Ones2Watch Home

At the crossroads of 90s R&B and innovatively singular alternative pop, all topped with the spiteful finesse of your favorite diss track, lies Claire Brooks. Defying genre to create a beat-forward blend of indie pop influences, the artist intertwines humor with intimate observation. Now celebrating the release of her debut EP, I Will Outlive You, we wanted to know more about Claire Brooks and her left-of-center approach to pop. Read on for the scoop: 

First, tell us about the EP as a whole. Is there a theme throughout it? How did you find your sound? Why did you choose to name it I Will Outlive You? 

This EP is me figuring out who I am as an adult. I was reaching inside myself to find the deepest darkest most shameful disgusting goo, putting it on the table (while in a session with another producer) and figuring out what to do with it. I’m a pretty closed off person and learning how to collaborate with other artists while looking inward in this way was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do. I’m still figuring out the lessons I’ve learned from experience of making this project, let alone the meaning behind the project itself. 

I’m a bit of a sonic weirdo so “finding my sound” for me is more like really aggressively hating or loving certain frequencies. Truthfully, I didn’t really look at this project like I was discovering my sound. I trust that process instinctively.

I came up with the title by having a really aggressive 15 minute brainstorm, writing down as many ideas as I could rapid-fire style, and saying them all out loud in different places. Some of the contenders were champs, I can’t lie. I’m really, really happy with “I Will Outlive You”. It burns but it also comforts you and ultimately it gives you an answer. It has an opinion, and having an opinion is the most powerful thing in the world.

Now, walk us through each of the tracks. How did they come about? What’s the story behind them? Are there any standout production elements to note? 

I Will Outlive You takes you through a story about discovering who I am as an adult. Here, I'll walk you through it:

It starts with "Slowly Towards the Door," where I'm in a relationship, or situation with someone where we start to just diverge on what we want in life. "I get angry when you're boring, we would always go exploring. You're all different now and everything is suddenly too far..." I didn't really write this song with a person in mind. It's kind about my relationship with my younger state of mind. Fun Fact: I wrote this song in like 10 minutes.

Then "Hibernation" is sitting in that feeling of calm just before the storm of making a change I know I have to make. I'm kind of trying to savor every last moment with the life I'm in before I leave it. It's very much a push-pull with the world I'm playing with. Hibernation and Slowly Towards The Door were both produced by one of my creative partners and close friends, Maverick Fabela. Fun Fact: the chorus of this song was initially the chorus for a song of mine called Loving.

"Bleach" is about cutting my hair, making that change. I have a tendency to drastically change my hair whenever I want to depart from my past. I really truly love this song. It's some of my favorite lyrics I’ve ever written. I tried to weave the processes of a hair transformation with my relationship to my friends and myself. Nick Lee and I had so much fun recording the end of this song in the studio together. We were just having silly conversations-- silly scenarios about what you shouldn't say to someone if you don't like their hair. I was like "Nick, pretend I got a bad haircut and you are trying to be nice."

"GO(RILLA)" is the moment of realisation that nobody gives a fuck about you but yourself. I'm saying to the world, almost screaming at them that I cut my hair. And I'm getting so angry that no one is noticing. It's kind of the realization that I'm not a kid anymore cause I start rebelling with the real world but there's no consequences and no one cares. I was always a cheeky rebel growing up... like I would do "bad" things but I would make sure those things never interfered with my grades or impression of myself to other adults. This song is the moment I realized that I was living for the reactions of people and not necessarily for my own actions.

"TEN TOES DOWN" is really just a hype song about myself. I'm really stepping into myself. Oh, you don't want to talk to me? Now you need me? Now you don't? I don't really care. If I had daily affirmations, it would be the verses in this song. "Honest, why you think I'm lyin when I say that I'm a prophet? Playing with the Mayans in the ballpit. Doin double dutch with the path of a comet.. I made the rocket! I'm an Einstien, puppet with the strings and a life on the line, I'm a 10, I'm a dime. Hard then a little chill like a mento, comin from the ground on my ten toes." It's the realisation that I'm so above any petty feelings or feelings of doubt and confusion while going through all this change. And oh my god, Rob Auerbach and I had SO MUCH FUN making this song. We went crazy in the studio, jumping around like little jumping beans. We worked on it for an embarrassingly long time, like 8 or 9 months.. 

"PISCES FINE"... oh pisces fine. This song man... It was my second session with Nick and I was honestly so nervous working with him ‘cause I thought he was so talented and cool (he is) and we both started just messing around on his synths and then somehow this song came out. I remember I kept looking at him with a face like "is this as good as I think it is?" By the end of the session, we were having SO MUCH FUN. I remember feeling so crazy in the best way. It's a visual walk through of all of my favorite parties, and it ends the project off with my favorite douche bag philosophical sentiment of "none of this matters, let's just have fun".