Diandra Interview Claude: Social VS Societal Songs

Out February 12, Claude’s debut EP, Enactor, will be released, and, in it, she dives into her deep thoughts on society. I am like Rousseau: I believe human beings are social beings. Even the nomad’s choice to isolate from society is still oddly connected to his or her experience with is. For Claude, social media’s demand to create a digital narrative and “expose” yourself can way heavy, especially when you chose to be an artist just to make art. In our interview, we discuss what it is to make a song for a world, you don’t exactly know how you fit into.

Diandra: What is one thing you let go of in 2020, and one thing you wish to attract in 2021?

Claude: I let go of toxic people in 2020… and I wish to attract productivity in 2021!

Diandra: Writing songs about the collective, the election, and the madness between both, what have these past few years taught you about individuality, especially yours?

Claude: What I’ve learned about individuality, by writing songs about those topics and even just by living through a year of this pandemic, is that we only truly ever have ourselves! Politics, culture, etc were created to give structure and meaning to our lives but can also serve as a distraction from ourselves. This past year has especially taught me how scary but also how freeing it can be to spend time alone. I’ve also realized how important perspective is to each person’s individuality. I may think I’m completely right about something based on what I’ve gone through and what I’ve learned in my life but someone else might think I’m wrong based on their experiences.

Diandra: Screen is about feeling detached from the world via social media. What do you feel is the hardest aspect of dealing with a social media world as an artist?

Claude: The hardest aspect of dealing with the social media world as an artist is trying not to compare myself to other artists and other people, in general. I usually end up using these platforms to promote myself in ways that have nothing to do with music. The attention and feedback I get on posts are based on superficiality, and I waste time being insecure rather than spending time on making music!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4V15EpdWYs

Diandra: What is the best piece of technology you feel invented versus the worst? Why and how so?

Claude: The best and worst piece of technology ever invented is the smartphone. They’ve made it easier for us to connect with other people and to have access to all kinds of information at our fingertips. However, we’ve become attached and dependent on them, they suck up a lot of valuable time and they’re not good for our mental health.

Diandra: How do you feel the world inside you reflects and impacts the world around?

Claude: It’s as simple as whatever I feel I project; whatever I experience I internalize. The way I view the world is all in my head. 

Diandra: What has loneliness taught you about the power of company?

Claude: Loneliness doesn’t necessarily mean being alone. There are times when I’ve been at a party, for example, surrounded by many people and I’ve felt extremely lonely. It’s taught me that it doesn’t matter how many people I know or how many friends I have, what’s powerful is the quality of the connections.

Diandra: What has songwriting shown you about  what you want in a partner versus what you give? Cite specific examples?

Claude: From my own songwriting, I can’t say because I haven’t written any songs that are about love or about a partner. From songwriting that isn’t my own, I’ve learned what we want in a partner affects what we give to them. If we expect too much from the other person, we might give too much and overwhelm them. Any love song is an example of that! Songwriting romanticizes people and experiences so reality will either be a let down or better than we imagined.

Diandra: What is a movie, book, or tv show you would love to turn into a concept album? Why and from what angle?

Claude: Because it’s one of my favorite movies and the bulk of it takes place on a road trip, which is a great concept for an album, I would pick “Little Miss Sunshine”. My angle would pursue the idea of destiny versus free will told through the experiences of each of the family members on the road trip.

Diandra: What is an album you would love to turn into a movie? Why, what would be the premise, and who would be the cast?

Claude: An album that comes to mind that would work beautifully as a movie, specifically an animated movie, would be Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips. The album is very colorful in its production and lyrical imagery which would translate best to animation. The premise could be that there’s this fantastical post apocalyptic world that a character has to save from these pink robots that have taken over. In the end, you find out it was all the imagination of someone on their deathbed who miraculously makes a recovery. It can have a metaphorical, symbolic message based on the themes of life, death, and love present throughout the album.   

Diandra: What is one truth about yourself and life that creating music has taught you?

Claude: One truth creating music has taught me is that I waste time thinking about my importance and the impact I have instead of enjoying the process. I should be present in everything I do because in the grand scheme of things I’m not important, nothing matters, life is too short ,and we’re all going to die one day!

Diandra: What is your favorite childhood memory with music?

Claude: One of my favorite childhood memories with music is when most of my dad’s side of the family would get together for winter break. My parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and, sometimes, a few of us kids, if we were brave enough, would have karaoke nights using this poor quality karaoke machine at my grandma’s place. It didn’t matter if you had a good voice or not. You were in a supportive, welcoming space to sing no matter what.

Diandra: Singing to humanity, how would you define it?

Claude: Singing to humanity is frustrating, impossible, beautiful, selfish, inspiring… there are so many ways you can define it.