The grass is greener where Forest Claudette is. The artist travelled from Australia to Los Angeles to explore and expand, in turn learning lessons that would result in the new, vividly brilliant EP, Everything Was Green. “Everything Was Green follows the more impactful moments in my life over the past two years,” Forest says of EP. “I grew up in green, in the forest. Green represents everything I’ve known, everything that is safe and familiar.” That changed when he packed his bags for Los Angeles in 2022. "It was my first time traveling solo and my first taste of living alone. I learned a lot about myself and my hope is that folks can feel that throughout the EP.” Exploring themes of freedom, self-reflection and systemic injustice, Forest has created one of the most exciting projects of recent. We spoke to the artist about the project and the world of Forest Claudette:

We looove your EP. Tell us about the writing process behind it. Where did you create it? What was inspiring you?

Outside of ‘Motor in the Sand’, the EP was written in LA. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was writing for at the time though. For almost five months I was just doing my best to chronicle what I was going through and reflect on my experiences. Everything was new and exciting and I learned a lot about myself.

Who did you work with on the EP in terms of producers etc? What did they bring to your sound?

Each song was produced by a different person for EWG. Shout out Bumbasee for being the only repeat producer on this project so far. I think having so many different perspectives on the project does a couple things as far as creation and sonic direction.

1. It really pushes me to be the connective tissue between songs, that means being aware of my vocal runs, flows and melodies. And that encourages me to create my own style of sorts.
2. It’s an easy way to make sure I’m continually expanding upon my sound and tendencies as an artist. Being able to work with such talented musicians/producers, I’m constantly being exposed to new things and taking from them what I can.

Earthgang is the perfect collaboration for you. How did the collaboration happen?

I wish this story included me running into Earthgang at a show or even something like me reaching out to them and randomly getting a response but all credit to my US team for making that happen. It was suggested that a feature might be a cool idea and to be perfectly honest I never dreamed in a million years we could just “reach out” to EARTHGANG’s people and see if they were interested but here we are haha. Literally the coolest thing that’s ever happened.

What did you learn about yourself through making these songs?

I almost feel like the inverse is more applicable. It’s rare that music comes before the learning and experiences for me. Like I said I learned a lot about myself while I was in LA. It was my first time living alone, my first time being away from family for that long. As far as the writing processes themselves I feel I’ve developed some techniques and some tricks for when I’m stuck. And I suppose I’ve also learned how much I can accomplish when I’m really put my head down and focus.

What was your intention with Everything Was Green? What do you hope people take from it?

My intention with Everything Was Green was simply to share my personal cycle of observation. My favourite part of releasing music so far has been the realisation that folks will interpret each song in their own way, and although the meaning behind my words are as specific as I can be to my experience, they can also be interpreted in so many ways and speak to people through their own lens.

Is there a song you’re most proud of on the project?

Definitely. I could not be more proud of ‘Violence’ it’s something I’ve strive for in my artistry, but never quite achieved before this. How to speak to the Black experience authentically through my own experiences and perspective. Working with Ty we wanted to create something that felt like it could hold us whether we were reflecting on the past few years or the past few hundred.

We love your vibe and visuals. Is fashion important to you? What inspires your style?

Fashion is something I’m increasingly becoming aware of. For a while I really just looked to my older brothers for what was cool. But particularly in the past couple of years I’m really starting to see fashion as a tool and as a means to feeling more comfortable in my skin. A way to connect with my identities, a way to express myself and a way to find my confidence on days when I’m not feeling myself. I’m really looking forward to expanding my horizons when it comes to fashion.

What’s on your playlist at the moment?

I’m bad for playlists if I’m being honest. I’m very much an album listener still. I’m currently rinsing Saba’s last album “Fee Good Things”. I’ve just been through another wave of Brittany Howard and her album “Jamie”. Ooh and I’ve really been finding a lot of joy in Salami Rose Joe Lewis’s project, particularly her album “Zdenka 2080”. Oh oh oh and last but not least “Could We Be More” by Kokoroko. Ok I’m done :)

What is something you’re passionate about, aside from music? Something you’d like to use your platform for?

The past few years I’ve made a concerted effort to read more, specifically authors who are women and folks of colour.

I truly believe everyone should read “HOOD FEMINISM” by Mikki Kendall. That book was lent to me by a friend and it is still integral to my great unlearning. Another wonderful Author is Ayòbámi Adébáyò. I read her book Stay With Me and was moved to tears. Finally one of my favourite books I’ve read is “Girl, Woman, Other” by Bernadine Evaristo.

What’s next?

Next is more live shows!! I’m beyond excited to be playing Splendour in the Grass, but we also have a couple other festivals in the works. Sharing the music with people in real life is a really really special thing and playing with my band is the best.

Listen to Forest Claudette HERE.

@forestclaudette