How much yin yoga inspired Claire Reneés’ music for ‘Wings’
« Keep calm and carry on », feels right to begin talking about this amazing woman.
Claire Reneé is a classically trained dancer who sings from the soul. Her natural ear for music and performance led her to study at Berklee College of Music and The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. This multi-talented artist has quite a unique background. Claire began dancing at the early age of 4 and trained at highly esteemed dance schools such as The Dance Theater of Harlem and Alvin Ailey.
Blending a combination of R&B, soul, jazz, and pop while being heavily influenced by hip hop, she always provides an incredible vibe and sound. Her voice reminds us of ALIX’s because it’s deep, and it carries real and intense emotions. It’s soft and powerful as the same time, also a little bit cracky.
Her album Wings, out on the last April 7th, reflects on how we deal with both the beautiful and challenging sides of a testing relationship.
“The human experience encompasses lots of different emotions, confides Claire. There may be some anger, sadness, clarity, visits from spirit guides and even epiphanies. We lead out by honoring that we want to change or see change in our lives. That includes doing work on ourselves, while reminding ourselves we will always push through and even find our Wings. Getting to the other side brings light and even empathy to the very same ones who hurt you, couldn’t show up for you, or wronged you in the past.”
The passion for yin yoga and wellness
One thing which is very important to her is wellness. She posts a lot of videos of herself meditating and doing yoga. Through the joyful drums, the sad piano melody, all make you want to dance, laugh and cry. Also, the anger and the freedom expressed along the songs in her Wings album feel like a real therapy, not only for her but for the listener too. It leads you through all the steps, to finally achieve a higher level of wellness.
As a perfect yoggi, colors mean a lot to her. She used a majority of yellow and green for the album. The yellow aura refers to self-confidence, while the green aura stands for self-love and forgiveness.
Let’s see how much it inspired the storytelling throughout the album.
HONEY: YOU DESERVE A HEALTHY LOVE, GIRL !
“Honey” is a love letter to the one who shows you and reminds you that you are not hard to love.
“Sometimes past relationships with people who made you feel like you were “too much” or in some way asking for a lot, make you feel like there is something wrong with you. Then you find people who remind you that love can be sweet, smooth, and beautiful because they are choosing to really see you and love what’s there in front of them” revals Claire.
Optimistic, colorful, it gets you happy. She finds love in a person who treats her right and proves to her she is worth of being loved and not too hard to handle, like her past relationships may have been given this impression to her.
SIRENS: WOMEN HAVE NEEDS TOO!
She needs the person she’s singing about around cause she is burning of desire for him, it’s so urgent she calls it « an emergency ». The slow rythm, adding to her sensual voice is increasing this desire and makes the listener feels her urge too. This song is about a woman wanting a man to make love to her. Breaking free from the double standard that women should express their desire as freely as men do. This shouldn’t be controversal.
Men have needs, women have needs too; this does not make them whores. A woman sexuality is still nowadays a burning topic, and with this song, Claire Reneé helps normalizing it and shows it’s perfectly normal to have this kind of needs and to express it.
INTERLUDE 1 (ARRESTED): PLEASE, DON’T GO.
I’ve never felt like this, I’ve never planned for this
She is catching feelings for someone, which was not part of the plan. She needs him by her side, the issue here is she is afraid of losing him by doing something wrong of being « too much ». She’s asking him to stay and to « guide me, I mean guide we, I meant guide us ». She stills need help with relationships, and for this she is bolsting herself in him.
RED LIGHTS : STOP, BREATHE AND WAIT.
Looking for a place to heal from the pain my ancestors lived
Color red implies warmth and a strong will to survive (source). It’s the color of passion, in every kind of way. Her ancestors endured a lot of pain, and now there are in a place when she hopes they’re healing. The suffering isn’t gone away still now, and she’s wondering if there’s even a place for her in this world. It’s true that Black people are the victims of racism, and frightening violences. The KKK, the segregation proved it. Nowadays, it hasn’t stopped. We witnessed it with the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor among others.
To be still standing, she is singing to herself to stop and breathe deeply. The solution she offers in her song is to wait, because even if life’s a maze, they have a bigger impact than their ancestors had and this is an evolution. The best is yet to come is a good sum up for Red Lights.
CHECK ON YO FRIENDS: FRIENDS AND LOVE.
Being selfless for some friends can be emotionally testing and exhausting. Plus, misunderstanding is a real thing. All emotions are valid, and not because everyone are not expressing them the same way, it doesn’t mean they’re not feeling it and doesn’t need help. Claire Reneé doesn’t understand some friendships, where people tells you they’ll be there for you but then walk away. We can guess she has been betrayed before and given up before. Friendships are a 50/50 thing, so she advices to « check on yo friends » because if you’re doing so, they’ll be too.
INTERLUDE 2 (TESTED) : LET BEAUTY COME OUT OF ASHES.
The person she loved has abandoned her, but it’s not putting her down. Even though he « took all the love right out » of her, she released she will not give her energy to smooth other people, also her dignity is the only « weapon » she needs to have.
I’M TIRED: BE REAL!
Claire Reneé has been involved with someone who seems to have failed their relationships and who pretended to be a good person when he was not. In general she is also tired to always pretend to be the complete opposite of what she really is feeling, tired of being taken for granted, of concessing things she doesn’t want to. She is putting an end to it, and won’t be doing this from now on.
Listening to this song, sang from the soul, it feels good to remember you can be tired and feel anger, without being labled to hysterical, selfish nor bossy. Holding things for yourself is no good for your own wellness, and this is one thing Claire Renée is rooting for!
JUST HOLD ON : YOU ARE VALID AND LOVED!
To people who feel left behind, whom values are being taken down, who are being said what to feel, who are « unlearning things that they thought were truly fine », hold on. « Every lessons will leave you wiser », and your hapiness, your soul, is all yours, and it doesn’t belong to anyone else. Everything you are is okay, life can be hard sometimes and when it hits you, always remind that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and if you hold on, the price will be worth the wait.
WINGS : CLAIM YOUR FREEDOM, GIRL!
« Even if you broke me, if you did wrong by me, I will see the best in you, because nothing can change the way I feel about you. »
Wings is expressing this, we feel so much pain at the beginning, but yet so much love also. Sorrow is omnipresent in this relationship, and moreover the other person hates her because she doesn’t think less of him. They feel trapped in this. Nevertheless, this song still gives hope and a beautiful message.
Wings, for Claire Reneé, stands as the symbol of freedom, new opportunities, of purpose so you must « claim your wings » !
After listening to Wings, you will certainly feel appease, loved and good in your own body, which is exactly what Claire Reneé is all about.
