Despite dealing with jet lag and chuckling through its effects, Annie Clark, best known as musical maverick St Vincent, recollects her enjoyment during the Brit Awards. She fondly recalls making an awards presentation to The Last Dinner Party, and permitting herself some leisure with a glass of champagne, all thanks to a mild dose of mushrooms.
She’s freshly back in her Los Angeles residence following a brief sojourn to London for the Brit Awards held at the O2 Arena. She took this fleeting break just before committing to the substantial task of advertising her latest emotively raw album, “All Born Screaming”.
The awards night was as disorderly as one would anticipate from the British music industry, featuring the likes of Kylie Minogue downing vodka straight from her footwear and a complex spoof featuring stars of The Traitors, a reality show. Clark spectated these shenanigans with captivated amusement from her rear row seat, then presented the rising star trophy to Abigail Morris and her highly successful band. She then allowed the effects of the mushrooms to amusingly take over.
Clark’s tenure at the Brits approximates to a decade, and she had braced herself for a different energy as opposed to the more restrained Grammys. She reflects on her initial Brits experience where she was running for the title of best international female, arrived late due to traffic, thus missing the red carpet – a moment she considers could have been a cherry on top of her career then. Even so, she didn’t bat an eyelid considering her competition was Taylor Swift.
The friendly contention for the awards that night marked the beginning of Clark’s and Swift’s interactions, which were far from over. What they created was an improbable wave in pop culture with “Cruel Summer”, a song they jointly authored and hit number one worldwide because of this. With past experience of dating a supermodel, performing with the majority of Nirvana, advocating for the videogame “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” in the middle of a pandemic, Clark has always been prepared for life’s curveballs. But the global acclaim that “Cruel Summer” saw, four years after its first release, was a curveball she hadn’t foreseen.
“It was an absolute astonishment, an incredible sight to behold. ‘Cruel Summer’, I knew, was a phenomenal tune, not a single, hailing from several records earlier,” asserts Clark. “Taylor’s dedicated fans decided ‘No, this is the hit we want’ and they spearheaded its global success.”
Clark is acknowledged for her contribution to ‘Cruel Summer’, alongside Taylor Swift and producer Jack Antonoff. Despite the thrill of participating in a sensational hit, Clark has no ambition to seek the broad-reaching fame that Swift possesses. She prefers not to be recognised everywhere she goes and is satisfied with her status as a popular cult artist, capable of headlining a festival (She did so at Electric Picnic in 2018), without being accosted by selfie-seekers upon leaving home.
[ Producer Jack Antonoff on working with Taylor Swift – ‘I believed Shane MacGowan was immortal…He’s the ultimate artist’ ]
[ The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift – Track by track review – A proclamation for all the hopeful romantics ready to test the waters of love once more. ]
“I value the ability to enter a room unnoticed. There’s something pleasing about watching people without being scrutinized,” says Clark. “To spend a day at the studio, followed by an evening at the bar chatting with a stranger who doesn’t recognize me, that would be my idea of a brilliant evening. The opportunity for anonymous observation is something I treasure and would miss.”
‘All Born Screaming’, is the darkly fascinating counterpoint to the vibrant ‘Cruel Summer’. Now in her fourth decade, Clark understands that life advances relentlessly. Her latest intense tracks, like ‘Hell Is Near’ and ‘Reckless’, whisper hints of past trials. “I observed you throughout the night until dawn arrived / the angels descended and escorted you away,” she confides in ‘Reckless’. Reading between the lines is needless, she presents her jagged scars and unresolved trauma.
Clark refrains from delving into the finer details, but doesn’t shy away from revealing that her album touches upon existential topics such as life and death. Her dark disposition finds expression in her latest single, ‘Broken Man’, where the music reminiscent of Tori Amos and Nine Inch Nails accompanies her as if she’s embodying the Grim Reaper, proclaiming, “I can make your kingdom come / On my feet, I’m an earthquake shakin’.”
Considering the themes of ‘All Born Screaming’, a distinct change falls over her typically vibrant voice. “It’s unambiguous – it’s binary,” she comments. “You’re either living or you’re expired.”
The term ‘chameleon’ is a rather clichéd descriptor that has been popular since David Bowie’s era, yet it forms a fitting description for Clark, whose early music pulsated an almost ‘Pollyannaish asexual vibe’, followed by a transformation into a pop dominatrix in her 2011 album ‘Strange Mercy’ and ‘Massseduction’ in 2017. Then, in 2021, she ventured into a 1970s funk style with ‘Daddy’s Home’, the cover showcasing Clark sporting a high-fashion blonde wig – a homage to Candy Darling, one of Andy Warhol’s muses.
Clark’s ever-shifting musical narrative has consistently been well received. Her admirers encompass David Byrne, who collaborated with her on the 2012 album ‘Love This Giant’, Olivia Rodrigo, and David Grohl who invited her to step into Kurt Cobain’s shoes when Nirvana performed ‘Lithium’ at their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2014. The New Yorker hailed her cerebral songwriting and captivating guitar skills in 2017 as “unique, layered, of-the-moment, yet approachable and on occasion, deeply soul-stirring in an unconventional manner.”
Despite lacking the levels of fame that require evading the paparazzi, this woman found herself in the media crosshairs after a short fling with actor and model Cara Delevingne. Briefly existing in the A-list illuminated her life to the tabloid press, and in 2017, the Daily Mail revealed her father to be a swindler serving a 12-year sentence for his role in a scheme that conned €40 million in stock.
Brought up in the quiet suburb of Lake Highlands, Dallas, she had to learn the hard way about unwanted press attention. She made every effort to keep her private life hidden, visibly squirming when investigated in a 2017 feature in The New Yorker. Nonetheless, she decided she had to approach and address her father’s criminal past. Her album, Daddy’s Home, is a sophisticated exploration into, rather than an evasion of, her father’s dubious reputation.
This Grammy-awarded creation is a complex work of art that succeeded in paying homage to the music of downtown New York from the 1970s’ first half, reminiscent of the likes of David Bowie, Steely Dan, and Stevie Wonder. Although the album displays a stylish production and appealing tune, Daddy’s Home unveils an eerie persona when performed live, demonstrated during a performance in Dublin in 2022 that resonated with unpredictable chaotic artistry.
The Grammy-winning album benefited significantly from the input of Jack Antonoff, her collaborator on the album Masseduction. However, she has chosen to go it alone in her most recent work, All Born Screaming, taking the reins fully for the first time. Owing much to the intimately personal underlying theme, she decided that self-directing would be the optimal approach. The expectation is for the album to encapsulate an entire journey, from despair to hope, darkness to light.
The artist suggests that the initial portion of the album reflects a tormenting period, akin to walking on broken glass. However, it transitions into an acceptance of life’s challenges in the subsequent half, affirming the belief that love is the only reason for existence. This acceptance concludes the album with a powerful maxim hinting at universal pain: we are all ushered into this world, wailing. The songwriter boldly claims authorship of every emotion in the album, for she claims to have lived through them, evoking a powerful intimacy.
Previously, the artist had exhibited a fascination for playing with postmodern concepts of identity and persona in her works. However, she currently finds less interest in such themes. She insists that her recent works are more personal, reflecting her inner thoughts to the world.
St. Vincent’s latest album, Daddy’s Home, presents a contemplating play on sexuality and self-disgust. Clark, of Irish-American origin, lavishly lauds the Irish-born engineer, Cian Riordan, of her album ‘All Born Screaming’. Although she acknowledges the American tendency to falsely claim Irish heritage, she had recently discovered her own Irish ancestry: Clarks, Flynns, and Gallaghers, all stout Irish Catholics. She jokingly attributes her mischief to this lineage.
Hailing from a nominally Catholic family, Clark still vividly remembers the notorious appearance of Sinéad O’Connor on Saturday Night Live in 1992. Clark recalls being too young to comprehend the situation fully when O’Connor ripped a picture of the Pope on live television. However, she perceived the action as an immensely powerful woman taking a stand and acknowledged the punk, transgressive act. She reveres O’Connor as a rel maker as well as an artist, lamenting the rarity of such riveting voices in this era.
Amidst the noise of a vacuum cleaner, Clark slightly elevates her tone. Visitors have arrived at her flat, which is currently having a spruce-up. She’s cheery, although being awake since 5am due to jet lag. This doesn’t imply that she regrets her UK visit – particularly her chance to meet The Last Dinner Party. She was thrilled to discover Emily Roberts from the band plays one of Clark’s unique six-string guitars; a result of Clark’s collaboration with Ernie Ball Music Man. Alongside this, the trendsetting company, Outdoor Voices, has partnered with Clark, an enthusiastic jogger, to design a line of leisurewear.
Clark, however, is viewed as a mentor by more than just The Last Dinner Party. When Olivia Rodrigo initiates her European tour in Dublin later in the month, a St. Vincent guitar will be in her hands as well. Observing the impact she’s had on young, aspiring female guitarists fills Clark with a sense of accomplishment.
Witnessing a generation of girls embracing the guitar stirs her enthusiasm – they absolutely should. Whether it be The Last Dinner Party or Olivia Rodrigo, observing her guitar in varied environments has been nothing short of amazing. From metalheads to country musicians, the aftermath of crafting an instrument that sparks inspiration amongst musicians is unquestionably rewarding for Clark.
All Born Screaming is due for release this coming Friday, April 26th.