"Charm" (2024) -- Clairo’s Soulful Tribute To Jazz, Folk, & Love • The Daily Fandom

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Many fans were taken aback by the jazz-pop brilliance of Clairo’s “Charm” (2024).¹ Still, the seeds of her “new” sound were quietly germinating in earlier tracks like “Sofia,”² “Amoeba,”³” ⁴ “Hello” ⁵ “⁶ (featuring Rejjie Snow), and “2 Hold U.⁷”

Before all that, though, Clairo’s rise to stardom began with “Pretty Girl” (2017)⁸ — a DIY viral hit with a lo-fi music video that felt like a Tumblr confession come to life. Of course, let’s not forget that her millionaire marketer dad, Geoff Cotrill, was not hurtin’ for cash (money may not buy happiness, but it sure makes the algorithms more forgiving).

clairo, a young white woman with brown hair, and small orange sunglasses, lays in front of a grass background with the words "pretty girl" in rainbow above her head — Album art for “Pretty Girl” by Clairo, 2017. Courtesy of Clairo.

Her sound, at its core, was rooted in the quintessential bedroom pop formula: lo-fi production, painfully relatable lyrics, and a heavy dose of “Wait, did she record this on GarageBand?” Tracks like “Bubble Gum“¹ and “4EVER“² captured the unpolished intimacy of a teenager spilling their guts in the quiet sanctuary of their room. Critics and fans alike praised her for her authenticity — never mind the irony of her nepotism baby-ness (I’m willing to forgive her, though).

Her early influences ranged from Frank Ocean’s emotional depth to The xx’s minimalist dreamscapes, filtered through the lens of internet culture and Gen Z’s growing obsession with aesthetics over perfection. She built her sound on the idea that vulnerability sells — especially when paired with a catchy hook and a perfectly timed grainy webcam filter.

From Viral Sensation To Genre Pioneer: “Pretty Girl” & Grainy Webcams

“Pretty Girl“³ was an inexplicable hit. The song paired a lo-fi, offbeat aesthetic with deeply relatable themes like teen romance. In the video, Clairo casually lip-syncs to her track before her MacBook’s grainy webcam. She’s lounging on her bed, cycling through outfits, displaying her wired headphones proudly. It was remarkably casual and unusual for what was considered a music video then. The video was effortlessly raw yet resonated profoundly with a Gen Z audience. It quickly surpassed 1 million views. I remember encountering the video and thinking, “Wow, that could be me.” It was a special kind of admiration. In the video’s caption, she explains her inspiration:

“the reason I made this music video was to actually help myself. on the day i made this, my hair was greasy, my skin was bad, i had nothing to wear, and i didn’t want to leave bed. i had just woken up in this video and you can definitely tell (lol). i felt really ugly but realized that it’s perfectly okay to feel that way/have those types of days. the song is about a relationship i had where i felt I needed to be the perfect girl for another person… whether that’s wearing makeup, doing my hair, wearing things they like, or even changing the way i speak/WHEN i speak. so, i felt that the only way i could make this video was to have a lot of fun looking disgusting and not caring at all!”

Her tone conveys a teenage conviction (unseen by adults) that resonated deeply with her audience, influencing the “indie DIY” movement for months afterward. Every single Spotify playlist included Clairo’s “Bubble Gum⁴” and boasted the newly-found sound of bedroom pop. Her stripped-down instrumentals and light synths — paired with her knack for crafting melodies that felt like they’d been plucked from a daydream — became the template for a movement. She basically wrote the Bible for this new subgenre of indie music.

The Indie DIY Revolution: Redefining Music Culture

In 2017-2018, Cuco, Mac DeMarco, Dayglow, Joji, Hotel Ugly, and many more exploded in popularity at just the right time in Internet History. These artists built universes from second-hand synths and 808 drum machines, a nod to influences like Kanye West, with themes ranging from heartbreak to existential dread — and often both. Admittedly, some of it leaned too heavily into the aesthetic, with frequent references to VHS tapes that bordered on overuse, but there was no denying its impact on the culture.

text reads "4 steps to become an art hoe" with sunflowers, shorts with sun and moon pattner, a tote bag, jeans, a long sleeve black shirt, a yellow kanken back[pack, dock marten loafers, blue ruffled socks, a green instax camera, and a shirt with the famous tsunami print "Under the Wave off Kanagawa" and another colorful button down against a light oak wooden background — *Image courtesy of Cosmique Studios.*

It was palatable enough for its audience of suburban tweens who were morphing into teens, daydreaming of becoming Tumblr or Instagram’s next big “art hoe,” a profitable aesthetic subculture at the time. These were the kids trading casual sneakers for “alt” fashion (the bigger the platform, the better), filling their backpacks with pastel highlighters to annotate poetry, and mastering grainy mirror selfies. For many, Clairo became the soundtrack to this transformation—her music a diary of their internal worlds, filled with late-night existential musings and quiet acts of rebellion against conformity.

Clairo’s Changing Aesthetic: From Stripes to Silks

In 2018, Clairo’s fashion choices were emblematic of the indie DIY aesthetic that defined her early career. She was frequently seen in striped ringer T-shirts, paired with Vans sneakers and mom jeans, embodying a casual, laid-back style that any teenager could achieve.

This look not only reflected the minimalist ethos of the bedroom pop genre but also highlighted her semi-androgynous style, featuring loafers, baggy jeans, blazers, button-up shirts, and overalls. Nothing like her outfits on tour for “Charm,” where she is seen wearing silky dresses and custom-fit linen corsets. On the first night of the tour, she wore Geel’s Lewis Top and a red Sandy Liang pin.

Claire Cotrill, a young white woman with brown hair, with a red sandy liang pin on her left, a white Geel blouse top, and a microphone in hand with headphones — Source: *Clairo Fashion Twitter*

Her fashion evolution is emblematic of Clairo maturing and embracing more introspective themes, reflecting a shift from casual sneakers to the sophistication of a silk dress. The vintage-inspired outfit is decidedly more dressed up than her usual attire on tour, as she’s previously been more “casual” during her earlier concerts.

This may be attributed to the more classy and jazzy sound on her latest album — the use of instruments such as the keyboard, flute, clarinet, and saxophone contributes to an instrumentally diverse sound reminiscent of the 60s/70s jazz and folk, entering a genre-blending style signaling a marked departure from her previous two albums: “Immunity” (2019) and “Sling” (2021). Moreover, her fashion choices align more closely with her current sound’s refined, jazzy sensibilities. I’m certainly not complaining!

Musical Evolution: Immunity to Charm

“Immunity” was reminiscent of indie pop and bedroom pop with modern production and synth-heavy textures. However, “Sling” harkened back to 70s folk, primarily indie rock, showcasing a more natural, softer sound. You can definitively hear the Harry Nilsson and The Beach Boys’ influence in a wonderful showcase of jazz-influenced soft rock with vocals dripped in honey, a nod to R&B. “Sexy To Someone,”⁵ and the title track, “Nomad,”⁶ set the tone for the album. The latter opens with the daring lyrics:

“But I’d rather be alone than a stranger / You’d come visit me late at night / I’d rather wake up alone than be reminded / Of how it was a dream this time.”

The Lush World of Charm: Intimacy Realized

The tone is steeped in romance and quiet yearning. “Charm” radiates an intimacy that feels both fragile and deliberate. It teeters on the space between connection and solitude, making me feel like I’m walking through the Gardens of Babylon or maybe sitting on a cloud.

A performance shot of Clairo during her live concert. She stands at the microphone in a striped dress, wearing headphones and hoop earrings, with a tattoo visible on her arm. The background features wooden paneling and studio equipment, and an intimate atmosphere. — Source: YouTube (via Google Images)

The album’s emotional depth is palpable, with each track painting an intimate portrait of relationships and personal reflections that feel shared between the audience and the artist. Clairo’s lyrics, delivered in her signature hushed vocals, capture fleeting moments of vulnerability – those private reflections that arise in the stillness of late-night drives and early morning frost.

Pink poster with (drawn in red) people, such as a woman and child being held up by birds, UK tour locations, march 2025 — Source: Clairo’s “Charm” Tour Hits Manchester O2 Apollo – March 2025 Dates Announced

I catch myself ruminating on songs like “Terrapin.”⁷ The emotional distance between each lyric and haunting melody mirrors the human connection and its inherent flaws and vulnerabilities. Then there’s “Pier 4,”⁸ a standout track that reads like a love letter to fleeting moments — conjuring images of summer nights, hushed voices, and the bittersweet ache of impermanence. The jazz influences here are especially poignant, lending a cinematic quality to her storytelling.

Artistic Evolution: A Journey of Growth and Self-Discovery

What ties these tracks together is Clairo’s ability to channel intimacy into her music. Even as she transitions to a more polished, jazz-infused sound, the core of her ethos remains unchanged: honesty over perfection. This commitment to said vulnerability, first glimpsed in tracks like “Pretty Girl”⁹ and “Bubble Gum,”¹⁰ forms a throughline in her discography one may not expect. “Charm” stands as Clairo’s artistic milestone — an embodiment of her growth both as a person and an artist, showcasing how far she’s come while staying true to the very heart of her sound.

Clairo performs on stage at the Frost Amphitheater as part of her Charm Tour. The stage features warm wooden backdrops and a large circular lighting fixture hanging above. A full band accompanies her, with visible drum sets, keyboards, and string instruments, while an audience with phones raised capturing the moment — Image courtesy of The Lutrinae

Through “Charm,” Clairo leans into a romance, not yet fully realized in her previous work, that is introspective rather than extravagant. The album pulls listeners into her lush world, where relationships are nuanced and deep, desires are unspoken, and every word feels like a confession. It’s a love letter to intimacy in its rawest form, daring to embrace the beauty of imperfection, which harkens to the caption back of her first YouTube video.

As Cotrill says in a Vogue interview, “Being a realized version of yourself is really cool. I think if I met the 15-year-old me, the girl who was chronically online in her bedroom — the younger me would probably think the adult me is so cool.” And I have no doubt she would.

Footnotes

Clairo. (2013). “Bubble Gum.” Self-released. ↩︎
Clairo. (2018). “4EVER.“ On Diary 001 [EP]. Fader Label. ↩︎
⁹ ↩︎
Clairo. (2013). “Bubble Gum.” Self-released. ↩︎
Clairo. (2024). “Sexy To Someone.” on Charm (Album). Self-released. ↩︎
Clairo. (2024). “Nomad” On Charm (Album). Self-released ↩︎
Clairo. (2024). “Terrapin” On Charm (Album). Self-released. ↩︎
Clairo. (2024). “Pier 4” On Charm (Album). Self-released ↩︎
¹⁰ ↩︎
Clairo. (2013). “Bubble Gum.” Self-released. ↩︎

References

1
Clairo. (2017). Clairo.
2
Clairo. (2019). “Sofia.” On “Immunity” [Album]. Fader Label.
3
Clairo. (2021). “Amoeba.” On “Sling
4
[Album]. Fader Label.
5
Clairo (Feat. Rejjie Snow). (2019). “Hello.” On
6
Immunity” [Album]. Fader Label.
7
Clairo. (2021). “2 Hold U.” On “Sling” [Album]. Fader Label.
8
Clairo. (2017). “Pretty Girl” [Single]. Self-released.
9
Clairo. (2017). “Pretty Girl” [Single]. Self-released.
10
Clairo. (2017). “Pretty Girl” [Single]. Self-released.

The Daily Fandom

“Charm” (2024) — Clairo’s Soulful Tribute To Jazz, Folk, & Love