Name 3 Songs: Your new EP Jupiter came out in May, and it explores your non-binary identity. You’ve mentioned before that there was doubt in sharing this personal world with people. And I feel like there’s a lot of fear in being that open and vulnerable, especially about something that people choose to not understand. What made you want to push forward in telling the story and just being like, ;this is who I am and I think that this is a necessary thing to have people hear about?’

Forest Claudette: Thank you for asking. There were a few things. There were stages, I would say, actually. And this even ties into the time that I’ve had to be able to sit with these feelings and not feel the pressure to write about this. But at first, even just coming out, I was like, like, I’m not sure if just me being me means that people will believe it. Like, I’m not gonna change. I’m just realizing this is who I am. And I had this deep fear that like people would be like, but you’re the same. 

You’re like, but this is who I’ve been the whole time. I just didn’t know, like the verbiage.

Exactly like realizing that was huge. And that was a lot of conversations with my family, a lot of conversation with my friends, reading, learning conversations myself. And so, that’s in the work, I feel like that’s what I wrote about. 

But then, the fear of sharing it, and not knowing if that’s something that I could even handle if, for whatever reason, people felt like, “nah, I hate this. I don’t like anything about what you’re doing. I disagree.” To be prepared for that was another thing. 

And I had to ask this question… how do those moments in other people’s work impact me?

And when I think about the artists that I look up to, the ones that are just fervently themselves, they just say things with their chest. There’s no hesitation. There’s no holding back. Like when Steve Lacey said, ‘I only see energy, I see no gender.” Like, boom. That’s such a cool thing to say. And that’s just like his reality.

I felt like I had been impacted too much by the people that have come before me in this space of just being themselves and realizing that that was enough. 

That was the other thing… like, I am only just figuring this out. How am I in a position to capture anything of note when there are so many people that are further along in their journey of understanding their queerness? Like how is my voice relevant? 

And then realizing that at every stage of all of these experiences, there is a value because there are people experiencing that exact same thing. And so I came to this sort of [conclusion], in my head – not like negative or cynical – but it’s like, I’m not so special that no one is going through what I’m going through. You know what I mean?

You’re like, wait a minute. At the end of the day, I ain’t that special.

Yeah, and it really helped. I was like, duh. Like there have to be other people experiencing this. And if I am in this position of safety – like with my family, I’m not going to be exiled from any of my relationships that matter. Like I’m safe. It’s okay. Then I should use that. That has to be a reason [to tell my story.] 

I’m not in any inherent danger where a lot of people are in that position. So I feel like those are the things that really tipped me over. I was like, I have to do this.

This is a really beautiful realization and journey for yourself, too, because it’s looking up to these artists who were like fully themselves and wanting to almost honor that in yourself, too. And having the courage and the bravery to honor that in yourself. And then it’s also what you said of being in the process of ‘I don’t have to be at the final stage to tell my story.’ Like, I think all of that is beautiful.

Yeah, I appreciate that. It’s been a really, a really cool journey. And obviously I’m only ever learning more. 

As far as the music is concerned, I think that something happens when you put so much of yourself into something that people can feel – like as an energy thing. 

But then also for me, because all of this music is so personal and vulnerable, I think the level of expectation of like the quality, like of what I’m willing to accept that I’m putting out like rises. 

I’m even more proud of this music, not only because it’s true and it’s telling these stories, but because I worked really hard to make sure that I was really into everything that I made. I love all of these songs. I love all of these parts, all of this production. We took care because it meant so much to me. And I think that that is something that I am tapping into now. I’m like, like I need to love this. I want to love everything. All of it. I want to be like, that’s my favorite part. That’s my favorite part. That’s my favorite part. 

I think it pushes me to make better music.

Yeah, to have the music honor your story too.

Yeah, like it needs to be of a certain caliber if we’re gonna do this.