Clairo Documents the Studio Process for a Fourth Album She Calls “Very Different”

Clairo is deep into making her fourth album, the follow-up to 2024’s Charm. She’s been posting updates from a recording trip — the third of the process so far — talking directly about inspiration, doubt, and the long blanks between ideas that actually stick.

In a series of TikTok videos, she described a state of mind that sounded genuinely fresh, not post-album press cycle polished. “I’m feeling really good about the music. I’m feeling really good about where I am and the things I’m striving for,” she said. “I feel like this is one of the first times I’ve been — I’m back in that place where I’m having big dreams and trying to accomplish them.”

She didn’t offer technical details on the sound. She did say it scares her a little. “That’s a good sign to me that I’m doing something at least a little bit different.” It’s a subtle shift in language from the headline’s “very different,” but consistent with an artist who has never rushed to define her records in advance.

There was also a long reflection on how she processes criticism now. She spoke about loving Sling while knowing a portion of listeners didn’t, and about the gap between working on something for years and meeting a cold first response. She called the 2021 album “so badass” as a follow-up to her debut, and then added, “Of course I care, but ultimately you stop caring after time has passed.”

It’s rare to hear someone document the difficult stretches between creative breakthroughs with this much clarity. Clairo called music the only thing that matters to her, isolating when it isn