Black Artist of the Week: Coco & Clair Clair

Coco & Clair Clair are a Y2 K-inspired pop duo from Atlanta, Georgia. Their illusive tunes and dream pop vocals make them the queens of, “demon glam rock,” due to their edgy aesthetic. Their hip-hop and lo-fi bedroom tunes set them apart from their peers, making their audience reminisce of the bedazzled Motorola Razr era.

Known as Taylor Nave and Claire Toothill, the two friends met back on Twitter in 2012. “We met on Twitter…? I guess we found each other through mutual people. I always thought Coco was really funny and so I went through her account and favorited a bunch of her tweets and then she hit me up to hang out. We went to some party and kind of kept hanging out after that.,” Clair said in a 2019 interview with Pure Nowhere.

In the same interview, the two were asked how they would describe their music. Coco said, “It was like demon glam rock.” In addition, they create all of their wide-ranging sounds on Garageband, using a “Goodwill” microphone that Coco makes the beats on. They would make music in the suburbs of Atlanta, until their breakout single, “Crushcrushcrush” released in 2017. It quickly drew them a diverse fanbase.

In 2018, the two released their album Posh, with the single “Sims 2” largely gaining attraction. The chorus of the song is very simple, yet addictive. Clair’s light airy vocals repeating, “I’m in my own lane, Riding with the crew, Not thinking about you,” compels the listener to love themselves.  The song is about focusing on loving yourself. Disregarding the worry about the gruesome trials of what a relationship has to offer.

Their latest release, “Pop Star” released in 2020 garnered the attention of The FADER magazine. “The glam-weirdo pairing makes things a whole lot more explicit, trading verses about living the verified pop girl life,” The FADER wrote. The video glamorizes the 2000s TMZ paparazzi phenomenon. The era that turned starlets like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian into pinnacles of pop culture.

Coco & Clair Clair is the definition of what it means to take on experimental alternative pop within the gen-Z atmosphere. They are your new favorite pop girlies, and their projects are worth listening to.

Listen here: Pop Star – song by Coco & Clair Clair | Spotify