Wielding a cello and strikingly crafted vocals, Monique Clare delivers indie-folk laced with chamber pop. Driving rhythms collide with intricate cello lines; heart-tugging harmonies are woven through compelling vocals. Her lyrics speak to the ruminations of her generation and dive deep into the universal experiences of love and loss. Her disarmingly candid stage presence is born from years of international touring with The Maes and session work for everyone from Kate Miller-Heidke to Eminem. With a smile as wide as the Cheshire cat’s, and an audacious tendency to reveal her deepest secrets onstage, her live show is cathartic, adventurous and mesmerising. She draws listeners into her storytelling, sifting through the raw, the imperfect and the unspoken. Always seeking connection, she craves the rush of an intimately honest performance.
Raised by a singer and a pipe organist who shared a mutual love of Bach, Gregorian chant and French Impressionist harmony, Monique grew up in a habitat of choirs, surrounded by layers of individual voices forming an immersive wall of sound. While she grew up in a musical family, it took her 13 years to discover Björk, 16 to form a Radiohead obsession, 21 to catch on to The Beatles and 26 to fall in love with Joni Mitchell.
On top of this musical baptism of fire has been an array of experiences as a multi-genre session musician. From touring internationally with Melbourne outfit The Maes, to being a hired gun for world-class artists such as Kate Miller-Heidke, The Whitlams, Katie Noonan and Eminem, to accompanying legendary fiddle player Darol Anger, she’s absorbed a set of entirely divergent genres and approaches to music. Playing on stages like the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Woodford Amphitheatre and the Orkney Folk Festival with these artists has given her an unshakable stage presence that she carries into her own shows.
Monique’s fearless and intrepid nature craves adventure, from teaching cello in war-torn Afghanistan to leading groups of listeners up a mountainside in the dark for a sunrise concert. She jumps into cold water as a ritualistic reminder that anything is possible. Through her songwriting, Monique challenges her listeners to do the same: be vulnerable and courageous.
2021 saw Monique represent Australia at the World Expo in Dubai, record and release an international co-write with Amanda Rheaume in a project supported by Folk Music Canada, and produce collaborations with musicians from around the world as part of Global Music Match. Her debut album ‘Sight’ was released in 2022, debuting at #11 on the AIR independent charts and featured on ABC’s The Music Show.
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