“Following your passion is like being with a lover. It doesn’t always work out”
BY SAMANTHA GRIERSON, PHOTO BY CLAIRE LITTLEY
I met with Claire Littley outside of a busy Euston Station. She was easy to spot at just under 6 foot, with a heartwarming smile and a relaxed confidence. Where had this former internet sensation disappeared to and why was this the time for her to return? Claire had previously amassed hundreds of millions of views on social media for her vocals on Fly Me to The Moon for the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.
“Life isn’t always linear, and it happens to us sometimes. I had a long period away from music because I was dealing with the loss of my girlfriend in my late 20s. It changed how I saw the world and challenged my beliefs”.
Claire reflects that studying as a psychotherapist and working with an LGBTQI therapeutic service allowed her to reconnect with her grief. This privilege of working with clients helped her to release space within herself, freeing up her creativity. Coincidentally, Netflix released the Evangelion show and her track was trending again. Fans started to make contact with her, saying how useful the song had been in helping them to deal with heartache and loss. Something shifted inside of her and she reached out to music again. “Following your passion is like being with a lover. It doesn’t always work out and the timing isn’t often right, but you can revisit it. That’s been important to me”.
Moving Too fast, Claire’s latest release, has a funky, laidback vibe to chill out to, reminiscent of George Michael’s Fast Love album and Lisa Stansfield’s later tracks. The video picks up the plot with a female lover who is seemingly taking their dating experience a little faster than the singer-songwriter would like: “Slow down lady, you know it won’t last”. I ask Claire “is this your experience, the Lady Lover ‘U-haul’ cliché”? Claire laughs and says “We’ve all been there right? This just turned into a relationship. How did that happen? It’s important to get to know someone and ourselves first”. All of Claire’s songs are about love, particularly. same-sex love. She’s been out as lesbian since her 20s: it’s just a part of who she is.
Claire reveals that many older queer women contact her to thank her for making their stories visible: she feels that ageism is one of the prejudices that isn’t tackled as openly. She hates the expression “never ask a lady her age” as it comes with connotations of shame attached to it, as though maturity isn’t something to celebrate. “We have so much to give back from sharing our experience, the good and the painful ones. We shouldn’t be ashamed to do that. It’s important to impart that and leave a legacy, especially those of us who don’t have children. Having meaning and being able to help others through life matters“.
Claire’s plans for next year include moving to the live circuit. In the meantime, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Moving Too Fast is out now on all major streaming platforms.
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