Words & Polaroids / Bri Ng Schwartz
Live Photos / Alana Swaringen
When I first spoke to Claire Rosinkranz in April, she was preparing for her headlining My Lover Tour and supporting Alex Warren on his Spring dates. Lollapalooza had been announced earlier that week, and had felt so far away in the grand scheme of our conversation on upcoming live performances. We daydreamed about a Mamma Mia summer, which came back to me watching Claire’s Friday set at Lollapalooza’s Allianz stage. With her beach waved blonde hair and white woven two piece outfit, she was giving Sophie Sheridan realness with her bright and pop-y sonic wonderland. Despite the ongoing drizzle throughout her afternoon performance, Claire radiated the joy and sunshine needed to overcome the gloom and get audiences jumping up and down and singing along.
The set went back and forth between newer, more mature releases on My Lover and earlier beloved hits like viral “Backyard Boy.” Claire would introduce these hits from her start as “a song she wrote when she was 16,” marking a stark difference to where she sees herself and her art now. Since her teens, she has traveled across the world touring and making music. She has also prioritized her health, having battled chronic illness earlier last year. Our festival catch up with Claire and dove deeper into all of these things following her set, where we learned even more about our favorite lover girl and her relationship to her artistry.
Your set was a blast. I had so much fun! What were some highlights on your side?
I like that it started raining because an earlier set in the sun can really drain my vibe. I liked the moodiness of the mist honestly. At a festival, there’s so much happening that it can be a little bit nerve wracking. You just never know how it’s going to turn out, but the crowd was amazing.
The rain paired with your moments at the piano were such a vibe!
Right? The spotlight came down, and it was so good.
In your set, you mentioned “Backyard Boy” being a song that will be stuck with you forever. How has your relationship to performing that song evolved over the years?
It’s good. I honor it and it has carried me very far. I was 16 when I wrote it, and sometimes it can get a little bit old. But I think singing it live, especially when a crowd brings the energy back to you, brings it back to life in a new way.
The other day I did a little Ordinary collab pop up where I played some acoustic songs. I asked the audience if we should play “Dancer,” “City,” or “Backyard Boy?” and everybody called for my song “City” which was relieving in a way because I’m so used to everybody saying “Backyard Boy.” It was nice to break free from it for a little bit, but I respect it.
How do you honor your inner child when going back and performing these songs you wrote when you were younger?
I was just saying this to somebody earlier, how my inner child is also a massive driving force for where I’m at. That was when I was the most free and hopeful. I had so much vision, and that has propelled me forward in so many ways. So that time when I was writing all those songs, like “Backyard Boy” and that whole EP, it just brings me back to a very honest state of mind. I miss it.
This is your second time performing a full set at Lollapalooza. What do you think makes this festival in particular special?
This was the first festival I’ve ever performed when I was 17. There is this grounding, magical feeling that comes with playing it again since it was my first introduction to having an experience on stage like this.
What role do you think that festivals like this play in artist development? Has it played any role in yours?
Definitely. Again, you never know what you’re going to get. So for the most part I feel like I’ve had a really good time, but there are times too where maybe not everybody’s there for you. When you see that, sometimes it can make or break you. These experiences really teach you how to adapt to every circumstance and how to perform. It’s a learning experience every time, but it’s really fun when they’re into it. I would say today they’re really into it, so it was a good little confidence boost.
When we spoke back in April, you were about to head out on the My Lover Tour! How was that?
It was so fun. I got deathly ill at the end of a tour a few years ago and it took me out, so I fell off of the face of the earth and coming back to do this tour was a little bit of a question mark in my brain of “what that would look like being away for so long?” To see so many people still supporting me was very motivating.
You’ve been incredibly open about maintaining your health living with chronic illness. How do you maintain your boundaries around self-care when you’re on the road or in high pressure environments like festivals?
There’s no routine whatsoever. I’m not really a routine girl anyways, but it makes it so much harder when you’re on the road. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot more loosey goosey with it because it’s really hard. I try my best to have some good snacks and also just make sure no matter what, that I’m just eating and eating and eating and eating because that’s a problem if you’re not.
My Lover Deluxe is on the way. What can you share about this extension of the album?
Originally I wanted to call the deluxe “songs that didn’t make the album.” I still really love these songs and I wanted them to be out in the light. They still contribute to that time of my life in a beautiful way, and I don’t want them in the dark. It’s an extension of the journey that I’ve been going through of figuring out how to be more honest and express myself in this new state of my life.
What else does the year have in store for you besides the release?
A lot of awesome, great things. The Deluxe is out in August, then I have ACL coming up. I’m extending the My Lover tour because it went amazing. Then after that, back in the studio. I’m very inspired and already I’m craving to have some fresh music to perform. So all of that, and then doing it all over again.
To see Claire continue to celebrate the success of My Lover and her new and improved synergy between her health and her career is a joy to watch, and an example to all of us juggling a creative career and self care. My Lover Deluxe is available to stream on August 21st, and live performances to follow will surely continue to breathe life into this exciting chapter.
CONNECT WITH CLAIRE:
INSTAGRAM // SPOTIFY // APPLE MUSIC
