Around 4 p.m., Claire Cottrill (known professionally as Clairo) arrived at Webster Hall for sound check. Outside, on East 11th Street, fans surrounded the entire block, waiting anxiously to be allowed in. It’s been a busy summer for Cottrill, whose third album Charm was released in July and went viral immediately. (Surely you’ve heard the fizzy, “Sexy to Some”?) During three shows of a five-night New York residency, she interacted with the orchestra on stage, flipping through notes from the previous day’s performance. Then, after reading “Juna,” “Thank You” and “Echo,” Cottrill met me in her dressing room. She opened a pack of her favorite brand, Café Bustelo, as she spoke, and poured me a glass.
“The whole purpose of doing short residencies in Los Angeles and New York was so that we could do 10 shows before we went on tour around the country and the rest of the world. It was really important to practice and establish that language between the band,” he said nearly two years ago, Cotterill said, recalling his first big shows in years. Still, audiences were ready in New York and Los Angeles, where he performed for five nights at the Fonda Theatre earlier this month: “It was definitely weird to hear people sing to me,” he said. “It’s always been a weird event for me.”
Cottrill chose both residencies because of their sound quality, and he himself remembers attending shows there in past years. “Seeing live music was a huge part of my life growing up,” he said. “What more could I want than to provide this experience to teenagers? It’s lovely.”
“Charm”, whose funky sound draws freely from jazz, soul and psychedelic folk, has been enchanting Clairo fans for months, and since she recorded the album with her collaborators at her home in New York, co-trier has been living with the album for over a year. She said, “I go into recording knowing that the album I release may not be everyone’s favorite album, but as long as I feel like I’m progressing and growing on a personal level, it makes sense for me to release it.”
Attraction has arrived at an important stage in the musician’s life: she’s 20. How has it been so far? “I learned how to apply winged eyeliner,” Cotterill tells me proudly. “Mastering it is probably the most important part of being 26.” But she’s also become more comfortable in other aspects of her life: “I was talking to a friend about this last night. I’m very introverted, and on stage I’ve always been introverted and awkward,” she says. “So this album gave me a chance to let my personality shine.” “I feel more confident than ever because this show celebrates my personality. I feel like I can move forward because I’m an introvert and having fun on the road is what I’m most excited about, putting the lights on.” She combines the luster of her current record with her older songs – or, as she puts it, makes them “flashy,” as she puts it, “any song to me.”
Later that night, fans packed the iconic New York concert hall, excited to see their favorite artists in such an intimate setting. After an opening performance by Frankie Cosmos, the sounds of Wendy Rene’s “After the Laughter (Here Come the Tears),” which served as the introduction to Cottrill’s show, brought the audience to cheers. When she emerged a few minutes after 9 p.m., she had swapped out the beige cable-knit sweater, straight-leg jeans, and combat boots I had seen backstage for a light blue draped dress and brown knee-high boots. She entertained fans with every song from “Charm,” as well as new versions of “Sinking” from her debut album Immunity (recently featured at the show) and “How” from her first EP 》. Cottrill sings effortlessly and her voice is strong and sweet.
After singing twenty-one songs, she has completed her fourth night at Webster Hall and is eagerly awaiting her New York finale before beginning her North American tour in Dallas on September 27. While traveling, she plans to use her free time to read; she will take a night light and a trusty heating pad with her on the bus.
Perhaps it was the calm before the storm, but I found Cotterill particularly content, grateful and even a little sad at the moment. “It’s nice to have a solid version of myself,” Cotterill said. “I think if I met my 15-year-old self — the girl who’s always in the bedroom surfing the Internet — maybe the younger me would think I’m good as an adult. If you think about the relationship between you and your friends as a conversation that your past self can think about and you know your younger self would be proud of — then you’re on the path you should be on.”
