Clara La San
Clara La San's music feels like a diary whispered in the dark. Since her first release Good Mourning in 2017, she has been weaving songs that confront heartbreak, solitude, and the fragile beauty of real love. With her latest album, Made Mistakes, Clara opens a more personal window into her life, revealing a depth that is both tender and unguarded.
Writing, producing, and performing mostly on her own, she approaches music as a quiet exploration, translating emotion into melody with care and precision. Her songs are intimate yet relatable each lyric a small story, a fleeting memory, or a late night thought made audible. Clara's honesty, calm, and self-awareness invite listeners into her world without spectacle, creating a space where vulnerability is strength and reflection is welcomed. In this interview for Coeval, Clara talks about love and loss, creativity and solitude, and the moments that push her to write. Her words offer insight into the artist behind the songs, revealing not just music but a perspective on life lived openly and thoughtfully.
Your music has always been about emotion, but Made Mistakes feels even more open. How do you decide what parts of your personal life you want to share through your songs?
For the most part I try to write music that's relatable. For me it's a way to process or heal from things that have happened to me. Life passes us by fast and I don't want to grow old with regret by not making my mark and sharing personal songs that are relatable to others.
Many of your lyrics talk about love not fantasy, but real love: complicated, painful, always honest. What does "real love" mean to you today?
Real love keeps me sane in world that teels so broken. Love is the one thing in this world that feels pure and worthwhile. I can't and don't want to imagine life without it.
Do you believe love can exist without pain, or do you think one always teaches you something about the other?
No. I think pain can make love stronger.
When you write about heartbreak or vulnerability, are you trying to understand the past or to let it go?
It's a combination of both. Understanding the past is definitely part of the writing process, but learning to let go comes after.
What's the hardest part about being honest in your music, especially when emotions are still fresh?
Bringing something to the surface is difficult for me because it can seep into my day to day and affect my mood in realtime. I consider my music as a journey of self exploration with a positive underlying meaning, however the emotions which I encounter to get there can affect my state of mind in a negative way. I don't write all the time because of that.
You often produce and write everything yourself. Does that solitude make your process more personal, or do you sometimes wish for someone to share it with?
When it's just me producing and writing, I have the ability to unlock thoughts in my brain, thoughts that maybe I don't feel comfortable sharing with a collaborator straight away. I also love taking my time writing lyrics, I don't really like writing lyrics under pressure. They have to mean something to me, otherwise what's the point?
You first released Good Mourning in 2017 and then your debut album Made Mistakes in 2024. How would you describe the change in your sound and in yourself between those two moments?
I don't feel like there's a change in my sound when it comes to the production, but I do feel like the new mix of Good Mourning is definitely more dialled in. With the re-release of Good Mourning being my second mixing experience I knew exactly how I wanted it to sound and how to articulate that.
““Life passes us by fast and I don’t want to grow old with regret. Sharing personal songs is how I process and heal.””
Many fans, including me, discovered you through random Spotify recommendations but your music feels deeply personal. What do you think makes people connect with it so instinctively?
When I write music that resonates with me, there's a certain way I feel that I can't describe. If I'm not feeling strongly emotive towards a song of mine, I move onto the next. I'm not afraid of being vulnerable and honest and it brings me comfort to know there's people in the world who relate to what I'm saying.
Your lyrics often feel like small pieces of real life, memories, heartbreaks, late night thoughts. How do you know when something you're living should become a song?
When I don't have a choice. When life feels overbearing and I have to write to process my thoughts to make sense of them.
When you create, do you start from words, melodies, or emotion? What does a typical creative day look like for you?
The process is never usually the same, but more than usual I start with production. I find a sound I like and start playing melodies or chords until something sticks. I like my vocals to be plugged at the same time as it helps me connect to the sound more.
There's a strong balance between strength and softness in your music.
Do you ever feel pressure to protect your privacy or to hide behind the sound?
I've never been afraid of being vulnerable in my music or hiding because of that, I just don't like the superficiality of putting our faces at the forefront. Society has made us believe our appearance is our most important asset, but I don't care about that. For me it's what's inside that truly matters.
For many people, sad songs are therapy. Did you ever write a song that healed you or that changed the way you saw yourself?
I guess most of them. I either write about my own experience, or what could happen to me in the future.
The album is called Made Mistakes- do you see mistakes as part of becoming who you are, or as something you still wish you could fix?
It's not healthy to live in the past because we can't undo what's been done.
We have to learn to forgive and let go of regret so we can move on.
You've inspired so many people through your honesty and calm. What would you say to someone who's listening to your songs while going through their own breakdown or heartbreak?
You're not alone. Someone out there is going through the same thing as you.
Trust that time heals.
I'd like to ask you a question, one that's really important to me: When you write, do you cry? Do you smile? Because your songs reveal so much character that I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
It's rare I cry while writing music because if I'm in that state of mind I can't focus on anything, especially writing songs. That comes later. I cry when I listen to other music though. One Sweet Day - Mariah Carey ft Boys Il Men I in particular: "and I know you're shining down on me from heaven, like so many ones we lost along the way". Those lyrics really resonate with me. They get me every time.
““Real love keeps me sane in a world that feels so broken. Love is the one thing in this world that feels pure and worthwhile.””
I'd like to know about you, the real Clara. Is there an episode that pushed you to write with such "solitude"?
Growing up in school I felt kind of invisible. It didn't upset me because I've always been a person who's felt self assured, but I definitely felt frustrated and that situation forced me to find an outlet to be heard. It empowered me if anything, I'm glad I felt that way.
What do you do when you don't write? Tell me one of your obsessions.
I love to take walks. These are the moments when I disconnect myself from my phone and people in general. I try to do it as often as possible.
Are you in love right now?
I'm always in love.
Do you have a European tour coming soon?
TBC...
When will your new album be released? Give me a spoiler
I released a new single “Old Me" this month which I love, and I feel really inspired to keep writing and releasing at the moment.
Interview by CLARISSA VICTORIA C.
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