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This year, we’re celebrating Pride by acknowledging the LGBTQIA+ community’s long-standing history of breaking down barriers and lifting each other up. Throughout June, we’re featuring customers who embody the reality that resilience isn’t only about being persistent—it’s also about becoming stronger than before. From building community, to fueling creativity and encouraging activism, we’re honoring the LGBTQIA+ community as a continual source of strength, evolution, and inspiration.
Throughout their life, singer-songwriter Claud has used music as an expression and exploration of queerness—and as an exercise in getting comfortable taking up space. Claud’s musical platform plays an important role in the representation of queer artistry, and of non-binary folks specifically. They spoke with Squarespace about pursuing a musical career, where they find inspiration, and what they hope their work offers and represents for the queer community.
SQUARESPACE: You have a growing and loyal musical following. How did you start creating music, and when did it become a career path for you?
Claud: I sort of fell in love with music when I was in middle school, like 12 or 13 years old. I thought performing on a stage was the coolest thing in the world and I wanted to learn how to be able to channel my emotions and energy into sound. So I learned to play the keyboard, then the guitar, just a few chords at a time. I grew as a songwriter as I learned how to do more on my instruments.
SQSP: As an artist, what or who do you turn to for inspiration?
Claud: There are certain artists I idolize, but for the most part my friends and the community around me inspire me the most. I’m lucky to constantly be surrounded by artists of all types, whether in person or online.
SQSP: How does your lived experience inform the songs you write?
Claud: I’ve spent most of my life trying to not take up a lot of space and making sure I wasn’t being “too much.” This resulted in softer sounding songs and making less bold statements in my messages. It wasn’t until recently that I realized my queerness should not be a burden on anyone, and that I can take up as much space as I’d like to. This really opened up a whole new world of writing content, as well as just taking control in the studio.
SQSP: What role does your online presence play in building and connecting to queer community?
Claud: I just hope I’m sharing some helpful information and resources, especially for Black queer and trans folks. I also hope my platform helps LGBTQIA+ people connect with other LGBTQIA+ people!
SQSP: Squarespace is exploring the idea of ‘resilience as a revolution’ as it relates to pride. How does the idea of resilience factor into your definition of pride and your experience as part of the LGBTQIA+ community?
Claud: Resilience is the real fight! The Black trans women who threw the first bricks at the Stonewall Inn were resilient. My queer family out on the streets this month protesting for Black lives are resilient! People with hate in their blood and bias on their back are just waiting for us to get tired and back down. You can’t have pride without resilience (even though it’s exhausting and requires lots of self-care).