Originally from Fermanagh but now spending her time between Paris and Dublin, Clara Tracey is releasing her beautiful new single ‘Baby Witch’ June 16th via Pizza Pizza Records.
Baby Witch tries to capture the hedonistic feeling of falling in love and the danger of letting yourself fly so high – ”you buy me, so fly me, higher than before on a beautiful curve to die for, tilting me gently towards the stratosphere, and I’ll play you there and you’ll sing more brightly than the moon” the lyrics go.
About the song Tracey says “I wrote this song soon after I moved back to Dublin from Paris. I was living in a shabbier than chic flat above a shop called Bohemia and we thought it was paradise. In the middle of all there was this new love story. Baby Witch is about trying to just let yourself love someone even when it feels like your hands or mind might be tied.”
LISTEN HERE
Tell us about your story as an artist
I grew up in a small town in Northern Ireland. Music was always part of my life, my mother was a choir mistress so there was always singing in our house. I was more interested in playing the piano and became her accompanist. It was only when I was working in a jazz cafe in Paris that I started to sing solo and write songs. There is still a strong French influence in my songwriting I think because that’s where I fell into it.
What do you think is the most important aspect of your life right now?
Being in love. Party animals living next door so I can play my upright Bentley into the night. Performing my new album live.
What makes this song special in your opinion?
It’s D major bright and breezy with a prominent wonky out of tune synth that suggests a darker under-layer. I also like the fact that it was conceived as a piano song but the jangly guitar and drums sent it to a midnight tropical beach.
What inspired this track?
I was in a relationship that I didn’t feel I could be open about.
What are some of the core messages here?
The music tries to capture the heady, sparkling feelings of starting to fall for someone. The lyrics paint an almost cartoon like
scene up in the stratosphere and the song is about trying to let yourself fly up there.
How do you think tik tok and social media are contributing to change an artist’s career?
The apps are great for PR and marketing. In an ideal world I do not think that should be at the forefront of an artist’s daily routine. Personally I feel that engaging takes me out of a songwriting state and turns me into a serotonin junkie. (I love typewriters, gramophones, singer sewing machines and generally pretending to live in another time so that definitely fuels my allergy towards them!)
WHat excites you about your life?
I live for days when I can wake up and read in the sun with a cup of coffee and a biro to underline my favourite words. I go weak for an evocative word. (Eg wunderkammer (wonder chamber!), mistress piece, music hall etc) This might be in my tiny backyard in Belfast, sand dune in Donegal or a terrasse in Paris.
What are some of your core values as a human being?
Curiosity, kindness, family, friendship. I’m so grateful to my ‘pocket’ friends (the special few you pick up and keep for life) including my mother and sister!
