With her debut EP in tow, Dallas’ pop-alternative singer/songwriter Clover The Girl is ready to show everyone who she was, is, and can be.
In a Lakewood Starbucks, patrons sit at tables, typing on thin laptops, scrolling on their latest iPhones, music blasting in their Bluetooth headphones. It’s a common sight, such devotion to the blue-lit screens that fit in our pockets and stylish bags. Then the coffee shop doors swung open, and in walked a breathing call back to the early 2000s. Swinging a micro baguette purse in one hand, she disclosed, "I have a hard time finding low-cut pants, everything is high-waisted now," pointing out her pink Juicy Couture velour pants, paired with a baby-tee that read: ’No Car, No Money, No Chance.’
The young woman, who could fabulously step out of the pages J-14 in 2019, is Brianna Conrado, alternatively known by her music persona Clover The Girl. “I was really sheltered as a child, so I didn’t get to listen to NSYNC or Britney Spears. Now, I get to,” the singer mentioned while explaining her unique style that is apparent on her Instagram, and latest cover art for her debut EP Even If It Hurts.
The fascination with the two-thousands goes beyond her bright eyeshadow and big hoop earrings. She’s let it infiltrate her sound, integrating addictive bubble-gum pop melodies with a brazen edge consisting of rock-solid guitar and bass. She admired gutsy women of the Y2K period, like Shania Twain. However, it was the introduction to metal shows that inspired her to create music of her own. As Conrado watched numerous men on stages, performing, and talking to the crowds, she told herself, “I can do that too.” Her unignorable passion took over, enticing her to leave college, and begin the journey into the music industry.
“Whenever I play songs, sometimes, I get asked ‘who’s the brain behind this?’ ”- the singer recounting moments when she’s been accidentally overlooked while presenting her own creations, with a bold laugh she pointed at herself and professed, “me!” Her EP title track is proof of this strong-willed attitude. “Even If It Hurts” grapples with the ups and downs of relationships, whether it be with yourself or others. The lyrics are bluntly poetic, with lines such as:
“Part of me can see right through the blindfold
Other half is trapped behind my teeth”
This isn’t the singers first time releasing music, over the past year she’s dropped singles such as “Insecure” and “O.K Fine”. Except, there’s now a notable shift that has taken place, allowing her music to reach new creative heights. This four-track body of work exposes a sense of vulnerability, a newfound acceptance of who Clover The Girl is at this point in her life. “I’m loud, harsh, abrasive, and aggressive. I’ve been called it all, and this EP is me embracing those parts of myself," Conrado explained. Play the debut, and you’ll immediately hear those scrappy vocals ring loudly through your speakers, she’s here to make a statement and nothing less than that. “It’s okay to feel angry, to feel sad, and project those things, and it not come out in some cute little package, because that’s never what’s happened for me.”
That theme of anger is smoothly contorted, avoiding the ultra-typical crying of grievances that one might accidentally associate with Conrado’s vision. Instead, she’s accepted anything that might feel like a struggle, including her own with ADHD. She took an otherwise touchy subject and wrapped it in an addictively poppy beat on the track of the same corresponding name. “I’ve had so many different perspectives. Being grateful for it, hating it, thinking it’s a curse, thinking the entire world got a handbook to life I didn’t get”, the singer revealed. “This was kind of a quirky approach to describing my journey.”
Even if It Hurts is a shameless introduction to Clover The Girl’s ability, it’s a milestone for the artist as she found the strength to let go and allow others to embrace her story through a handful of tracks. At the same time, it’s still just the beginning. She looks towards a future that includes an album, tour dates, and the opportunity to give more of herself through her work.
Full of notable zealous vehemence, and determination reverberating from her voice, a confession was made, one that could leave goosebumps on arms, “I just feel so ready right now; I feel so ready to take over the world.”
It might be hard to find the 2000s fashion pieces that makeup Conrado’s look, but Clover The Girl, she’s here to stay, for many more years to come.