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Claire Stahlecker

Acoustic / Alternative / Soul

Chicago, IL

About

Hi. My name is Claire Stahlecker and here is my story.



I grew up in the heart of Chicago, Illinois, loving the freedom and diversity of a big city and all the responsibility that came along with it. My childhood was filled with jumping off stairs on rollerblades and playing hockey with the boys until I learned to embrace my womanhood at a much later age than most.

I ended up attending a private Catholic high school in the country due to the migration of my parents. I found myself in an uncomfortable situation having abandoned everything I knew and being forced to adjust to a new lifestyle. The summer before my freshman year in high school I found myself twiddling my thumbs in boredom. With no friends, no drivers license and no job I figured I might as well spend my time doing something productive instead of watching reruns of Even Stevens. That's when I picked up the electric guitar that had been collecting dust in my closet since 6th grade and begged my parents to pay for lessons.

If there's one thing you should know about me it's that I am as stubborn as mule. When my father tried to teach me how to ride a bicycle, I refused to train in the grass because it was too slow paced and shunned the idea of cracking my head on concrete, so I learned through my own terms and taught myself. I would half walk-half sit on my bike down the alley behind my house until I was brave enough to tear my feet from the ground. It took me a year, but I learned how to balance on a two-wheeler and ride Lance Armstrong style around the block. That's when I learned that if I set my mind to something, I can do it- and unfortunately, it's always been my way or the highway. So I kept at this guitar thing.

I took lessons for two years without singing a peep until words starting forming on my lips and melodies began dancing through my head. Singing was just something that developed over time for me, like the pimples that emerged in my early teens. I didn't ask for them, they just popped their little heads out and I had no choice but to go along with it.

I vigorously began writing but was very self-conscious about my voice, refusing to sing for anyone except Franklin, Mary, Pepe and Louis, otherwise known as the four walls of my bedroom. It was until the junior year talent show rolled around that I decided to give it a try, and let me tell you, it was ROUGH. The one person I trusted to give me an honest opinion at the time was my guitar teacher and mentor, Roger Adler. I sucked up all my courage, and walked into a lesson with an original song on my tongue in dire need of ears. I didn't just sit down and play for him; there was a "ritual" that needed to be done beforehand. The lights would have to be turned off and Roger had to face the wall behind him, so I wouldn't have to see the horrified expression on his face when I fell incredibly flat on a pitch. After several "Let me start over's", I eventually made it through the song, only to find him smiling at the wall. With all that said, I ended up performing in the talent show that year with a song called "Don't Hold Your Breath". Once I heard the roar of applause following my performance I knew there was no turning back. I had found music and music had found me.

One of the scariest and most beautiful things about performing is the honesty that comes along with it. If honesty is the best policy, every songwriter in the world is going to Heaven because there is nothing dishonest about songwriting. I learned at a young age how vulnerable the process was and how performing was equivalent to revealing ones scandalous diary entries to the boy most written about. Unpredictable. Horrifying. Embarrassing. But that all changes when that one person comes up to you after a show and says, "You took the words out of my mouth, thank you".

After performing in various shows throughout high school I took the road less traveled and decided music was the only thing I wanted to focus my energy towards. With supportive parents and encouraging friends I found myself applying to the music school at Columbia College Chicago, which is where I currently reside. I consider myself very lucky. I get to study every aspect of what I love every day and find myself traveling on breaks to play all around the US with artists like Tyrone Wells, Toby Lightman and the Ryan Montbleau Band.

The nutshell of my life ends there and I am left with one more thing to say. Thanks for checking out my Virb site and taking an interest in my music. You fans mean the world to me and I promise to keep creating music as long as you promise to continue listening.


BOOKING/CONTACT INFO:

clairestahleckermusic@hotmail.com

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