Rising Artist Spotlight: An Interview with Singer & Songwriter Clara Franz

Photos provided by Clara Franz and cover photo by Mary-Alex

UCLA Radio’s Rising Artist Spotlight aims to highlight upcoming artists who have demonstrated unique creativity and talent through their music. Through interviews and features, we delve into their journey, influences, and aspirations, giving listeners a glimpse into the future of music.

Clara Franz (@clarafrnz on Instagram) is a singer-songwriter born and raised in Los Angeles to a Mexican-Italian family. Clara’s music is a dulcet reflection of her adoration for elegant, timeless jazz styling and vocals. Her quest to embrace her passion for singing and building confidence to perform live has led to a sold-out debut show at The Hotel Cafe, and a role in the score for HBO’s Like Water for Chocolate, which releases its second season on February 28th. I recently interviewed Clara on my radio show, Pita Chip Chat, which airs every Monday of Winter Quarter 2026 at 11 a.m. on uclaradio.com. To listen to the interview in full, check out @andmore.archive on Instagram, where all show updates and previous recordings are posted. 

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This interview was conducted by Ava Bozic on February 13, 2026. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Ava: Today, I’m talking to Clara Franz. Thank you so much for joining me. I’m so excited to talk to you because, this quarter, I’ve only been talking to people who exclusively work in fashion. I’m looking forward to seeing how fashion intersects with music, which seems to be your main interest.

Clara: Thank you so much for having me. Fashion is probably my other main thing outside of professional music.

Ava: Did your love for music come first? Were you always a creative person?

Ava: That makes sense to me. It’s so intertwined with expressing your image as an artist and a musician. I found you through different jazz covers on Instagram; I love it when people have your sort of vocal styling. I feel that fashion really intersects with that genre in particular because there’s a classy element or an aesthetic you’re trying to portray. Have you found that your interest in fashion has increased with making music videos or performing?

Clara: Definitely. Because jazz is classy and elegant, I want to put on something elegant. I have so many Pinterest boards of clothes I want to wear on the street or in general, but definitely for music videos. Now they start bouncing off of each other. I see a pretty dress and think, “I can wear that to a concert.” Jazz is a specific vibe — it’s classy, it’s going out — and the fashion I like goes so hand in hand with that. I get so excited for both of them.

Ava: Do you find that being “properly” dressed gives you more confidence when you’re going on stage?

Clara: I would say so. I think the act of getting ready is what I really like. I’m changing my hair, I’m changing this, so now I am different, I feel different.

Ava: You said you’ve been singing since you were a kid. When did you release music for the first time?

Clara: At the end of 2022. I was making stuff on my computer because I was so shy. That was the whole problem I had to get over. I was like, if I wanted to be a singer, I was going to have to sing in public. I really pushed myself, and I made my first song on my computer, which was about a minute long. I released it, and I was shaking! Not only do you have to release it, then you have to tell people to go listen to it. I was like, “Listen to it… If you want!” [Both laugh] But as time went by, I started to be like, “Okay, I’m a singer.” That’s the end of my sentence. 

Ava: Did you always sing in front of your family, or was even that a barrier to get over?

Clara: It was definitely still a barrier. I would sing in my room a lot. My whole family is artistic — my dad plays guitar and sings, and my mom and older sister sing, too. It was very normal to sing but once I started to be like, “This is serious,” I started to be more shy about it. It became an introverted thing. 

At a family gathering, we had a karaoke session, and my dad was like, “You have to sing in front of the family”. I was like, “Girl, no!” [Both laugh] He’s like, “I’ll give you $25.” And I was like, “Okay, I’ll do it.” It started with the family because you’re closer to them, and then it moved to the public. 

Ava: The idea of singing your own songs to people…

Clara: It’s really crazy.

Ava: It is! It’s like your journal, in a sense. It’s so raw and vulnerable. I totally understand being like, “Now that I’m taking this seriously, no one look!”

So you released your first song three years ago; had you already performed on stage before that?

Clara: If the $25 performance for my family counts, then yes, [Ava laughs] but honestly, no! I had submitted myself to an Academy of Music and sang in a recital. Eventually, I started performing my own songs and having my own concerts, but there were definitely a lot of tiny steps along the way.

Ava: What was your first solo show, and how did that come about?

Clara: It was called “Clara and her Jazz Quartet” at the Hotel Café in Hollywood. It was funny because the Hotel Café is 21+, and I was 19 at the time. Some people needed convincing for them to even let me play. They were like, “You can play, but as soon as it’s done, you have to leave.” My friends couldn’t go, so it was my mom, her friends, her coworkers, and friends and family.

I was like, “How am I supposed to get a jazz band together?! I don’t even know anybody.” Then, coincidentally, I was on my way to get my haircut, and I was like, “Wait! That’s a jazz song that I know.” I turn the corner, and it’s a substitute teacher at my old high school, who was playing the trumpet. I went up to him, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, like Mr. Boomer, it’s Clara!”

He was like, “Wow, Clara, what are you doing?” I was like, “I’m a singer” — because this is when I was more confident. He said, “I actually have a jazz band that plays at this farmer’s market in Pasadena, and we’re looking for a singer. Do you want to sing?”

Ava: No way! I feel like there are so many tiny steps to take before you can finally put on that performance.

Clara: I needed them to be tiny because I had to work my way up from “I’m a singer” to “I have a jazz show, everybody come”.

Ava: I am happy that you eventually had your own shows. Did you intentionally try to use social media to promote your concerts?

Clara:  I don’t want a number to show up; I want a community. At the beginning, I was very word-of-mouth. But then you realize how big [social media] is. I realized I’m going to have to use it as a tool. I started filming videos, and people would come to my concerts, take videos, and I’d post them. I had to think more rationally.

Ava: It’s a very useful tool, but I also understand wanting a genuine and sincere place. Especially with TikTok, it’s a problem for some artists when everyone knows only 20 seconds of a song. It feels like the opposite of what music is — connecting.

Clara: I’ve found that people who like the videos end up coming because they want to be there. I think overall the vibe hasn’t changed as far as genuineness.

Ava: With jazz, the way singers come up is a bit different, but it’s classic to see a jazz singer at a bar. Does performing at a bar, where you aren’t necessarily the focal point, feel more relaxing?

Clara: I love it. I’ve done private events where I’m just the background music, and it’s so cool. Both [concerts and background gigs] are really fun, but [being in the background] is super relaxing.

Ava: For your personal shows, are you doing a mix of covers and your own songs?

Clara: I’d say I do a good 50/50 mix. I play classic songs that everybody knows, and my songs that are jazz, and then I started integrating some that are more bluesy or R&B.

Ava: I love your song “Me Faltas Tú.” Do you have a Latina background? Do you sing a lot in Spanish?

Clara: I actually do sing a good amount. My family’s Mexican. I was the first one in my family to be born in the United States. Spanish is the first language in my house. Growing up, I listened to a lot of music in Spanish. A lot of the people who are coming, like friends and family, all speak Spanish. I’ll sing a song in Spanish, and they’ll be like, “Oh My God, I love this one!” [Both laugh]

Ava: You filmed a music video for “Me Faltas Tú,” where was that? It was so beautiful.

Clara: I filmed it in Florence, Italy. I went to Italy to learn Italian and planned to film the “Me Faltas Tú” music video there. I was way too shy to ask anybody [for help], so I just set it up alone around the city.

Ava: It turned out so well! I love that you are making songs in both English and Spanish. How does your songwriting process go?

Clara: I think it is always changing. Sometimes I have a melody in my head with random words that do not make sense. I like how it sounds, but because the words are nonsense, I have to write new lyrics to the rhythm. Other times I [start with] a title, such as Me Faltas Tú’, which means [‘I miss you’], but it is more like a missing puzzle piece — having everything but missing one part. Every single time is different, I feel like having that open [process] leads to more possibilities. 

Ava: It doesn’t make sense for it to be like a strict process at all. Even when people have a certain amount of albums due — it makes sense to me business-wise, but in practice, they’re making art. How are they supposed to force it or do it the same way every time?

Clara: I think about that too. The album deadlines. I’m like, “Girl, how do you do that?!”

Ava: Have you already come across things like that?

Clara: Yeah, I definitely have. Right now, I’m working on this project with an anime that’s opening. They’re asking for a theme song. So I’m writing a theme song for that.

Ava: That’s really cool.

Clara: It’s so cool. It’s still going through the process of being created. So I have some time, but definitely a little deadline there.

Ava: I think it’s fun to incorporate little prompts like that sometimes.

Clara: It’s super cool because it pushes you in a [new] direction.

Ava: What are your primary musical inspirations?

Clara: My favorite singer in the whole world is Dean Martin. But I’m inspired by everything and every genre — I really like world music. I really like, obviously, jazz and R&B. But I actually find myself — I think the two genres I listened to the most are Afropop and classical music. And I listen to a lot of scores and soundtracks of movies.

Ava: How involved are you in the production of your music videos and the final product?

Clara: Definitely 100%. I reach out to people and lead the projects, but I love when the people I work with get inspired and have their own ideas.

Ava: You were born and raised in LA. Has that inspired you to pursue this as a career?

Clara: I’ve always known I was going to be a singer. Growing up in LA gives me the advantage of not being intimidated by LA. Having always seen the Hollywood sign and people in the industry, it gives you the perspective that if they were just on a TV show, then why can’t I do it?

Ava: Has it been helpful to be from a place with so many creative people when you reach out to work with others?

Clara: Definitely. More recently, I’ve been able to reach out to people, and I think that’s come from confidence. My parents are in the industry in some ways, and they’re always saying, “Reach out to people. Do this.” And I’m like, “What if they don’t respond?” And they say, “What if they do?”

It’s more about overall confidence — or not even confidence — just saying, “I want that, so I’m going to tell that person you’re really good, and I’d love to work with you.”

Ava: Yeah, just try to make it happen.

Clara: And I mean that. Like, “I think you’re great.”

Ava: Totally. I think that’s a great approach. Even if it doesn’t fully happen, maybe it’ll happen later. 

Clara: Maybe they didn’t see my message, maybe it just got lost, and they’ll get back to it. 

Ava: Maybe they thought they responded. Who knows? A number of things could have happened. [Both laugh]

Ava: Is there anyone else inspiring you right now in fashion or music?

Clara: I love the fashion designer Elie Saab. They have a lot of nice pieces that always show up on my Pinterest. I love their spring and summer collections. I’m into sleek, jewel-toned vibes right now. I’m really into the color purple — that’s been inspiring me.

I think the season changing from winter to spring will be inspiring.

The flowers are opening up. Friends, family — there’s a lot of love going around.

Ava: Beautiful. Incredible. That sounds lovely.

Clara: And in music, probably everyone.

Ava: Are there any other exciting things we should look out for?

Clara: Well, actually, in the coming week — next week, February 28th — it’s going to be the release of season two of Like Water for Chocolate, which is a series on HBO Max. I had the honor to be in the score. I’m in five songs doing little hums and whatever the composer is telling me to do. 

I’m so excited, because my voice is going to be on HBO Max! [She says with her hands on her head, in awe]

Ava: That’s so crazy. Congrats!

Clara: And it’s going to be in the score. I listen to scores! [Both laugh]

Ava: That’s awesome. Am I wrong, or is that show based on a famous book?

Clara: It’s based on a famous book from Mexico. And it turned into a movie. And funny enough, my grandfather is the one who directed the movie. And my mom produced that movie.

Ava: How cool!

Clara: It became one of the biggest movies in Mexico. And then they came out with a TV series. And now I’m going to be part of the TV series.

It’s crazy how things work.

Ava: That’s so cool. Well, I want to watch that. It comes out in a week?

Clara: It comes out February 28th. I’ll be posting all about it. Trust me.

Ava: Well, thank you so much for joining me for an interview.

Clara: Thank you so much for having me. This was so much fun.

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Listen to Clara’s latest work here!