‘I love to be as honest as possible.’ Claudia Valentina, the 21-year-old singer songwriter growing from strength to strength

At 21, Claudia Valentina is no doubt very young, but that’s not to say she is inexperienced. She’s been readying herself for the industry for more than a decade, moving to London from Guernsey to attend a performing arts school that would help her land a starring role in Elton John and Lee Hall’s West End show, Billy Elliot. By 13, she was on the move again, living in LA and writing songs with Johan Carlsson, a protege of prodigious Swedish songwriter and hitmaker Max Martin, and supplying the hook of Wiley’s 2019 smash, ‘My One’. Following these successes, Valentina decided to go at it alone, and launched her debut self-titled EP in 2020 with EMI Records. 

The four-track release encapsulates the range of expression that Valentina has at her disposal, from modern heartbreak piano ballad ‘Seven’ – co-wrote with James Newman (Rudimental’s ‘Waiting All Night’ and Calvin Harris’s ‘Blame’ are among his co-writing credits) – to the brutally direct lyrics and catchy hooks of ‘4:15’. It was this latter tune that first burst open the doors of the music industry for Valentina, with introductions from managers and labels pouring into her inbox, and artists hoping to release the song for themselves.

Last year, she followed up with ‘C’est La Vie’, a polished single with a club-ready beat, slick production, and flowing vocal delivery. ‘It’s like a “f**k it, that’s life, it is what it is” vibe,’ says Valentina. ‘A lot of people can relate to that. I am very specific with my writing – I love to be as honest as possible.’ 

For such a young, talented artist, Valentina has all the mental strength and ambition to take her career far. A follow-up EP is on the way, so keep your eyes and ears peeled. ‘I feel like I’ve found my feet with this next step and I am super excited about it,’ she says.