Claire Shaner keeps busy with various forms of art

Singer/songwriter Claire Shaner sits down with The Lantern to share some of her personal stories Jan. 27, 2022. Credit: Andres Ibarra | Arts & Life LTV Producer

Columbus native Claire Shaner balances a life full of creativity through music, photography, design and hair styling. 

The indie soul singer-songwriter has more than 25,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and plays at various venues throughout Columbus, she said. However, Shaner is also a hairstylist at Lacquer Gallery, where she has been working for more than three years. 

Although it takes dedication to juggle so many practices, Shaner said the thrill of being active keeps her sane. 

“Sometimes it feels hard to balance, but I feel like the people that I work with and all of the different things that I do I just really enjoy, so it doesn’t feel hard,” Shaner said. “I thrive on being busy.” 

Shaner attended Ohio University for one semester after high school but said she quickly realized it wasn’t the best track for her. She said she had focused on studio art and wanted to pursue special effects makeup in college, but because she loves all things beauty, she decided to attend cosmetology school instead. 

“Since I had an art background, I feel like it was kind of breezy for me, and after a while, I got the hang of it,” Shaner said. “I was like, ‘Alright, I can do this.’ ” 

Lisa Suárez, owner and manager of Lacquer Gallery, said Shaner displays talent in each artistic facet of her life. 

“Claire has impeccable taste and is a true artist in everything she does,” Suárez said. “She makes everything new and fresh that she touches, whether it’s hair, a face, a sound or space.”

Although music has always been an interest of Shaner’s, she said she didn’t dive fully into her passion until she started posting song covers on Facebook and SoundCloud and experimented in bands as a background singer. From there, Shaner said she recognized her own potential and began to find her own unique sound. 

“I always assumed I couldn’t write my music because I’d always been singing other peoples’, and I didn’t have anything to write about,” Shaner said. “And then what do you know, one heartbreak later you have a lot more stuff to say.” 

Shaner said she is extremely open with herself when it comes to her music and feels as though many musicians wear themselves out and lose their passion from burnout. 

“I just let it come to me,” Shaner said. “I don’t love the idea of drilling something into the ground just because I feel like I owe it to other people.” 

Jacob Kohoot, Shaner’s guitarist and one of her closest friends, said he met her through mutual friends shortly after graduating from Ohio State in 2017. At the time, he said Shaner was in a band as a background singer. 

“Ever since we met, we bonded over music,” Kohoot said. “After Claire left her first band, we invited her to join ours. Since then, our band parted ways, but Claire and I have continued to work together on her solo career, with me as her guitarist.” 

Kohoot said Shaner has a special sound that reminds him of Amy Winehouse — an artist whose songs the two of them occasionally cover.

“I always thought she had a great voice, and in the other bands that I saw her in I felt that she wasn’t being utilized enough,” Kohoot said. “When I got to work with her, putting her in the forefront of it all and making her the lead singer, it was really great.” 

In the spring, Shaner said she plans to move to Los Angeles to continue to pursue her creative goals in a new environment alongside friends in the area who are stylists and on the music scene.

Although Shaner plans to work as a stylist when she arrives in LA, she said making time for her music will still be a priority. Shaner said she has a full EP and a single written, which she plans to record and release in the near future.

Shaner said the advice she would give to an up-and-coming artist would be to pursue their dreams without hesitation. 

“It sounds cliche, but do whatever you want,” Shaner said. “There’s going to be a ton of people who step in your way and a lot of that’s going to come from their own insecurities and not yours. So if you believe in something, it’s just as important as anyone else’s dreams or goals.”