Monique Clare

“Monique takes her years of music training and her brilliantly quick and creative mind and delivers a performance that is stunning to fans of any music genre. Her songs are intimate and soaring – both sonically and lyrically, and her stage presence is pure joy.” – Matt Smith (Club Passim)

After two years on the road with The Maes, Monique Clare returns to her solo project with a renewed sense of identity. With just her voice, four strings and a cello bow, Monique carves out a musical landscape to get lost in. Driving rhythms collide with intricate cello lines and heart-tugging harmonies weave through compelling vocals. Her lyrics speak to the ruminations of her generation and dive deep into the universal experiences of love and loss.

Live, Monique is mesmerising and cathartic, like a tuning rod for the soul. She draws listeners into her storytelling, sifting through the raw, the imperfect and the unspoken. Always seeking connection, she craves the rush of an intimately honest performance.

Raised by a singer and a pipe organist who shared a mutual love of Bach, Gregorian chant and French Impressionist harmony, Monique grew up in a habitat of choirs, surrounded by layers of individual voices that formed an immersive wall of sound. It took her 13 years to discover Björk, 16 to form a Radiohead obsession, 21 to catch on to The Beatles and 26 to fall in love with Joni Mitchell.

On top of this musical baptism of fire has been an array of experiences as a multi-genre session musician. From being a hired gun for world-class artists Kate Miller-Heidke, Eminem and Katie Noonan to accompanying legendary fiddle player Darol Anger, Monique has absorbed a set of entirely divergent genres and approaches to music. Genre fluid, technically sublime and multifaceted, Monique Clare is a force to be reckoned with.

https://moniqueclare.bandcamp.com