Star Quality

SHE has performed with The Streets, drum and bass duo Chase & Status, supported Plan B and Hurts, and was summoned to Jay-Z’s restaurant after the millionaire rapper took a shine to her music.

He told her she had “star quality”, claiming he could see it in her eyes.

She made it into the top five of the BBC Sound of 2011 list of the most promising new artists, picked up a Q Next Big Thing award and was nominated for this year’s Glamour Woman of the Year awards.

Her name is Clare Maguire, she is 23 years-old and she is big news. But who is she… and how did she get here?

“I’ve always known I wanted to be a singer,” says the Solihull-born artist, whose powerful bluesy voice has earned comparisons to Kate Bush, Annie Lennox of Eurythmics, Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks and Florence and the Machine.

“I’ve always wanted to do this, all my life. It’s always been about performance and singing. I do remember people would ask when I was really little what I wanted to do, and I would say I wanted to be a singer.

“I used to write poems when I was seven or so and sing them, then, when I was 13, I started buying loads of music and became obsessive about the whole thing. When I have my sights set on something I normally don’t stop until it happens.

“I think people really took notice when I dropped out of school and then someone told me I’d never make it. That was it, I went out and got a record deal and people knew I meant it.”

With her debut album, Light After Dark (featuring songs You’re Electric, Last Dance and forthcoming release The Shield & The Sword) out now, and a UK tour underway, which reaches Oxford’s O2 Academy on Wednesday, how does it feel to be staring fame in the face?

“Well, people thought I would be really nervous, but I’m so excited,” she says.

“I’ve been waiting and waiting for this, and it’s kind of the beginning. Even though I’ve been writing for three years in a studio, this is the beginning for me now. I’m starting to get a fanbase and it’s amazing.”

So how would she describe the album? “It’s very pop, very exciting, and honest. I don’t think it leaves anyone out; there’s a song for everyone on there, and I’m so proud of it. For the first body of work that I’ve put out, it’s really representative of me. I’ve been involved in everything, the songwriting, the artwork, the videos; I love it.”

And what does she think of the comparisons to the likes of Kate Bush and Annie Lennox?

“I understand only because I’ve heard it happen to so many other people,” she says.

“I think six months ahead to a time when I hope people just say I’m Clare Maguire. I think every female artist that comes out has similar comparisons. Girls now are always compared to Kate Bush, Annie Lennox and Florence Welch.”

Coming from a large musical Irish family no doubt gave Clare the push to succeed in music, but her inspiration came from the music she grew up listening to; artists like Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Howling Wolf, and her heroine, gospel star Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

“I always worked to get pocket money, paper rounds and things, and all my money went on CDs. I was obsessed with artwork, the sleeve notes and things. I got some Chess recordings and Sister Rosetta was on there, but at the same time I was listening to classical music and hip hop, like Q-Tip, and the Spice Girls, everything. I’m not directly influenced by any of this, but it has helped me love music.”

By 17, Clare had dropped out of school and was working in shops, bars and restaurants to save enough money to make the move to London. Her spare time was spent recording rough demos on MySpace and building up the kind of connections that saw her accumulate 1.5 million hits.

She signed to Polydor, aged 20, and shortly after travelled to the US, where she ended up in the aforementioned Jay-Z’s flash eaterie.

“I was in a restaurant,” she recalls. “I didn’t realise it was going to happen, but I was in his place in New York with people from a record label which wanted to sign me. I think they’d texted him to come down, so he came in and said hello. It was really surreal. I thought it was a lookalike, he looked too much like Jay-Z, if that makes any sense.

“The year after I saw him at the Brits, and it was so surreal to see him in another environment, being a megastar.”

So does she see herself becoming a megastar? Stupid question!

“Anyone who says they don’t want to get to that level is lying,” she answers. “It’s the reason you do it; you want that fanbase and millions of people to connect to your music. I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t want that.”

* Clare Maguire plays the O2 Academy Oxford, on Wednesday. Tickets are £10 from ticketweb.co.uk