Since the release of her debut single, Take Me Home, we have been absolutely mesmerised by Cloe Terare.
The Brisbane artist oozes an immersive brand of melancholic pop which feels equal parts authentic and cinematic. It’s grounded in sticky hooks, but reaches far wider.
We caught up with Cloe Terare to chat about the her stunning debut single, loneliness and what’s next for the promising up and comer.
HAPPY: Hey, how’s it going? What are you up to at the moment?
CLOE: Hi! I’m up to lots of little things at the moment. I’ve been doing lots of collaborating and getting in sessions with different people which has been amazing. I’ve also just come back from the 2019 Amplify songwriting retreat by Qmusic which was incredible. So many talented and passionate people, super eye opening to experience as an artist. Other than that I’ve been working on my next release which will hopefully be out by the end of the year. I was lucky enough to be the recipient of the Gyrostream PR package at the songwriting camp, so they’re giving me a major hand with it all which is amazing.
HAPPY: We’ve been loving Take Me Home! How does it feel having the track out there in the world?
CLOE: Crazy! Hearing it for the first time in the studio was surreal; especially because it was a little project I made in my living room that I never really thought would eventuate into anything else, to then being out in the open in a matter of weeks. As a new artist, hearing my song being played over speakers and watching people hear it for the first time is something I’ll never get over. I love listening to people’s interpretations and the way it makes different individuals feel, sometimes very different perspectives to what it was originally about so that’s super interesting to me.
HAPPY: Could you tell us a bit about the song?
CLOE: ‘Take Me Home’ was written from the perspective of breaking through toxic relationships and finding yourself, basically. I felt like a lot of the time, relationships and company in other people can be used to mask negative things we are feeling, and we settle for less to not be alone; sometimes it can get a bit toxic and it’s important to recognise that. The whole theme of the song focuses on those types of emotions. I think at some point everyone experiences that crossroad of emotion or choices in life.
The second verse changes pace a bit and it’s all about regaining control in situations where you feel you couldn’t have in the past. A big theme in the song is seeing the truth in situations where things might be bad for you but you’re accepting them anyway to try to feel better instead of understanding what you actually need.
HAPPY: For a debut single, it feels like you’ve got a very strong direction with your sound. How long had you been writing music before releasing this track?
CLOE: I’ve always written songs, I’d been writing seriously for about 3 months prior to the release and I’d been showing my friends and kind of playing around with different sounds… then one of my friends who happened to go to a film school told me he needed to do a music video for his uni assignment and asked if we could use one of the demos, and a few weeks later the song was finished and released!
So actually I was definitely still in a very experimental phase when I wrote it, I want to stay with a similar vibe but I feel like my sound is still evolving with every song I write.
HAPPY: The video is amazing too! Could you walk us through how this came together? Who was involved?
CLOE: I was just fortunate enough to have my videographer friend needing a subject for his uni assignment, the team came together from SAE in westend, Brisbane, with John Harrison the director. It was heaps of fun and we were just looking to do something a little bit abstract and dream like but with a realistic story beneath it. the song came together and when we heard it we knew there was obviously a strong story line that was a bit lost in the lyrics.
HAPPY: How important is the visual element to you? Do you feel that visuals enhance the listening experience?
CLOE: I think it’s a really important aspect, I feel like a song completely changes for me after I watch the visuals- you get to connect more with the artist and their perspective behind the project. For Take Me Home, the song came together and when we heard it we knew there was obviously a strong story line that was a bit lost in the lyrics, so we made a very clear storyline with actors and everything; but when I saw the finished product I realised although the song was based on those events, it was actually just meant to represent the mental state and confusion that comes with the headspace… So we redid it and stripped back the storyline to something much more abstract and open to interpretation. Especially after hearing the feedback and people’s interpretations of the song I was so happy we did leave the storyline open in the visuals.
HAPPY: Are there any particular artists you’re really loving at the moment?
CLOE: I absolutely love Jessie Reyes! I have her on repeat. She’s got a really unique voice and a strong message. I’m also really digging Tove Styrke and get a lot of my writing inspo from her. I love a nice simple beat, a catchy melody and a good message – which both of these girls are great at.
HAPPY: What’s next for Cloe Terare? Any other exciting plans in the works?
CLOE: I’ve been in and out of sessions lately and working on a game plan for the next release which I’m super excited for and so grateful that I get to work with Qmusic and Gyrostream to complete it. At the moment I’ve just got my head down working out the sound I really want to stick with in this next release. After that I’ll definitely be planning more live gigs and start connecting with all the people who have been supporting me through the journey.
HAPPY: Cheers for the chat!
CLOE: Thanks for having me!
