Rough Draft: Chesney Claire
“I am always behind the scenes learning and it has made me strategic with my approach to the business”
Chesney Claire is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, and producer, a talent based in Las Vegas by way of Lake Charles, LA. Throughout her discography, it’s apparent she is steadily improving her craft. She highlights that growth is a daily endeavor, writing a song a day, and if she isn’t writing lyrics, she is likely producing her eclectic beats for herself or for other artists she connects with. RDM sat down with Chesney to discuss her start in music, how she’s doing now, and what’s coming next for her.
Chesney’s passion started young, around 9-10 years old. Starting out taking lessons from Chubby Checker’s backup singer and Tony Orlando’s brother during her time in Branson, Missouri. Once she moved back to Louisiana, she became enamored performing with her high school choir. Even turning down an LSU scholarship to chase her love for music.
Any listener of hers will quickly learn that her style is as eclectic as her taste. Stating that “Pop and R&B influence her the most”, she admits to enjoying all kinds of different sounds as a consumer. Shaped in her early years by her love of Taylor Swift, and her older brother who listened to Nirvana, Kevin Gates, and Lil Wayne, she became open-minded, and undoubtedly it shows in her artistic ability to blur the lines between several genres.
When discussing her rough drafts and how they shape her music, Chesney believes that without rough drafts, there would be no final product, at least not one as polished as hers are. She needs that first time putting pen to paper to bring forth concepts, hooks, and melodies that would be lost forever if they aren’t jotted down immediately. As she says, “Because I don't like to stick around too long with something that's not gonna hold my attention or anybody else's interest.”
Chesney is also an avid producer, experienced not only in building her own music, but collaborating with other artists. She favors Logic Pro as a DAW, claiming it was an easy transition from GarageBand which she started making music on. She hopes to move on and try Ableton as time goes on.
As far as enjoying her own catalog, Chesney felt the first song she’s ever recorded, 15 Candles is her favorite, along with her recent single Distracted, which brings back fond memories of her time in Nashville where she recorded the song in a studio closet.
When asked about upcoming work, Chesney is confident she will put out her next album soon. She explained that she has over 200 songs written and over 50 Demoed! Chesney Claire also mentioned to RDM that she is currently searching for producers to collaborate with to get the perfect sonic atmosphere she’s envisioning. In addition to that, she plans to go into acting and hopes to create a few music videos that she will be proud to plan and perform with. Chesney is aware that music and acting go hand in hand in some ways, not just as a performance art, but that success in both industries is all about connections as well as talent. She is currently working with management that have helped stars like Quentin Aaron, star of The Blind Side, find new gigs.
“I would tell myself not to listen to what other people are telling me and what other people have said to me. I would just focus”
Chesney was also blessed recently, as she booked a gig opening for RBL Posse at the famous Whiskey A Go-Go club on Sunset Strip in LA. The booking was secured by Chesney’s mother and manager, Kim Hebert. The venue itself has hosted a number of generational talents such as Parliament Funkadelic, Otis Redding, System of a Down, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. Chesney is absolutely thrilled for the opportunity, as she puts it, “And (it’s on) 4/20 in LA, on Sunset Strip! So it's gotta be fun.”
With or without connections, one must always be prepared to deal with scams, and general dog-eat-dog behavior. Chesney spoke on how difficult it is to navigate the predatory ins-and-outs of the industry, with promoters and other gatekeepers expecting her to be naive or ignorant due to her age, and trying to take advantage of her for their own gain. As she says, “people think that I don't know anything honestly as a 21-year-old they're like, “OK, she's still young in the business,” but I've had my head set on this since I was 17 and I've been really focusing every single day and making this my full-time job”.
In five years, Chesney sees herself with a much larger catalog and performing at music festivals, as she has always loved the experience of going to them. She talks about how amazing it was to see Billie Eilish live at Life Is Beautiful in 2020 and the other artists whose first time performing was at that festival. So five years down the road Chesney definitely wants that to be in the cards. Considering how her career has changed and how far she’s come, Chesney closed out our interview reflecting on what she would tell her younger self before embarking on her artistic journey.
“I would tell myself not to listen to what other people are telling me and what other people have said to me. I would just focus, I would tell myself to focus on myself and to focus on what I'm going to do in the future. Because no matter what another person's opinion is, I can always get past it if I work on myself and I prove myself. So I would tell myself to just really focus on my little self.”
Regardless of where you come from, music is a way and a career path that allows you to spread your roots far and wide, meet many different artists, and follow the trail of self discovery. On that path, it is always wise to keep a large group of connections and make friends wherever you can, go about it your own way, consider producing yourself to get a feel for it, and be wary of scammy and unfair business practices, as they are everywhere.
Be sure to follow Chesney Claire on IG and Twitter here to stay up to date on new music, performances, and projects.
“..Because no matter what another person's opinion is, I can always get past it if I work on myself and I prove myself..”
“..Because no matter what another person's opinion is, I can always get past it if I work on myself and I prove myself..”
Make it stand out
-Chesney Claire
