For Spill Tab -- the indie‑pop project of Los Angeles-raised artist Claire Chicha -- music has always been more than a passion. It's a lineage, a coping mechanism, a creative playground, and most recently, a full-time job she still describes with disbelief. "I grew up in Los Angeles with my parents, who were both musicians of some sort," she told Newsweek, explaining how early encouragement and consistent exposure laid the groundwork for her artistry.
But her path was rarely linear. As a child of immigrant parents, moving between countries during the 2008 economic crisis disrupted her childhood, a period she describes as full of instability and constant change. When she finally settled in Burbank for high school, she found a surprising refuge in show choir -- the same show choir that partially inspired Glee. "It really taught me how to be comfortable on stage, have some sort of stage presence, and interact with an audience," she says.
After high school, Claire followed her mother's insistence on a "practical" degree, landing in NYU's music business program. While the curriculum felt "really beginner" and sometimes "a little dated," it gave her enough foundational knowledge to not get "too f* over by the industry."
NYU also became the place where friendships turned into creative partnerships. Through a reconnection with her high school friend David Marinelli, Spill Tab took shape. Initially a duo, the project evolved into a solo endeavor, as David insisted it felt more like her artistic vehicle. "It was just a natural progression of where the project was headed," she says. "Now I make music under Spill Tab, and it's my baby."
Spill Tab's music is a swirl of influences, textures and unexpected pivots -- a sonic collage reflecting her restless creativity. "I try and make every song feel different than the last, because I just personally get really bored easily," she explains. "If the music is not evolving, then I feel as though I'm not evolving."
This drive leads her toward new gear, new films and new albums; anything she doesn't fully understand yet is fair game. "In that journey of comprehending something new, I get to create art that feels new to me," said the 27-year-old singer.
Some of her most distinctive songs are entirely transformed by the final chorus, a deliberate technique born from following instinct over structure. "Sometimes the song will tell you what it needs to become," Chicha says. When working on the evolving "By Design," for example, a melodic idea inspired a complete sonic shift midsong. "I was like, 'Would it be cool to just do the exact same melody but change the entire context?' And it sounded really good. It felt like Legos. You just build one thing, and the next idea comes."
Her latest album, Angie, marked a milestone for Spill Tab. It was not only her first full-length work but also her most emotionally exposing effort. The lo-fi album mixes introspective vocals in English and French with experimental production. The lead-up, she admits, was brutal. "I definitely was so nervous before it came out," she said. With the industry's single-driven mentality echoing in her ears, releasing slower songs felt risky. "I was really excited to include slower songs on the album, but I was nervous. It could just be that a few songs get a little bit of love, and the rest fall to the wayside," Chicha added.
But touring the album revealed something surprising: Audiences sang along to the deep cuts. "It made me feel so seen and understood as a musician," she says. That validation softened the anxiety, but vulnerability is still a struggle. "I don't know if I've ever been really good at managing any kind of anxiety," she revealed. Her coping mechanism? Staying grounded in real life. "I remind myself the music is not the definition of my happiness. I'm a whole person outside of that."
Spill Tab's music videos often feel like short films -- emotionally textured, surreal and visually bold. While she's modest about her role, the seeds often start with her. "I would give these tiny little chicken nuggets of ideas," she said, crediting the directing duo Sweetie Pie, composed of Neema Sadeghi and Ethan Frank, and later her partner for turning them into full narratives.
One inspiration came from the TV series Maid. "There's a scene where she disappears into the folds of a couch. I've definitely felt that way -- where you just want to disappear, get swallowed up by your mattress. I loved that," said Chicha. That surreal moment became a cornerstone of the "Pink Lemonade" video.
Though initially opposed to making a deluxe version of Angie, she changed her mind after realizing she wasn't ready to move on. "There were songs I dropped that I really loved," the singer said. "They're like third cousins to the songs on Angie, an extra ring around what the album is."
The deluxe album isn't the only thing Spill Tab has in store, as she's preparing for a West Coast tour ending in her hometown of Los Angeles. "I'm constantly trying to make a better version of the show than last time," she says. "Touring is grueling and painful,but you deal with all that stuff for that one hour you get on stage with your friends."
Despite the grueling nature of touring, those times on stage are moments Chicha will cherish forever. "When my life flashes before my eyes at whatever age I die,I feel like performing on stage is going to be like a lot of those flashbacks."