From releasing her debut album to being selected as an artist-in-residence at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Clare Feorene’s music career is taking off.
But along with her successes, the Cleveland singer-songwriter has faced the weight of personal loss and mental health struggles, using music as both her escape and her means of self-expression.
Feorene’s connection to music began with her mother.
“My mom would sing to me all the time,” she said. “Kind of immediately I had this association with music and singing as a joyful, comforting thing.”
Music became a special bond between them over the years, one that deepened as her mother battled ovarian cancer.
When Feorene was 21, her mother passed away, and music became a refuge, though she wasn’t yet ready to share her own songs with the world.
“The songwriting process for me, I realized, was a place for me to put things, feelings and thoughts that I wasn't ready to face yet,” she said.
After traveling across the country last year on a solo expedition, Feorene took the time she needed to heal and find the strength to share her writing with the world.
This shaped the heart of her January release, “Peculiar Places,” a deeply personal album that captures Feorene’s journey into adulthood and grappling with grief.
Working through grief with songwriting
Feorene said being born right before the new millennium meant experiencing a changing world full of cultural unrest, new technology and the evolved concept of family from the jump.
She journeyed inward to use her personal experiences as inspiration for her music, which she said serves as an escape from a young age.
“I much preferred the places and people I came up with in my imagination. It made more sense to me,” she said.
When Feorene was 14, her mother got sick. She said it was her mother’s strong belief in her that kept her writing and making music.
She started performing at open mic nights at age 18 at the Winchester in Lakewood, where her art blossomed.
“On stage I was this totally different person, like I could do anything,” she said. “But when I was just me, like at the end of the day in my room, I had very little confidence in myself.”
After high school, Feorene wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next. She got a job at a restaurant, but music kept calling to her.
“I signed up for Tri-C, and they just so happened to have an incredible jazz program. What I got from that experience was confidence. I started sharing my songs with people,” she said.
Studying vocal jazz, she experienced her songs truly come to life under the guidance of her professor Dmitri Steinmetz.
“He was one of the first people outside of my mother to hear my music,” she said.
She wrote the song “To/From” while studying at Tri-C.
“And then my mom passed away and I revisited that song,” she said.
The track appears on her debut album, which contains songs Feorene had worked on for five years, some reworked to reflect her feelings as they changed with time.
Finding inspiration from a solo road trip
A solo road trip from Cleveland to Arizona in early 2023 changed the course of her music career and kickstarted an eventful year.
She lived in her Kia Soul for a month. Touching the waters of the Mississippi River inspired her to write new lyrics as she traveled west.
“The last night that I was on the road, I was sleeping in a boat launch outside of Nashville,” she said. “I was staring up at the sky through the sunroof and just thinking, ‘I have an album.’”
By the end of the trip, Feorene realized she was ready to share her music.
In the summer of 2024, she was selected as an artist-in-residence at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where she learned from industry professionals and honed her craft.
Amid the excitement, she faced new mental health challenges as she struggled to reconcile her growing success with her self-perception.
“Everyone was telling me like, ‘We believe in you. We want to help you. We want to support you,’” she said. “I didn't understand that people saw me… and people saw what I'm capable of.”
“I was staring up at the sky through the sunroof and just thinking, ‘I have an album.’”Clare Feorene
By the end of the summer, Feorene decided to step back and seek mental health treatment.
“The biggest lesson I learned, which is so funny, it's not even really about music: Asking for help,” she said.
Now she’s rebuilding her life and finding solace in the support system she found in her city — particularly through her job at the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern, a Cleveland venue she describes as a family of “misfits” who have welcomed her.
“I found a family there,” she said. “I fit right in.”
As Feorene prepares for the next stage of her music career, she has assembled a full band to back her up and is eager to record new music that captures the energy and complexity of collaboration.
“I want to tour, develop my brand, reach more people and play to bigger crowds. I want to make music that makes people dance, feel good,” she said.
She’s also learning to accept the support of others, a lesson she holds close as she moves forward.
“People want to help you. People want to see you succeed. People want to help you shine,” she said.
