Debut album from Clara Quilichini

Born and raised in Paris in a family where creativity and storytelling were part of everyday life, Clara Quilichini has spent much of her life moving between different forms of artistic expression. The daughter of two actors, she began her own career at just four years old, going on to work across film, television, theatre and voice acting. Particularly recognised as the French voice of Sadie Sink, she’s also hosted a daily show on Disney Channel France but alongside her work on screen and stage, music has remained an essential part of her output, offering a more personal space in which to explore her experiences and communicate in her own words.

Having started writing and singing during her teenage years, Clara developed songwriting into a way of understanding the world around her. Where acting involves inhabiting characters and delivering words written by others, music has allowed her to examine her own emotions and find meaning in experiences that might otherwise remain difficult to express. Her debut EP, Cardiogram, arrived in 2022 as a five-track introduction to this side of her creativity, described by the artist as an emotional waveform.

Now, she’s taking that exploration further with her first full-length album titled Insomnias. Featuring eleven songs written over four years, Insomnias documents a significant period of personal change, functioning as a time capsule of Clara’s transition from young woman to adult, capturing the relationships, heartbreak, discoveries and uncomfortable moments encountered along the way. Its title reflects the thoughts and emotions that kept her awake at night, transforming private moments of uncertainty into songs intended to offer connection to anyone who’s experienced something similar.

The act of writing is as much about gaining perspective as it is about expressing an immediate feeling for Clara, who shares, “Writing always relieves me and helps me take a step back from what I’m feeling in the moment. It helps me understand what I’m going through, sometimes laugh about it, and sometimes embrace the sadness, if needed.” The balance between reflection and emotional honesty runs throughout the album, where contemplative songwriting is accompanied by warmth, humour and an awareness that even difficult experiences can eventually become easier to understand.

Insomnias lands in a space between intimate singer-songwriter material, indie pop and folk, with Clara taking cues from influences including Joni Mitchell, Taylor Swift, Laufey, Dodie, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter, as well as Gracie Abrams, Lizzy McAlpine and Matilda Mann. The creative process began at home, with Clara writing and composing every song herself, usually starting with a guitar or piano. She then brought the material to arranger Stéphane Corbin, with whom she selected the tracklist and developed the arrangements alongside a group of musicians.

Benjamin Corbeil contributed drums, Cléo Bigontina played bass, Vincent Urbaniak handled acoustic and electric guitars, while Stéphane added piano and other instruments and Marie-Anne Favreau completed the ensemble with violin, cello and viola. Each composition was crafted as its own small world, with Clara particularly interested in the way subtle musical details can highlight the stories within her lyrics. She enjoys incorporating small sonic ‘Easter eggs’ that gradually reveal themselves as listeners spend time with the songs.

Lead vocals were recorded with sound engineer Raphaël Thiery, who also mixed and mastered the album and later, Clara spent ten days in the countryside recording the background vocals and harmonies herself in a home studio, giving her the freedom to experiment with one of her favourite aspects of songwriting. Among the album’s most distinctive moments is “Off,” which features a choir of twelve children and adults. Inspired by Clara’s experience with war, the collective voices represent humanity, functioning simultaneously as a cry for help and a message of hope.

“Company” offers a stunning showcase of her sound with a delicate indie folk outing that flows with intricate acoustic guitar, gentle percussive energy and bright vocal performance. Her interest in storytelling also reaches beyond music, with songs like “In Your Shoes” being brought to life on screen through storytelling music videos. Having studied filmmaking, Clara continues to explore photography and visual projects, developing an outlet that connects images with emotions while much of the creative team behind Insomnias, including those responsible for its photography, visuals and music videos, consists of her friends.

As someone whose professional life has often involved bringing other people’s words and characters to life, Insomnias represents an opportunity to introduce Clara Quilichini on her own terms. “Being an actress, I usually say words that other people write for me, and although I love it, I’m happy to introduce myself with this album and uncover who is behind the parts I play,” she comments. Through eleven highly personal songs, Clara Quilichini offers exactly that, presenting a more direct understanding of the person behind the performances, and a collection that hopes to make listeners feel a little less alone.

Listen to Insomnias below