Born and raised in Birmingham, England, dance-tinged alt-rock singer/songwriter Clare Maguire began writing songs on her own around the age of seven. Generating some buzz via committed campaigning on Myspace, Maguire eventually wound up being the subject of a record label bidding war that included rapper/entrepreneur Jay-Z and others looking to gain the rights to her music. Her dramatic vocals have prompted comparisons to people like Annie Lennox and Portishead's Beth Gibbons. Musically, Maguire's songs include trademarks of 1990s alt-rock with a somewhat dance-oriented pop backbone. Her rising popularity has afforded her opportunities to work with Mike Skinner of the Streets and to record a song gifted to her from Jarvis Cocker of Pulp.
