Clara Mann

A lifetime spent on an autumn walk, feeling nature’s embracing indifference yet still seeking a sense of security: In Clara Mann’s music, these seemingly incongruous contradictions blend into fragile truths about the world and ourselves. Her debut album, “Rift” (2025), came as a complete surprise last year to fans of minimalist contemporary folk music, leaving most listeners both enthralled and bewildered. Using only her voice and guitar, occasionally accompanied by piano or strings, the Bristol-based songwriter develops a poetic depth in her songs that seems – in the very best sense – to be completely out of step with the times. Even on the EPs “Consolations” (2021) and “Stay Open” (2022), she ultimately sounds like a long-forgotten folk icon from the early 70s whose sparse, enchanted compositions go straight to the heart and linger there for a long time, much like an unrequited declaration of love. Her music sounds deeply melancholic and fragile, but also at least as beautiful and honest. Live on stage, Mann is an experience that undoubtedly leaves a lasting impression on the soul.