Rarely does an artist appear on the scene with so much power, courage, and heart that one thing is for sure at first glance: whatever she sets out to do, she will achieve. After releasing the single HIGH together with CRO, Claudia Valentina now makes us sweat.
This week the British superwoman introduced her new song Sweat!
The mega talent inspires with the finest urban pop gems, sometimes seductive, sometimes tough, and always empowering and self-confident. Sweat is no exception!
It’s my absolute favorite song! I hear it every day, in the car, just about everywhere.
CLAUDIA VALENTINA AND HER VISIONS
Sometimes the certainty that a new star is born is in the look and sometimes in the presence. Still, others transport it through their voice or music.
However, all of these descriptions apply to Claudia Valentina. The 21-year-old is one of the top candidates to become a new superstar. She always knew that herself. Hope and irrepressible will have got her career off the ground.
But where her story begins, nothing seems further away than the fantastic world of the stars. Claudia Valentina grew up on the Channel Island of Guernsey, England. That place was characterized by fishing, dairy production, and tax breaks. However, Claudia Valentina looked toward the horizon from an early age.
I knew as a child that Guernsey didn’t have enough to offer me, she says.
Disney, Billy Elliot, and the stage is the world
Claudia Valentina had to think out of the box. Because her own box was pretty empty at first. She has been enthusiastic about singing, dancing, and theater since early childhood. Therefore, she spent most of her time in stage school. Moreover, her dance group won gold at the 2011 Dance World Cup at Disneyland Paris. Just another drop of gas for the singer/songwriter’s ever-accelerating engine.
She begged her parents, desperate to audition in London:
Performing in the West End is every theater kid’s dream.
Her father finally gave in. One appointment turned into ten. And with every callback, the euphoria of the young Claudia increased. She urgently wanted to be in the world of shows and out from the island idyll.
The months that Claudia Valentina played the role of Judy Hope in the musical production Billy Elliot should be a foretaste of the years of zeal to come. Five performances a week. When there was no training and rehearsal, the creative work took up every minute of the young talent’s life.
It’s completely engulfing me, she says. Even today – I don’t know of any life outside of art.
CLAUDIA GOES TO HOLLYWOOD
At 13, Claudia and her mother moved to Los Angeles, and for the next few years, she chased all the roles that could have made her the next Hannah Montana.
We just came for a showcase, she says. But we got LA fever straight away.
THE EXPERIENCE OF REAL LIFE
It was the most trying period of her life, a tiring ride on the entertainment industry’s hamster wheel, full of false promises and real disappointments. From one appointment to the next, there was no time for a real childhood:
I lived with a manager when. However, like the rest of my old schoolmates, I should have lived like a kid.
MUSIC IS TRUMP
Today, Claudia Valentina is nonetheless grateful for her time in LA. It not only taught her tenacity and determination. Moreover, that period is also responsible for Claudia finally pursuing her plan of years: starting a career as a musician.
Instead of slipping into new roles every day, Claudia found and invented herself with music. Besides, instead of being a puzzle piece in the big picture, she began to draw her own image.
Studio sessions with songwriters such as Johan Carlsson, Matt Squire, and Ross Golan showed the talented singer that authenticity is the basis of success. So, after a few months in London with producer David Stewart and songwriter Jessica Agombar, Claudia had found a newfound self-confidence. This comes from deep within and outshines everything. No fake it till you make it.
THE DEBUT EP: CLAUDIA VALENTINA
Her debut EP Claudia Valentina was released in 2020. It brought the range of variation and passion of the singer into the foreground. Already Claudia’s first single, Seven, demonstrates an immediacy that stands out from the often interchangeable pop monotony.
I hate fluffy pop lyrics, she says. I want my music to be as open and honest as possible.
The close-up performance immediately drew public interest for her debut. Fans and media were deeply impressed. And then there was 4:15, a song she’d written years before that went through the hands of big pop stars. Finally, her relaxed self-confidence, driving motivation, and unlimited creativity make her songs unique.
CLAUDIA VALENTINA LOVES A FOREIGN AFFAIR
The title of her second release was programmatic. Foreign Affair is the sonic equivalent of a CV that crosses the borders between continents and condenses the timeline of experiences into an impressive firework display. The single C’est La Vie, released in 2021, uses producer Mirza’s Latin American signature sound to emphasize Claudia Valentina’s all-or-nothing attitude. In turn, she succeeds in powerfully demonstrating her ambition without losing sight of the lightness of being:
Life is a mess, isn’t it? / A beautiful mess, I’m living it.
The piano ballad Daddy Issues interweaves self-doubt with the manifestation of never being defeated. And now, the club track Sweat explores sexual self-determination. Claudia’s songs are empowering and approachable. However, at the same time, they are intimate as possible.
I love making music that is weird, specific, and really deep. It has to suit me and nobody else. That’s what makes it so special.
In these songs, Claudia is as vulnerable as she is sovereign – first the confession, then the empowerment. Her second EP already seems like the homecoming of a long-time globetrotter.
GIRLBOSS & FUCKBOY
With Extra Agenda, a powerful statement for unbound love was released. It transports Claudia’s specially proclaimed “2022 Girlboss” energy with a crystal-clear voice all along the line.
I’m turning the tables, says Claudia. Girls should also be able to have fun without obligation. We do what we want!
The empowerment anthem was created with Californian songwriter Trey Campbell, who has already worked with pop greats such as Ella Mai, John Legend, and Giveon.
We had a wonderful day, says Claudia. We were like, ‘Fuck it! Let’s write a song about being a fuckboy yourself!
CLAUDIA VALENTINA MAKES THE 80s SHINE
It is the joy in the creative craft itself that gives Claudia’s songs their uniqueness. Extra Agenda pays homage to 1980s glamor without sacrificing topicality. In contrast, the shimmering synth pads and pulsing drums instantly conjure up neon-colored images of packed arenas. And Claudia in the spotlight.
So, it’s no wonder that Claudia Valentina names artists such as M.I.A., Rosalía, and The Weeknd as inspiration. Artists whose music uses a wide variety of styles to create unique soundscapes.
HOT, HOTTER, HOTTEST, SWEAT
I’ve lived in such different places, worked with such different people, says Claudia Valentina. Music from all over the world has always fascinated me. However, the most fulfilling thing is putting my personal stamp on each style.
It is already certain that Claudia Valentina will take full responsibility for her cultural position. The position of a strong personality who conquers her place in public with all her energy and passion. Not a pop princess, but a fighter in her own right.
One of my ultimate goals is to put on the greatest live shows of all time, she says, ready for the new challenge. I’m super inspired by big performances, total works of art from dance, fashion, and music.
Claudia steps into the limelight now. She is the star of the new generation. Gen Z, with unlimited ambitions, a desire for change, and the courage to write their own story.
But, at the same time, Claudia Valentina stands up for herself and her vision without compromise. After all, she has been fighting for her dreams since her childhood. And anyone who has met her, heard her, will feel: that her dreams will come true.
Pictures: Universal Music
