read sometimes because it forces us to face our own problems, but it's necessary. I’m watching New Girl because that show gives me a warm feeling and I love it. And I recently rewatched the documentary “Thirteenth.” It’s the most mind blowing piece of documentary I’ve ever seen. I think everyone also needs to watch that. It's amazing. Educating yourself right now is really important. There’s such great content out there. You just have to find it.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING SONG “AMERICAN DREAM.”
It’s very forward. I think that it's important to be forward in times like this because people need to hear the truth. We all know what’s going on. We just need to talk about it. I’m really excited to put that one out. I’m also a bit nervous because obviously there’s gonna be backlash from some people. But that’s life.
YOU CAN FIND CLARE ERNST ON STREAMING SERVICES LIKE SPOTIFY AND APPLE MUSIC. MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW @CLAIRE.ERNST ON INSTAGRAM TO STAY UPDATED ON HER UPCOMING PROJECTS.
