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Clairo took to Twitter yesterday (June 30) announcing her intention to hire “a specific group of people” to help mitigate sexual assault and harassment at future shows.
In a Twitter thread, Clairo – real name Claire Cottrill – said she had been left “completely disgusted” after “reading a lot about all of these recent sexual assault allegations within the ‘indie’ scene”.
She added: “there’s no excuse, the alternative/indie/whatever you wanna call it scene is not exempt from these extremely real problems.”
hope y'all are okay. reading a lot about all of these recent sexual assault allegations within the "indie" scene and i'm just completely disgusted.
there's no excuse, the alternative/indie/whatever you wanna call it scene is not exempt from these extremely real problems— claire cottrill (@clairo) June 30, 2020
Cottrill went on to encourage fans who have faced similar situations to speak out and let her know.
“I realize i was late to hear about a lot of these [allegations],” she wrote in a follow-up tweet. “and i still am- so if i’m following anyone who has hurt you, let me know.
“I want nothing more than to create a safe and inclusive environment at shows, online and within the music.”
“I have experienced a fair amount of uncomfortable moments from men in music, and odds are I probably will never feel strong enough to talk about them. & people who ARE strong enough to say something deserve to be heard.”
i have experienced a fair amount of uncomfortable moments from men in music, and odds are I probably will never feel strong enough to talk about them. & people who ARE strong enough to say something deserve to be heard
please let me know, and i'm sorry for not knowing sooner.— claire cottrill (@clairo) June 30, 2020
Clairo then mentioned that she and “a few bands” had been working on the prospect of “hiring a specific group of people to look out for assault, harassment, any uncomfortable situation that happens at shows.”
“we want this to be a new normal, and my headline shows will be doing this from now on.”
If any friends are interested in being one of these people when shows pick back up, let me know. shows need to be inclusive and i won't accept anything but that
— claire cottrill (@clairo) June 30, 2020
The singer-songwriter also floated the idea of giving wristbands to those who may feel uncomfortable at concerts.
“I saw @rinasawayama did something like this before,” she wrote. In 2018, Rina Sawayama introduced a wristband system which allowed solo concertgoers to stick together at shows.
“how would you guys feel about having wristbands available to you at the venue if you felt like you needed to be looked out for?” Cottrill asked her followers. “could be a way to find protection within the crowd, or find other people feeling the same way about shows.”
In a final tweet, she summed up what she took away from fans’ responses to her query: “Yes and no. This could potentially work but we’d need to make sure it’s not putting people in danger as well. We’ll keep working on it.”
could be a way to find protection within the crowd, or find other people feeling the same way about shows
— claire cottrill (@clairo) June 30, 2020
soooo .. yes and no. this could potentially work but we'd need to make sure it's not putting people in danger as well. we'll keep working on it
— claire cottrill (@clairo) June 30, 2020
After a busy 2019, Cottrill is yet to release new music this year. She released her debut album, ‘Immunity’, in August 2019 to popular and critical acclaim.
NME gave the album a five-star review, calling Clairo “a master at penning lyrics that make you feel like you’re listening to hushed secrets from a friend”.
The review concluded that ‘Immunity’ “is also a great big gleaming signpost that its creator is one of the smartest, subtlest young musicians around, and someone with plenty more tricks up her sleeve.”
Earlier this year, Clairo was crowned Best New Act In The World at the 2020 NME Awards. She beat out Fontaines D.C., Jade Bird, Celeste and others to claim the prize.
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