Clare Portman - All Yours Now
Add to My Profile | More VideosWriting her first songs at the age of seven, it often seems that Clare Portman was born with the urge to perform music ingrained on her soul. Although impossible to tell what would come of it at the time, these initial forays into the world of song writing were the first tentative steps on a road that have led Clare to become the talent she is today: a magnificently distinctive vocalist, accomplished multi-instrumentalist and assured songstress.A singer/songwriter in the mode of Jewel and Sarah McLachlan, both of whom she cites as major influences, Clare is unafraid to draw on her own emotional experiences to craft heartfelt songs of love and loss. Eschewing needlessly complex arrangements, her songs are presented in a pared back style, the sole accompaniment of her acoustic guitar allowing her voice to project the emotive force of the music.Flame-haired, warm-hearted and vivacious, Clare’s countenance seems to contrast with the delicate fragility of the music she produces. Yet this is not the only contradiction to be found in Clare and her music. Although much of it deals with issues surrounding lost love, her music is shot through with a deep vein of hope, an unwillingness to give in, the promise that salvation is only a heartbeat away.Empowered yet powerless; the rock chick playing an acoustic guitar – it is these contrasting aspects of Clare’s personality that set her music apart from those following the same well trodden musical path. Nowhere is this made clearer than in her live performances, where her casual banter and relaxed manner between songs (part coquette/part damaged soul) win over the audience as much as her impressive vocal range and affecting performance.
