Welcome to InqPOP! Sessions where we sit down and chat with today’s hottest indie artists and personalities. For our first episode, we are proud to present to you 21-year old singer-songwriter, Clara Benin!
The eldest daughter of music legend Joey Benin, Clara entered our collective consciousness about three years ago with a self-titled EP followed by a string of extremely catchy, ear worm-inducing commercial jingles for McDonald’s.
Despite her busy schedule juggling school (she’s taking up Music Business Management at MINT College) and gigging, Clara Benin has managed to stay musically prolific. Last year, she released her first full-length album, Human Eyes, to much acclaim. This was succeeded by a five-song EP that served as her school thesis called River Child — the proceeds of which went to her advocacy campaign for the educational support of less-fortunate children — last November.
Q & A:
“You really discover yourself when you start making your own music and writing your own original songs.”
Easy
“I wrote this after reading a really good book called The Hunger Games.”
Dust
“I wrote this song about being homesick.”
Araw’t Gabi
“This song is the first ever, my one and only Tagalog song that I wrote. I wrote it for a movie.”
Wonderwall (cover)
“This is one of my most favorite songs ever. I love playing it in gigs. I guess it’s my favorite ‘love song.’ I consider it a love song.”
Evidence + Oo (cover)
“This next cover is a crowd favorite. I can’t not sing it in gigs. People always ask for it.”
Clara Benin is very active online so if you want to hear more of her music, see her videos, and stay updated on her gigs and more, here are her official accounts:
Facebook: clarabeninmusic
Twitter: @ninebaralc
Instagram: @ninebaralc
YouTube: clarabeninmusic
Soundcloud: clarabeninmusic
Spotify: Clara Benin