Clara La San

Clara La San

Clara La San is a British alternative R&B and ambient-pop artist from the United Kingdom. She works as a bedroom producer and keeps a low online profile, with her early output appearing mainly through a small number of SoundCloud tracks.

Career and sound

Her first recorded appearance comes in 2015 on a track with Scratcha DVA. She then gains wider attention through ‘Fones’, a collaboration with Mssingno. Her mixtape Good Mourning serves as an introduction to her sound, which moves between downtempo club music associated with Night Slugs and polished 2000s R&B.

She also appears on tracks associated with XL Recordings and develops an affiliation with the nomadic collective Gang Fatale. Her online presence remains minimal, matching the intimate, private character of her music.

Background and influences

She grows up in the West Midlands and learns classical piano from the age of 11. Once she starts to understand basic chord structures, she begins writing songs of her own. Her first song, ‘Me And You’, is first performed at a secondary school assembly.

She later studies Music Business at university in London, where she says she learns as much outside formal study through meetings and conversations with people in the industry. Her influences include Michael Jackson, Sade and composer Stanley Clarke, and she also names Avril Lavigne and Good Charlotte among her early musical obsessions.

Working methods and current base

La San records in her bedroom using a RØDE microphone, soundcard, electric piano, MIDI equipment and sample packs. She is based in Manchester and describes it as a place where creative work is possible without having to work long hours in hospitality. She also works on a live set designed to translate the closeness of her bedroom recordings to a stage setting.

Her lyrics are personal and drawn from her own experiences.