Clare Maguire

Clare Rita Mary Maguire, born 15 September 1988, is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known for her debut studio album, Light After Dark, as well as her follow-up record, Stranger Things Have Happened. In 2011, she gained widespread recognition when she placed fifth on the BBC Sound of 2011 list of promising new artists and was highlighted as one of MTV's Brand New for 2011 acts. Her vocal style has frequently been compared to artists such as Stevie Nicks and Annie Lennox.

Maguire began sharing her music publicly at age 17 by posting demo tracks on MySpace. One of her early songs, "Strangest Thing," recorded with Joe Flory, accumulated one million plays on the platform. This online exposure generated interest from major record labels and prominent figures in the music industry. Producer Rick Rubin introduced her to Leonard Cohen in Los Angeles, while Jarvis Cocker offered her one of his songs in London. In 2009, Maguire signed a recording contract with Polydor Records under Universal Music Group.

Her label A&R persuaded her to move away from her initial folk and blues roots to develop her debut album. She collaborated with producer Fraser T Smith to record Light After Dark. Prior to the album's release, Maguire performed at the Latitude Festival in the summer of 2010 and joined Plan B and Hurts on a European tour. She also contributed to projects by other artists, co-writing "Lock the Locks" with Mike Skinner for The Streets and appearing on the track "Midnight Caller" by Chase & Status.

Maguire released her debut single, "Ain't Nobody," in October 2010, which was later remixed by Breakage for a Renault Clio commercial. Her second single, "The Last Dance," was written following the death of Michael Jackson and earned playlist placement on BBC Radio 1. Released on 25 February 2011, Light After Dark debuted at number seven on the Official UK Top 40 album chart and achieved a BPI Silver Sales Award for selling over 60,000 copies.

Following her debut album, Maguire continued recording and collaborating with artists such as Mike Skinner's project The D.O.T. In 2013, after attending rehabilitation, she began publishing stripped-back tracks and covers on SoundCloud, including "Paper Thin" and a rendition of Ella Fitzgerald's "Black Coffee." These recordings were compiled into her self-titled EP in January 2014, accompanied by a free mixtape. Later that year, she featured on the High Contrast collaboration "Who's Loving You."

In February 2015, Maguire performed live at the Burberry Prorsum catwalk show and released her EP Don't Mess Me Around. She released her second studio album, Stranger Things Have Happened, on Virgin Records in May 2016, supported by the lead single "Elizabeth Taylor." She followed this with the single "All or Nothing Love" in 2018. In 2021, singer Will Young covered one of her songs for his album, and Maguire confirmed the first vinyl release of Light After Dark to mark its ten-year anniversary.