Coco & Clair Clair: Cute but Psycho IRL
interview by Isabel Padilla, shot by Will Finkel
In phone conversation with Atlanta natives Coco and Clair, it was obvious that the quiet badassery they exude in their music isn’t for show. With a mixture of spacey beats and punchy rap lyrics, the girls of Coco & Clair Clair prove that they are not to be contained by any one specific genre. The female duo will have you engrossed in their songs that spread a carefree, empowering and fun message. It’s no question that Coco & Clair will be the soundtrack to your next crazy, wild night out.
So - what is Coco & Clair Clair?
Coco: Coco & Clair Clair is a fun pop duo that originated from the suburbs, and we just like to have fun.
How did you guys meet and begin making music together?
Clair: 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. One day we were at her then boyfriends house and he had a beat that she had always liked, I think is was like a Reading Rainbow sampled beat. We just asked if we could quickly do something with it and Coco freestyled her verse, then I did a chorus based off of what she was saying in her verses and it went out that night online. We played it for our friends and stuff and I guess it kinda did it’s own thing- it didn't really blow up, but it got enough attention that we decided to make more songs and that sort of blossomed from there.
Where are you guys currently located?
Coco: I’m in Atlanta.
Clair: I’m in New York now, but we’re both from the suburbs right outside of Atlanta.
I personally love a good powerful musical female duo; How important is it for you guys to be a strong female representation in the music scene?
Clair: I guess like the general answer- because a feminist genre sort of comes up [with our music], which is cool- I guess it’s important being a female voice in a largely male dominated scene. But I think the more we've done this and the criticism that we receive and who its come from being mainly men or stupid white guys, made it more important to us. Just to be like ‘What’s really the issue here? Because we're better than you and we’re not really any different stylistically than what you are trying to do.’ But it is a good thing in the sense that it can raise attention to the fact that people are called out for being ‘silly little girls’, but people are not called out for being really aggressive immature men with no talent, you know what I mean? We get a lot of attention for being two girls doing this, when I would like it to be kind of more like ‘Oh finally someone better than all these stupid guys we've had to pay attention to.’ I feel happy when people recognize that we’re not like all the other guys in the scene.
Coco: I think it’s really important! It makes me personally feel like what I’m doing is important for other girls to see because it's not really a female dominated industry. It's like a lot of powerful rich men with like rich families doing it, and were just two girls doing it in our own free time. Just to see other girls doing that too is so uplifting. It makes me feel like we're giving back in a way that not a lot of people can I guess.
You guys have a super interesting sound and honestly not like anything I had ever heard before- which really drew me to you guys! I put down in my notes ‘badass/cute music’. What would you guys describe your own music as?
Clair: When we first put our song on Soundcloud...what was the tag you did Coco?
Coco: It was like demon glam rock.
Clair: Yeah! I like that. I guess it’s like pop music. Uhm but definitely… we don't hold back. Like I think we sound, like sonically it’s pop but with the energy you typically get in rap with the things we say and the cursing and the threatening. (Laughing) But yeah it’s a mix.
I saw on your Instagram the other day that you guys are working on new music. So can we get an idea of what that may entitle? What projects can we look forward to in 2019?
Coco: We’re working on a song right now that samples a Yo Gabba Gabba song; so were probably not going to be able to put it on iTunes and Spotify but it’ll be on SoundCloud. I’m really excited about it because I think it takes us back to our roots of just being carefree Soundcloud girls just like doing it. I think it’ll be a bop that fans will really like and pregame to.
Clair: Yeah, I agree.
Are there going to be any albums or EPs, or will it just be this song for right now?
Clair: We were trying to do an album or EP. We have a whole collection of beats that we have partially written for, or know that we want to write for, uhm but with living in separate states now it’s so hard to get it done. Our first album I think-because I was about to move to New York we knocked it out because we didn't have much to do. But now, Coco is in school and has a full time job, and I have a job up here, we don't have time to make everyone wait for a new album. I think we’re kinda just going to like fuck it and put out singles as fast as we can, when we can. So that’s why the new song coming out is fun because we had a lot of success luckily on Spotify and iTunes, but it’s just a quick and fun thing to drop that gives people something to listen to and remember. I don't want to like disappear or try to become famous; I’d rather just keep having fun and give people new songs.
What do you guys use to create your eclectic sound?
Coco: GarageBand! (all laugh)
Clair: That’s literally it! Up until now we were using a microphone that I stole from Goodwill, it’s like a Guitar Hero microphone, and then GarageBand. Coco makes beats on there, its like all we do lol.
When did you guys start using GarageBand!?
Coco: I’ve been using Garageband ever since I got my first MacBook Pro in like eighth grade, so it’s like all I know and what I feel comfortable with. People knock it but you can do some shit on GarageBand! Plug in a keyboard and you can do anything.
What do you guys want people to be doing when they are listening to your music?
Clair: Oooh, that’s a good question!
Coco:... be blackout drunk (all laugh)
Clair: I picture a whole bunch of kids in a house just getting ready to go out dancing like maniacs and drinking a lot. But then also, my parents will like listen to our music when they're driving around so I don't know! I like to listen to it when I’m pregaming. That’s like Coco and I’s energy as humans; I feel like we’re always just ready to party and I guess that’s what [our music] sounds like!
If you guys could collab with anyone ever, who would it be and what would be the name of the song?
Clair: Ah shit! Oh my god that’s a good question!..
Coco: I would say Lil Uzi Vert. Love Uzi, he’s so cute.
Clair: So cute! What would it be called?
Coco: I don’t know, something weird…
Clair: Maybe we can resurrect him! Didn’t he like retire recently?
Coco: Yeah, I think he’s just saying that to say that.
Clair: I bet we could get him now if he’s down.
That should be a promise right now! Lil Uzi Vert featured on the next Coco & Clair Clair track
Clair: (Laughs) Fuck I know right! I have a huge crush on Yung Lean, so maybe I could collaborate with him and then that’s how we would fall in love. Maybe someone crazy like Marilyn Manson or someone with guitar (laughing) I don't know.
Alright guys so my last question; If you could listen to one song on repeat forever, what song would that be for you guys?
Clair: I kind of do that now! When I find a new song, it’s like all I listen to for like a month….Maybe some sort of French song like a Françoise Hardy song, just because I’ve always wanted to sing along to those and if I listen to it forever I would finally know all the words.
Coco: Well when you're fluent you’ll know how to do that Clair.
Clair: Coco thinks she's fluent in French (All laughing)
Coco: I am!
Clair: Okay, je ne sais quoi
Coco: Yeah, comment allez-vous!
Clair: Whatever (laughing)
Coco: I’m not patient enough to listen to one song forever; I’d rather have silence.
Thank you so much to Coco and Clair for taking the time to speak with me!
Keep an eye out for any secret collaborations that may or may not have been mentioned during our phone call...
