For Claire, her new life as a blossoming pop star is the realisation of a lifelong ambition. “I just want to perform and tour and do big shows,” the words tumbling out of her mouth excitedly a mile a minute. “My goal is to be an artist and meet people and share my music with everyone. My biggest dream is for people to relate to the things I’m saying because I write so much, and that’s where everything stems from. That’s what makes me so passionate about music, and that’s the reason I’m passionate about singing and writing and getting the ideas out of my brain and onto a piece of paper so people can hear them. I want people to be proud of me for my songwriting and ability to connect to people through my songs.”

The development in her songs is clear, from snippets of melodies and snatched memorable lines to fully realised immersive pop songs dealing with the most universal of feelings and emotions, Claire is relishing looking deeper into herself. “I have to be alone when I write,” she says. “I can’t be around people. My brain just freezes. I’ll write in my bedroom, in my car, at the beach, as long as nobody is in earshot of me. I get really nervous for people to hear my process because it’s so messy. I have so much in my brain, and I don’t want people to hear anything before it’s complete or before it sounds good enough.”

+ Claire is obsessed with going to the beach and swimming in the ocean, as well as being out in the mountains. She loves Nature. + She likes writing and reading poetry. + She has a dog called Coco, who is a golden doodle mixed with 25% St Bernard. + If she could invent anything, she would invent an instant food machine that could make whatever she wanted in two seconds + Her favourite food is pasta, and her favourite shape is Fettuccine: “That is so fire.”

That sort of simplicity is key to Claire’s work. Her music is fun and playful, and even when things get a little bit darker, she’s there as a friend giving support and encouragement. Her forthcoming EP promises to highlight both the primary emotional dynamics of Claire’s music, mixing fun pop with deeper feelings. “It’s a variety of different stuff. It’s surprising, and I’m switching things up. They’re all fun.”

The first taste is killer single ‘Frankenstein’, which sees Claire take a typically creative slant on relationships as she fantasises about creating her perfect boy in a Frankenstein like manner. It also has one of the best intros of any song in recent memory and lots of cowbell. Obviously a good thing. “I love the cowbell! There aren’t enough songs with cowbell,” cries Claire.

‘Backyard Boy’ was the song that made Claire’s name, becoming ubiquitous on TikTok last summer. TikTok has certainly had a hugely positive effect on her career, but she’s keen to emphasise that she’s only doing what she would be had she been a music-obsessed teenager living online. The fact she’s now a global artist just means more people can connect with her. TikTok gives her that connection with fans and importantly involves them in the process. “I started doing it because it was so much fun,” she explains. “It was really cool because every time I posted something, people would be like, ‘oh my god, that’s so cool; I love how you’re in the studio with your dad’. It’s such a great platform because it’s constantly circling around and feeds into your other platforms,” she continues. “I don’t think about the numbers; it’s just fun for me. Sometimes because I’m a perfectionist, I get stressed because I need to market it a certain way, but then I think no, that’s not what it’s about, and that’s not why I started it. People can see it as my personal video diary and show the process of how I’m making music and how people can find me.”

Claire’s studio process that she documents on video is her working dynamic with her dad Ragner, a working musician composing jingles and TV scores. He combines his musical ear for production with Claire’s gift for words, and that’s how the magic happens. “If I write a song and go to the studio and tell him my vision for it, he captures it right away. He understands me, and it’s not uncomfortable to ever communicate about it. He only hears the musical aspect to it, and I’m always paying attention to the lyrics.” Another benefit of her dad focusing on the music is he might not hear the lyrics and avoid some embarrassment. “It’s nice on that level that if I’m signing about boys or whatever, he’s only looking at the music,” she laughs.

There’s one ultimate ambition that Claire is yet to realise, though. “I’m so eager to be able to go and perform for people and meet people,” she exclaims while talking about her plans to finally tour. “I talk to so many people online that I can’t wait to see their faces.”

Taken from the July 2021 edition of Dork, out now.  Claire Rosinkranz’ new EP is out this Friday, 9th July.