Draft article

Think of the coolest, sassiest, most audacious person you know. That one person that has the best wardrobe, the greatest hair and the daring looks. Thinking of someone? Well quadruple it, times it by 64 and add a billion. Your answer? Miss Claudia Dyer. With a fashion sense that screams individuality and a voice that seems to be crafted by angels, this 21-year-old beauty is causing a riot throughout the UK. Her first single, Blind, debuted No. 3 in the charts on the first week of release, climbing to the top spot in just the second week. "Well I didn't expect that, when I was told I just laughed, I thought they were taking the piss!" 

The half Caribbean wonder was brought up alongside her brother in the heart of London by her Mother and Nan, after her father sadly passed away when she was just 4-years-old. "Everything I do is for them. My Mum and Nan have raised me, my brother is my best friend, and I just want to make my Dad proud." Claudia attended Haverstock Hill Secondary School in Camden from the age of 11 until she was 18. Surprisingly, after achieving a good set of A Level results and being accepted into 3 Universities, Claudia rejected all of them. Instead, she took a job working in a local pub; motivated by the promise that she could perform a couple of songs every weekend. "I thought to myself, what's the point going to Uni when I know that all I want to do in life is make music and sing?That's when I'm at my happiest. Not when I'm being bored to death learning about subjects that I couldn't give a flying fuck about." Claudia's late father was an amazing guitarist, and taught Claudia how to play from the tender age of 3. She explains that it was a 'special bond' in which they shared. "We just understood music, and each other. We shared the same passion, the same warm feeling that I still get every time I play. I could never thank him enough for introducing it to me, but he knows how grateful I am."

As a young teen, Claudia spent her free time going to local singing classes, playing the guitar, and writing songs. "I wasn't very popular at school," she explains, "people used to call me weird. I didn't like hanging out with the girls there. All they talked about was how sexy our history teacher was and have heated discussions about which was the best soap on TV. I didn't care about all that crap, it just didn't bother me. My main focus was my music and that's why I'm in the UK top 10, and they're still living off their parents money." Claudia performed gig after gig but it was not until she was 19 that she managed to get a spot at The Windmill in Brixton. It was there and then that she was spotted by Adam Tudhope, the same walking brilliance that represents Mumford & Sons, Keane and Laura Marling. It was through his connections that Claudia landed a record deal with Island Records. "It all happened so quickly. He got my number, rung me the next day, and within a month I had a meeting with the managers at Island Records. Obviously it took a while to finalise everything, but where I am now compared to where I was two years ago is a massive leap. Adam has done so much for me, he's like an extra family member now, we're so close. I owe it all to him." 

The first time we meet Claudia is at a delightful little coffee shop in Camden. The crispy autum air combined with the sun shining bright makes a perfect scene over London. It's no wonder that this breath of fresh air is so adored by many. Her intriguing eyes, wonderfully fizzy hair and gleaming smile outlined by a captivating plum-coloured lipstick immediately entice us. She wears tattered jeans, black Doctor Martens and a checkered shirt. It is clear she feels comfortable here. She says; "I wanted you to come here because this is where it all began for me. This is where I discovered my love of music and song writing, this is where I would sit and think about everything in my life that I could put into my music. This is where I would scribble lyrics into my scruffy old journal and improvise melodies in my head which could accompany them." We can see why Claudia loves it here, the huge windows display the hustle and bustle of the area allowing an entertaining glimpse into the lives of other people, and the coffee is marvellous. "We came here all the time with my pap. It was his favourite place ever! There was not a single Saturday morning that he missed his 11:00 cappuccino and brownie." The massive smile on her face reflects the happy memories that she describes to us, and her happiness is contagious as we can't stop smiling either! It's hard to believe that this young woman has been through so much, yet is still so strong. We find ourselves falling more and more in love with her! 

"I love everything about this career. I love writing down my thoughts and feelings and turning them into songs. I don't feel the need to brainwash young people's minds by constantly singing about provocative partying, fallacious relationships and all that cheesy bullshit. I'd much rather express through my songs the real problems of society like sacrifice, prejudice and the struggles of life rather than talking about a 'shawty' getting drunk in a club. Seriously, who gives a shit about whether or not a guy hooks up with a girl based on the size of her arse?!" The opinionated youngster idolises artists including The Black Keys, Coldplay and The Fray. "They talk about real shit. They are true to themselves and to the world, they don't care about owning a Gucci belt or being voted hottest male of the year. They just want to have their music heard and the message behind their songs received! That's all I could ask for in song writing, none of this fake crap played constantly on the radio. I literally listen to some artist's songs and think, were they drunk when they wrote this? Are they aware of how contradictory and inconsequential they are being? It really frustrates me. There are over 300,000 words in the English language and they chose to throw the most meaningless lyrics together and accompany it with a repetitive 'heard it all before' tune. It's so aggravating! Especially when they actually have a good vocal range!" She laughs off her little rant and takes a sip of her coffee to relax! "I am so sorry haha, I'm just so passionate about music that sometimes I get slightly carried away!"

"Don't get me wrong, I know how hard it is to be a teen with a thousand problems eating at you night and day. I know what it's like to have a boy you thought you were in love with walk out on you along with your heart. But I've learnt that these situations just make you a stronger person, and they motivate me to carry on doing what I love, because it's me whos laughing now. That's why I don't write songs about true love. Yeah I believe in it, and if it happens it happens, but I don't want to give people that have hurt me the satisfaction of knowing it through my music. It makes it seem like I give two shits, when really they've done me a favour and helped me become who I am today. I'm stronger than ever. So two fingers to them!"

Aswell as a perfect voice, a bubbly personality and a gift for music, Claudia is a keen enthusiast on raising money for charity. "Basically, I'm launching a clothing line in collaboration with Urban Outfitters. 90% of all the money received will go towards Cancer Research UK. I know how hard it is to lose someone to cancer, so the more money we raise from the collection, the more we can participate in the search for a cure. It will be available from the 12th December in all UK Urban Outfitters stores. A lot of the clothes have been designed by me or influenced by things that I wear, so I've really put my own personal touch on it. This is the first project I've done apart from my singing and it really does mean a lot to me! I hope that many people will support me on this and help to raise the money. It just feels amazing to be part of something as sentimental as this! I can't wait."