clairice Premieres “Need a Little” and “Grab That” featuring Marcus Darling

Throughout an artist’s career, there come times for slight recalibrations, which is a point where clairice recently found herself. The singer-songwriter is giving you a sample of that rebranding today with the double shot of new singles “Need a Little” and “Grab That.”

Clairice is the new stage name of Emily Woods, an R&B artist who previously released her music under the moniker E Woods. With clairice, she is challenging herself to be different. As a songwriter, she is venturing out of her comfort zone and trying new things. clairice is actually Woods’ middle name, so it’s certainly not a name she pulled out of thin air.

Discussing the new singles and her creative motivations, Woods tells us:

“Marcus Darling, Nathan Briggs, and I actually recorded the entirety of ‘Grab That’ in a living room back in 2020 and the track is pretty much entirely analog with the exception of the beat machine. It makes it unique tying it to ‘Need A Little,’ which is entirely digital. My last release (under my previous project name) TRULY last summer was produced by myself and Danny Kulasik, who will be on production with Marcus for some of my upcoming music.

“I’m trying to move out of being just seen as ‘singer/songwriter’ even though I am nothing without my guys. I drove the beat on ‘Need A Little’ and actually played the synth and a good majority of the beat on ‘Grab That,’ as I’ve been stepping more into production with my upcoming releases whereas Marcus fully produced my debut EP Late Night under my previous project.”

Despite the evolution, Woods doesn’t want you to think that clairice is some drastic transformation. She refers to it as more of a maturation than a full-fledged rebrand. She chose her middle name as she felt it better represented the more developed, confident sound she has been honing in on. That sound features a dreamier, more synth-focused sound.

As was the case with her work as E Woods, clairice is primarily a collaboration between Woods and Marcus Darling. The latter is instrumental in the songwriting and production process, with his studio wizardry and mastery of the keys. Darling and Woods have plenty of more ideas up their sleeves which they are currently working through. They have some more singles coming down the pipeline for 2024 with clairice ready to leave a whole new musical impression.

Clairice “Need a Little” bw “Grab That” single artwork