First Listen: Claudia Isaki - ‘Start Over’

Claudia Isaki is far from your ordinary artist. Raised in the Parisian suburbs, the 24 year old French-Congolese singer first appeared on our screens in 2020 introducing ‘My Home’ to French and English listeners alike. After an overnight success, Claudia didn’t anticipate slowing down just yet. She later released a second EP titled ‘Golden Hour’ and furthered her audience's curiosity. As part of her forthcoming project ‘More Flowers’ that will release late next month, Claudia decided to unveil her second single ‘Start Over’ on October 26th. This was followed by graduating in law school and wanting to place her entire time and effort into music. One could say her next EP is a start of a new chapter.

Growing up in a Congolese household, Claudia was always surrounded by music. It was at the age of 13 she started to sing and with 15, she had already picked up the guitar. These tools became pivotal in shaping her sound, which would eventually persuade her to perform at local bars before catching her big break in 2018, opening for Julien Doré at L’Olympia. Claudia’s influences range from Rumba, rap, rock to Jazz music. It was through the likes of social media and sharing her acoustic versions of popular covers that she managed to gather a solid fanbase who would follow her journey to this day.

We asked Claudia to give a comment on her single and here’s what she wanted to share;

“When a failed relationship left me wishing it never happened, I turned to my faith for comfort and reassurance that not all is lost.”

She also added;

"It’s a sort of letter from me to God after getting my heart broken. I’d ignored red flags in a guy and was really ashamed I got played. I just wished I could erase everything. I wanted to go back to a time when I felt more connected to God and didn’t look for validation from men as much.”

First Listen

When one takes the time to really dive into the universe of Claudia Isaki, it becomes blatantly clear that she makes use of little instruments and vocal range to tackle such heavy subjects. In a way, it dismantles them from harsh reality and brings out beauty even if it must mean a painful heartbreak. Much like Jhené Aiko’s first two albums, there’s a strong spiritual ambience behind Claudia’s morceaux. This would tackle her religious belief as Claudia is a devoted christian.

‘Start Over’ is not just a breakup song but also, it describes the inevitable feeling of sadness when forced to confront one broken self. “I’m feeling myself getting older / the fire is not burning the way it used to be”, she sings in a nonchalant manner. This could be interpreted as this love affair has made her question everything else about herself. In fear of letting go, she blazes through the refrain with lyrics such as “Can we start over? / Can we just start over?” even though she admitted on one of the first lines; “You are not a man, you’re just a lie.”

On the outro, it becomes more apparent that it is her way of processing this tragic encounter. On one hand, she’s naturally losing confidence in herself, questioning her every actions and on another hand, longing for a love she knows has ended, or perhaps for the person she used to be at her happiest state. Throughout the song, in recognizing all of her broken pieces, at the same time, Claudia is rebuilding herself up. It doesn’t appear as though Claudia is going for a cry for help but moreso, trying to share her pain with those who can relate and mustn’t feel alone or go through this process without support, even if it is just this "music thing".

Overview

Claudia Isaki is an artist at its purest state. She doesn’t leave any room for misinterpretation and is straight to the point. Her songs are modest and share a positive light even if it describes her darkest moments and most vulnerable experiences. When she has the chance to bash someone and put herself on a pedestal, she instead humanizes both of their standpoint and show that she still cares and valued the time they had even if it had to come to an end. Claudia is not afraid to reveal her attachment problems and this comes across her single ‘Start Over’.

On her latest take, Claudia makes proof that the simplest form of music sometimes does a better job at unveiling such complex feelings. No matter what she has planned for her forthcoming EP, we can imagine that it will place her in a much more vulnerable spotlight, one we have not seen of her before.