Skye Claire and The High Society

StarPolish Interview: Skye
James K. Willcox — Wednesday, January 17, 2007



Skye

Pursuing a career as a singer-songwriter is an ambitious enough undertaking -- but for the artist known as Skye, it's an even more daunting challenge when you're also a full-time college student. But Skye wouldn't have it any other way.

Music has almost always been a part of her life, but it wasn't until she melded her knack for singing along with the radio with her constant notebook scribbling that she emerged as a serious songwriter. With songs readily flowing through her, she decided to take up the guitar during high school, setting the stage for a burgeoning music career.

Recently, StarPolish spoke to Skye about her early songwriting start, balancing a career with school, and how she envisions her musical career unfolding.


STARPOLISH: Based on what I' ve read, it seem that music has been part of your life for some time now. Can you talk about your early influences, and how that transitioned into your emergence as a singer-songwriter in your own right?

SKYE: When I was 11 or 12 years old, I loved to sing and I loved to write stories. They were two separate things for me. I just hummed along to the radio and scribbled in my notebook all the time. Then one day, I wrote a song. It wasn’t like I tried to write it; it just happened. It appeared in my head completely whole and I had the entire thing out on a tape recorder in about 15 minutes. After that I couldn’t stop writing songs, it was like I was possessed. Everything came together. I decided to teach myself to play the guitar at the same time I started highschool. I moved away from listening to the typical pop on the radio and started listening to other singer/songwriters, like Ben Harper. That had a huge influence on my music and on the depth of my songs. Getting my heart broken for the first time also helped with writing material. That fueled the whole first CD. The second boyfriend mishap fueled the second CD. My songs are a way of venting emotionally.

STARPOLISH:You grew up on Long Island (as did I); how has that affected your work? I know there's a significant emo/punk contingent on LI, but how supportive an atmosphere has it been for you and the typ-e of music you write and play?

SKYE: Growing up and growing into myself as a songwriter on Long Island affected my work by providing the boys that made me mad enough to write those songs. Just kidding, but not really. You can find a lot of ocean/beach imagery in my music. It was tough coming into my own in the emo scene. It's all guys and they don’t really have faith in a girl with a guitar. People in the emo scene only want to hear really fast drums and boys that sing like girls. I kind of steered away from playing on the Island because it’s really hard to fit into emo/punk lineups as a solo acoustic act, which is how I started out before my band. I usually only play in NYC.

STARPOLISH: Are there any artists you admire, and whoser careers you'd like to emulate? Why?

SKYE: I really admire Ben Harper, Saves the Day, and Jack Johnson. I just really have respect for people that write their own music and have the presence of mind to stay true to their musical/creative style.

STARPOLISH: How important has the Internet been to furthering your career? How are you using it to get your music exposed to a wider audience?

SKYE: The Internet has been a big part of it, but I think that playing regular shows in Manhattan and gathering a following has been the most important thing. The e-mail list is my biggest asset on the Internet. Each show I get at least 50 more emails, and that really helps me widen my fan base. I also use myspace, sonicbids, cdbaby, and facebook to get the word out.

STARPOLISH: Can you talk a bit about your "team" -- those people who are working on behalf of you to develop your career as an artists?

SKYE: I just recently began working with the Rainmaker PR company and the independent A&R company Big Noise Entertainment. I’m really excited to continue those relationships and see where they will lead. Up until now, however, it’s really just been me. I do all my own booking, hire my own musicians, and I don’t work with any kind of producer or [receive] any kind of direction. It’s just me with my parents behind me, helping me and encouraging me to work even harder.

STARPOLISH: Related to that question, do you have a manager?

SKYE: No, I don’t have a manager.

STARPOLISH: You do have a publicist -- what was the intention in hiring one? What have been the key benefits to having a publicist so early in yourt career?

SKYE: Yes. Rainmaker PR company of Boston. It’s really helped me with getting reviews, interviews, and increased exposure.

STARPOLISH: Many musicians are creatively talented, but have a tough time understanding that being in the music business means having to deal with the business aspects in order to be self-sustaining. How naive w - www.starpolish.com

SKYE – GOOD BOYS DON'T: One her second release the fresh faced Skye Claire aims high with seven songs about teenage love, loss and life in the big city. On "Desperately Waiting" Skye emotes her desperation as she pleads to be trusted just once - backed by power chords and a power filled rhythm section. "Hope It Helps" explodes from the grooves with a therapeutic release from a bad relationship that ebbs and flows on its emotional peaks and valleys. "Get It Together" closes the effort with an emo-infused punch that shows this young and talented singer clearly has her act together. Skye is currently a college student in New York and she seems to be learning a lot about creating music. With good song-writing, production, and passionate performances Skye shows potential and she just might take off soon. The enticing mix on Good Boys Don't results in seven expansive tracks that are various shades of convincing cool blue proving that this Skye is unlimited!
• Recommended Tracks: (2,5,7) [USA/NY 2006 - web] (2006 Review by Richard J. Lynch for Kweevak.com) - www.kweevak.com

http://awakenmusic.blogspot.com/

Skye is a pop artist from New York where she carefully crafts her tunes. Under the production of Geza X, she executes with near pop-perfection. The opening track, All That's Left, rips through the speakers with a driving groove and sassy vocals that make me interested. The chorus takes on a choral (almost Shania Twain feel) approach that I felt didn’t compliment the verses and overall song. Her vocals step it up though in the bridge. There’s no doubt Skye can sing!

How To Let Go slows down into a jazzy, artsy-acoustic piece that gives nods to the likes of Regina Spektor and Sara Bareilles. A pop-piano tune with string arrangements that back her vocals nicely is the strength of this tune. Skye sings her heart out and I can feel it in this one.

The 3 track EP concludes with So Far From Love, a darker song that again uses the strength of her voice to communicate her writing. The chorus resounds in its own effects, but the verses are where she succeeds most. And when I thought I had heard her best, all things strip down at about 2:22, and Skye sounds better than she has all record long – a true testament to her vocal strength.

Skye Claire’s EP is recorded with a fantastic production value and her vocals are well cared for. Fans of the genre will enjoy these tunes! - Awaken Music Publications

http://www.northeastintune.com/index.php?bd=reg&sb=aab&PHPSESSID=fdec2d2b9883b15c095c814a168af9b9 - Bob Donovan

WOMEN IN MUSIC
SKYE
New York
Unsigned
www.myspace.com/skyeclaire
By: Bob Donovan
When I saw Jewel in San Diego playing guitar and singing before she “was anyone” I told everyone that “this girl’s going to make it and be big! People laughed at me.
When I saw the debut singles/videos of both Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton before their album was even done being recorded I told everyone, both times, “This girl has it! I’M TELLING YA, SHE’S GOING TO MAKE IT! Again, people said, sure Bob, she’s just another singer….
Well, I’m saying it again and people I know are starting to listen. This girl has it and I’m tellin’ ya, she’s gonna make it and make it big! Who am I talking about? Well “SKYE,” of course! She has everything it takes; amazing talent, dedication, a fantastic personality, determination, charisma, and she’s beautiful.
I have been amazed by the music and style of SKYE since I first heard her on MySpace.com. I contacted her and told her I loved her material and I requested a press kit. She responded right away thanking me and explaining she had just finished recording and when they were done with production and the CDs were manufactured and packaged, she’d send me one. She was incredibly professional and polite all the way along and continued to stay in touch with me. Then, sure enough, she contacted me and let me know a CD and Press Kit were on the way. Then it came and, well, I was floored! AGAIN, I must say, She has it and she’s gonna make it! See her now before you are waiting in line for $30.00+ tickets and $16 CDs! The only way this girl won’t make it in the music industry is if she decides she doesn’t want too!
Because I discovered her on MySPace.com, I really didn’t have a lot of information about her; mainly a few pictures and a few demo songs and a very little information. Once I received the press kit she sent me I started to lean more about who SKYE is and hear more of her amazing music. I was floored to find out this girl just turned 18; this would make her 16 and 17 when she was writing and recording this incredible material! I thought for sure she was in her twenties from day one!
Skye’s Press Kit, written before she (recently) turned 18, states “Singer/Songwriter Skye is out to prove that a seventeen year old girl can not only write sophisticated, heart-wrenching music, but can also hold her own against the older, more seasoned competition.” Well, Skye had no problem convincing me and winning me over. In fact, I had several of my friends and music industry associates listen to the music from Skye’s new CD and, it was unanimous, everyone thought Skye was incredible and a new force to be taking the industry by storm. (Now I have to have my copy of Skye’s CD kept in a safe because everyone wants it!)
- NorthEast In Tune

please google "Skye Claire, grammys" - internet reviews

TCW Interview Exclusive: Skye Claire, Grammy Nominated College Student
TCW Staff
Thursday, 27 December 2007


Skye Claire (Wesleyan '09)
Few college students are able to tell people that they are a Grammy-nominated artist; Skye Claire, a junior at Wesleyan University, can. Skye has a powerfully-soothing voice comparable to that of Lisa Loeb's, the striking-appeal of Liz Phair, and the capacity to rock out like Allison Robertson of the Donna’s. TheCampusWord was lucky enough to sit down with the Long Island-native to find out how she balances life as an “average” college student with her rising music career.

TCW: You are nominated for three grammys: Record of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album. Tell us a little about the moment you found out you were nominate? Like where you were, who you were with and what went through your mind
Skye: I was in Javapalooza, a coffee shop by Wesleyan. I was with my friend Steph. I just started crying in the middle of the coffee shop. I called my mom in tears. I was so happy. Laughing and crying and drinking coffee at the same time makes for an interesting and ridiculous combination.

What is your major? What classes are you scheduled to take next semester?
I was double majoring with College of Letters (literature, history, and philosophy of Western Europe) and French, but I recently decided to switch from COL to Psychology. So far I'm only enrolled in one class, Exploring Social Psychology. Hopefully I'll get into more Psych classes. The department is very popular.

What does Wesleyan do to nurture your creative process? How? How does your songwriting process work?
I play my songs for my friends at Wesleyan after I write them. I've written maybe five or six songs while up at school. Last week I went through a really abundant writing phase. I wrote one in the shower, one in my car on the way to the pharmacy, and one in my head in the library while I was supposed to be writing a paper. I don't know if Wesleyan has anything to do with that, but it certainly gives me a place to relax and concentrate on being a normal college student. My song writing process is completely disorganized. If a song is going to be good, it will just pop into my head. Usually I'll start singing a particular part (sometimes the chorus, but sometimes the first verse), and I'll get to my guitar as quickly as possible. If the song is going to be a cohesive, stuck in your head type composition, it will all come out in about fifteen to twenty minutes. Sometimes I leave the lyrics for the second verse until later as long as I have the whole chord structure down. That's pretty much it.

What bands did you grow up listening to? What musical phases did you go through?
Well there was my boyband, NSYNC loving phase in middle school. Then I rejected pop and tried to be moody and emo and listened to alot of Dashboard Confessional. Somewhere around seventeen I leveled off and began listening to things that I actually enjoyed rather than trying to go for some kind of musical "type". I've always loved Weezer. Weezer has character. Ben Harper is an amazing songwriter. I grew up listening to Bonnie Raitt, Bonnie Tyler, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane......my mom loved all that stuff.

What is your innermost motivation for making music?
Music has been a lot of different things for me. When I was really young, I played piano and it was just an activity. I sang in choirs. I wrote poetry and stories. It was all separate. I grew into a writer. I grew into a singer. I learned to play guitar. Then I connected it all. Then writing music became the way I got through some of the hardest things that I ever had to deal with. After I made it through all of that, I started being able to make story songs about other problems, other people, and other lives that had nothing to do with me. So what's my motivation? I don’t really know. For a while it was self preservation. Now its just become second nature to me.

What is your most-recent purchased album? Single?
I haven't bought a CD in a store in a long, long time. I honestly don't even remember what it was. The last single that I bought on I-Tunes was "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap. I think the last full CD that I bought on I-Tunes was by HelloGoodbye.
Who are the people in your life?
My parents. My best friends. My dog, Vito. He is a person.

What is plan for down the road?
I want to get nominated again next year, except next year I want to get on the ballot! I plan on recording a full length with a really reputable producer. I plan on getting one of my songs on the soundtrack of a major TV show or movie. I really believe that that is the best way for young artists to gain exposure right now. I'd also love to tour with an established artist this summer. I have a lot of plans.

- http://www.thecampusword.com/content/view/1847/426/