TALENTED performer and jazz enthusiast, Chloe Clark, is well on her way to realising her dreams with the launch of her début EP, In Between, recently.
Humble beginnings
Chloe grew up in Mooi River, later moved to Weenen and has now lived in Durban for 10 years, and the small-town farm girl has big city dreams and, along with her go-getter attitude, no goal she sets is too far out of reach.
Music is embedded in her soul and she was drawn towards the arts at an early age and had piano lessons from the age of eight. She joined her first band, One Way, when she was 11 and with it performed at the JJS Festival in Ashburton. It was there that she found her passion lay in entertaining people. “At school I took part in as many cultural activities as possible and I absolutely loved every minute of it,” said the now 27-year-old.
Keeping it real
To formalise her love for music and song, Chloe enrolled at UKZN and graduated with a BA music degree in 2013, and in 2015 completed her honours in vocal technique methods as well as jazz vocal performance. Chloe is a growing powerhouse in the entertainment industry, having worked on many local productions, provided voice-overs, worked on ad campaigns and did backing vocals for Ronan Keating last year at the Star Light Pop Orchestra. She made it to the top 30 of Idols SA in 2015.
More recently, she took part in South Africa’s The Voice and, in her blind audition, captivated coaches Bobby and Kahn with her jazzy take on Beyonce’s Single Ladies. She picked #TeamKahn and was on the show for a month, but was sadly voted out during a recent battle round elimination.
“It was absolutely fantastic to be on the show. It is a lot more real than other reality shows out there and it is a lot more about the singer and the musician. It was just a really great experience as I learnt a lot from the people I worked with,” said Chloe. Her top two picks for winners are Nadine Sisam and ex-Kearsney College pupil, Jonathan Johansen.
Staying on track
Not one to be kept down, Chloe decided that it was time to unveil and launch her EP – a project that was two and a half years in the making. For the four-track album she worked and collaborated with top Durban musicians such as Greg Bedford (producer of Gangs of Ballet’s first EP), jazz pianist, Burton Naidoo, Jane Baillie, Jude Kenrick, Marion Loudon and Tammy Saville.
“Creating the CD was a process as sometimes we would write a whole song, record it and then find we didn’t enjoy it, so had to start again,” said Chloe. On launching her EP to the world, Chloe said she was a bundle of nerves. “When you’ve been working so hard on something, it becomes a piece of you and that leaves you feeling slightly vulnerable as you begin to wonder if people will like it or was all the hard work for nothing?”
In Between, the EP, has influences from Lorde, Kimbra and London Grammar in an attempt to reference great artists who are not considered mainstream, and has a beautiful jazz feel. The album’s title track now also has a music video that can be viewed on YouTube.
Nurturing other talent
Her unbridled passion for music has led her to teach future generations of performers as she heads up the choir at Thomas More College and Umhlanga College and is the piano teacher at St Mary’s DSG. “I love working with the pupils as their passion is infectious and they are stoked to sing – which I think is wonderful.
“Being in a choir gives them the room to recognise their own talents, helps them get their ears attuned and improves their vocal technique, but the most important aspect of it for me is them finding their own in music and giving them an outlet for their creativity,” said Chloe. Thomas More College’s The Retrobeats also performed at the launch of the EP.
In Between is available on iTunes. For a hard copy of the album, e-mail chloeclarkbookings@gmail.com.
