Klara is the performing name of Maria Klara Jędrzejewska, a Polish artist who is based in London. She also appears under a deep techno alias, Klara, used by Milena Krstevska, but the main artist entry refers to Jędrzejewska.

Background

She is a singer and songwriter associated with indie pop and indie music. Her work is rooted in the UK and Swedish scenes: she is born in Lund in Sweden and splits her time between London, Sweden and Los Angeles. She also describes herself online as “Klara from Sweden”.

Music and development

Klara’s music develops from traditional singer-songwriter writing into a more modern production style. Her sound is shaped by the atmospheric reverb of artists such as Daughter and by the sparse intensity associated with London Grammar, while Bon Iver is a creative reference point in her development.

A key moment in her career comes after meeting Justin Vernon of Bon Iver at Glastonbury in 2015. She is then invited to spend time with him and his collaborators at the Eaux Claires Festival in Wisconsin, after which she returns with a clearer direction for her own music.

Writing and collaborations

She writes her own material in her studio at Church Studios in Crouch End. She also collaborates with other writers in Los Angeles, including Tim Myers of OneRepublic and Jimmy Harry, who has worked with Pink! and Weezer. In Sweden she works in writing camps with Cajsa Siik and Annika Norlin, known for Hello Saferide and Säkert!

Recordings and releases

Klara records at Real World Studios, where she also records with natural and spacious production in mind. She co-produces her album with Erland Cooper. The album includes the singles “Laura” and “I Can’t Speak For You” and features contributions from Hannah Peel, drummer Fabio de Oliviera of George Ezra, pedal steel player Matt Park, who has worked with Mumford & Sons and Mystery Jets, and horn player Kevin Robinson of Incognito.

Her discography includes the album Blossom, released in January 2020, along with the singles “Laura”, “I Can’t Speak For You”, “Broken”, “These Woods (Human Made)” and “Falling”, plus the live EP Playgroundhouse.

Notable performances and recognition

She performs at Festival Number 6 with the No. 6 Ensemble in the Town Hall venue, with new arrangements of her songs by composer in residence Joe Duddell. She also shares stages with Fenne Lily, Lucy Rose, Clare Maguire, M Craft and Starling.

Her song “These Woods (Human Made)” is used in Volvo XC60 television commercials in the UK and Australia. The track is played by Jo Whiley on Radio 2, covered by Clash Magazine and the Daily Mail, reaches number 1 in the iTunes UK Singer/Songwriter download chart, appears on Apple Music’s “Best Of The Week” playlist, peaks at number 9 in Spotify’s UK Viral 50, and enters Spotify’s “Lost In The Woods” and “Mellow Pop” playlists. The advert becomes the third most Shazamed ad in the UK for four weeks, helping the song reach number 18 in the Shazam UK Future Hits chart and number 65 in the UK Shazam chart.