Words like “us” and “exist” hesitate with the cadence of a Kyrie crossover, purposefully sung half-a-step slower than they should be. As Claudio stubbornly clings to her enigmatic nature (“you’ll never unravel me”), Canadian producer Stint scales up the reverb, leaving the listener high and dry. Take “Unravel Me”, which incorporates a disintegrating falsetto to explain a failing relationship. The tracks are written with subtle sophistication word-paintings headier than color by numbers. Most of these fairy tales end as horror stories, and Claudio seems mindful of the fact that few come out unscathed.Ībout Time is equal testimony to Claudio’s matured state. After all, Claudio’s parents aren’t the first to home school a child with superstar dreams, nor are they the first to move across the country for a shot at a record deal. And while it’s naive to judge humility as the winning evidence-not her obvious talent or multicultural appeal or, yes, undeniable sightliness- in Claudio’s destined case to sell out stadiums, I wouldn’t underestimate the worth of a level head in a cut-throat industry littered with creeps connected to the very top of the food chain.
Rejoinders such as these underscore a larger point: in spite of her youth, Claudio is taking her success to heart, not head, like a person who knows the path is still uphill. It’s the sort of sentiment you’d expect from an artist with several albums under her belt, but Claudio is still writing her first. She shakes her head diffidently, and moments later lauds the tight-knit network that helped her avoid the landmines of the field. She admits that “the speed of everything” has shocked her, even if she’s worked tirelessly since swapping shorelines. YouTube views notwithstanding, Claudio’s supernova ascent to stardom has taken her by surprise. “I know now that this sort of seediness can come with the territory, especially in L.A., where everybody is trying push their own creative career forward.” “It was a reality check to come into contact with people who really don’t have your best interests at heart,” she tells me. She was 16 at the time and admits that the transition wasn’t always the smoothest. What makes Sabrina Claudio destined for superstardom?īorn and raised in Miami, Claudio moved to LA with her family in 2012 to pursue a music career. Halfway through our interview, I’m still attempting to pin down what that something is. This says something about R&B’s increasing mainstream popularity, but it also says something about Claudio. It’s equally easy to imagine hearing Confidently Lost at a party in either Baldwin or Beverly Hills.Ĭonfidently Lost peaked at Number 18 on the US Heat charts, and in October, Claudio’s About Time mixtape was unveiled to wide acclaim from outlets ranging from NPR to Billboard. The tracks range from the electric, Aaliyah-aligned “Tell Me,” to the static “I Don’t,” where Claudio concludes the song by repeating the title refrain a dozen heartbreaking times. Her Confidently Lost EP is 26 minutes of tasteful R&B morsels sexy sketches of an artist finding her identity. In a matter of 10 months Claudio has released two collections suffused with such successes.
Many can sing a chart-topping hit fewer can write one. While it’s not uncommon for cover artists to turn commercially successful in this Insta-age, it’s also far from a foregone conclusion. Three of her tracks-“Belong To You,” “Confidently Lost,” and “Unravel Me”-already boast ten million listens on Spotify, although those numbers will likely have multiplied by the time this feature is published. If a million feels substantial, try 10 million on for size.
“Sweet Life” wasn’t her first cover, or even her fifth, but now several have eclipsed a million views. Her rendition of Frank Ocean’s “Sweet Life” was the first to stick, which shouldn’t be surprising if you’ve heard Claudio cradle a note-she has a voice sugary enough for the grapevine mangoes, peaches, and limes.