She’s edgy, darling

Claire Clarke is a new songbird out of the nest who, like many music hopefuls, is looking to break into the pop charts.

Clarke described her new album, Unhinged, as a mixture of rawness, edge, and emotion.

It has a dark element to it, as a lot of the songs were written through some really intense experiences, she said.

It also explores the lighter side of life, so the tone evolves as you get deeper into the album.

Certainly messages of empower-ment come from a lot of my songs. And on the flip side also a sense of feeling lost or alone and dealing with that. It’s amazing how a bad experience can change you.

I think the album takes the listener on an emotional journey experiencing all the ups and downs.

The 20-year-old has a rocky commercial voice and prides herself on her artistic integrity.

I would say my voice is honest. I use my voice to tell a story and not just sing, Clarke told SSO.

It’s always maturing and evolving which is so cool and it’s great that when I perform live people are always calling me a little pocket rocket.

The singer is also becoming a cyberspace phenomenon thanks to her MySpace site, which has notched up in excess of 500,000 hits.

Her next single, Survive You, which is being released on 1 June as a digital-only track, will aim to capitalise on her cyber popularity.

I wrote this track through a really dark time in my life, when I felt everything was caving in on me, Clarke said.

I’d just been through a really intense relationship and, although it was over, it didn’t feel like it was the end. I felt I was still running away and the song was about surrendering to how I was feeling at the time.

Those who are yet to experience Clarke live can catch her at the Million Paws Walk at Sydney Olympic Park on Sunday 18 May.

www.claireclarke.com.