Claire Frazier on her Debut Single, "I Want You Bad"
In the unlikely city of Mobile, AL 18-year-old singer/songwriter Claire Frazier has set out to put the city on the map. Influenced heavily by artists such as Billie Eilish, Flume, and Chelsea Cutler she bends pop, hip-hop, and EDM she creates emotion-driven and booming songs. As a top-ten track athlete in the country, she wants to show the world that she can not only perfect both, but also big things can come from unexpected places. In just a few months she has already started working on her first EP with producers such as Dave Cappa, Shae Jacobs, and Louis Schoorl as well as engineers like Erik Madrid and Dylan McDougle.
Claire Frazier’s debut single I Want You Bad was released on April 17. I had the opportunity to catch up with her over zoom to talk about what we can expect from her in the future.
PR: You’re accomplishing a lot at only 18 years old! When did you start singing?
CF: I started singing when I was really little. I started with musicals and plays and was into the theater. Fourth grade was my first musical and I fell in love with it. Then, it developed into more of a singer-songwriter type of music that I was into. I started writing and wanted to write my own music instead of playing a character.
PR: When did you start writing your own songs?
CF: Around fifth grade. I have a book of songs that I still write in because it’s a huge notebook. They’re terrible but I like to go back and look at them to see how much I’ve developed and how much I’ve changed through the years.
PR: Who are some of your musical influences?
CF: I’ve always been into the pop genre, like indie-pop and folk-pop. Taylor Swift is a huge inspiration. Her story always drew me in when I was younger and she’s still doing so well. I look up to her a lot. My dad is into NEEDTOBREATHE and The Lumineers so I was drawn to more indie-pop and folk-pop through him.
PR: Your music doesn’t sound like Taylor Swift’s music but I can hear the songwriting style in yours. She’s an amazing songwriter!
CF: I know I’m new to all of it but I’m super excited to continue working and developing as a songwriter. There’s so many songwriters out there, like Julia Michaels is so incredible. Her melodies are amazing and her lyrics are so good. I hope to one day work towards being that good, but I’m excited to start out and see how people respond to how it is right now.
PR: What’s your current songwriting process like?
CF: I like to write and journal in general. When I’m in bed at night, that’s when most things start to come to me when I’m thinking and can’t fall asleep. I’ll play a track or I’ll start playing random chords on the piano and try to come up with top lines. That’s been my most successful way for me to write, but I also like to sit in the writing room at the studio and looping a certain part over and over again and bouncing ideas around. But I can get really deep and personal with myself when I’m sitting in my room and thinking about everything that’s happened during the day.
PR: What are some themes that we can expect from your music?
CF: You can definitely expect the ups and downs of growing up and trying to figure out who you are. For me personally, I struggle a lot with feeling judgement from others and if I should change based on what others think and trying to figure out who I am. That’s definitely a theme throughout all of the music. Not really knowing what to do, not really knowing who I am, but still finding a way to push through.
PR: Your debut single is out, I Want You Bad! How do you feel?
CF: I’m really excited! I think it’s really applicable to a lot of people. I hope that people like it! Everyone worked really hard on it, I worked really hard on it!
PR: What is I Want You Bad about?
CF: I Want You Bad is about learning how to let things go. For me personally, my life is crazy and I have a hard time figuring out if I should let people into that or not. In relationships and situations, I think a lot of people struggle with knowing if they should leave it or stay in it. This song is just a reminder that it’s okay to let things go, it’s okay to move on, it’s okay if it hurts to move on because then that means it meant a lot to you and you’re better for it. I hope that it can help people through whatever they’re going through and comfort them and put their mind at ease.
PR: What would you tell young people in high school who may feel that a traditional 9 to 5 job isn’t right for them and that maybe they want to be a musician?
CF: Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. For me, I was afraid to put music on Instagram or make covers because I was afraid of what people would think. And then I was like you know what? It doesn’t really matter. I just started doing it, and it’s led to this and has opened so many doors. They shouldn’t be afraid to speak up if they feel like they should be doing something else, and they shouldn’t be afraid of what other people think. Just try it, because you don’t know if you don’t try. I’m a person that doesn’t like to live with regrets, so I’m going to put myself out there and everyone should do that as well. Put yourself out there and don’t be afraid to screw up, because everybody messes up. Also keep trying, because you’re going to get 100 no’s before you get one yes.
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