spill tab – aka Claire Chicha – is a multi-talented wonder. The Los Angeles-based, French-Korean artist binned off her right-out-of-college stint as assistant tour manager for Gus Dapperton to pursue her own music; a seductive take on intimate bedroom pop that sees her thoroughly showing off her French roots combined with grimy late-night vibes. Just a handful of songs deep so far, her tracks bring together a multitude of influences for an experience that offers something new on every listen.
Hi spill tab! How’s it going? What are you up to today?
Hey DORK! It’s stellar, worked a couple of hours at my local dispensary then tracked some vocals.
How have you spent 2020 so far? It’s been a weird one, hasn’t it.
2020’s been insane; I live with four of my good friends, though. We have a sick time together when we’re not at each other’s throats (i.e. during intense quarantine when one of us got COVID…).
Have you always wanted to work in the music biz? You were tour managing recently, right?
I’ve always wanted to work in music in one form or another. I love the live industry, and the A&R side of stuff. I got to tour as the merch manager on the last Gus Dapperton tour and fell in love with touring. Yeah, I was quite set to TM an opener on a pretty big tour, but COVID happened, so I got to focus on my music instead. It’s been a fucking gift, tbh.
How has your experience of the music industry changed now that you’re making music yourself?
Being on the creative side of stuff has been such an awesome way to meet new people. Even during quarantine, I’ve had Zoom calls with incredible people from all over the world, and it’s given me this new sort of confidence I haven’t had before to trust my decisions and taste, which is honestly important in any field. It’s been incredibly rewarding.
What sort of music did you grow up listening to?
My dad was a jazz head; my mom is strictly classical. I listened to those two genres with the addition of Radio Disney. Radio Disney was a bops-only sort of station; I will stand by that statement for the rest of my life.
What do you most enjoy writing songs about?
I am in awe of people that can write about experiences they haven’t lived. I am not such a person – I love to write about my internally processed version of life. I think it’s fun saying things in songs that you would never say in real life. You can chalk it up to over-fantasizing, and you can make your experiences larger than life, more dramatic.
Are there any differences between writing lyrics in French and English? Do the words lend themselves to different sounds, for example?
French is a much more difficult language for me, so I’m really vulnerable in English. My French songs are a bit of an alter ego. I feel more empowered to be badass. I’m mentally smoking a hand-rolled cigarette when I write songs in French.
You’re working on a new EP, right? How’s that going?
I spent 5 hours comping and tuning vocals yesterday then ended up throwing it all away… I’m doing great everything’s great. But for real I’m very excited to finish the last song and have a whole ass body of work out. It’ll be a first! I’m popping my EP cherry!!
Are you creative in non-musical ways too?
Haha so I tattoo my friends on the side, I’ve actually gotten pretty fire at stick and poke. Bang my line to get aesthetically stabbed.
What do you do for fun?
Hang out with my pretty robustly sized friend group, haha. A lot of my crew from New York has slowly been making their way to the West Coast; I could not be more proud to have spearheaded this slow migration.
What are your hopes for 2021?
To play a show, maybe!! To write bangers! And to spend more time with my mom.
