Exclusive Interview with CLAPMUTT

On November 4, 2022, CLAPMUTT releases U=U, an electro-pop song with jazz undertones. Through catchy words and music, the song delivers the scientific fact Undetectable=Untransmittable to the general public in an effort to remove stigma and combat deeply established HIV-related beliefs. The song will be accessible on all major platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and TikTok.

CLAPMUTT is a versatile clown easily identifiable by his signature lipstick and blue plaster bow tie. He is a modern Renaissance man who expresses himself through music, dance, modeling, acting, and the visual arts. His inspiration for creating U=U derives from the presence of HIV in the lives of individuals closest to him, which also inspired him to volunteer for numerous HIV organizations throughout the years. His own internal conflict with HIV-related discrimination was also a significant inspiration for the song. As a gay man with a Christian upbringing, CLAPMUTT grew up in an environment where HIV was primarily seen as “gay,” a life-threatening sickness he had to avoid contracting. Additionally, “U=U” challenges the invisibility of the most prominent group internationally affected by HIV – women.

CLAPMUTT and TrescaLou wrote, composed, and performed U=U in June 2021 for the life drawing group @helenroetenlifedrawing, whose theme was HIV Stigma. Zhero was responsible for post-production, Blair Jollands recorded vocals, while Angelina Namiba and Mina Kakaiya did background vocals. This song reflects the artistic influence of Lady Gaga, Stromae, and Peggy Lee. Following the release of this single, CLAPMUTT shot a music video using funds raised at the event # CLAPMUTT – U=U, on 4th November 2022 at Tileyard Music Studios. Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

CLAPMUTT : I come from Portugal. I was born in a small village near Lisbon and lived in other cities around the country throughout my teens, including the capital. # CLAPMUTT started precisely when I didn’t get recalls for Acting Schools (that’s the reason why I moved to London) . The moment they sent me home, I felt this realisation inside me saying “ So, is that how it works? I work so much for weeks at the back of the restaurant to receive a ‘No’ in one Morning!?!?!?” I will need then to create something that gives opportunities to me and to others as a backup plan, in case I will never be successful in auditions.” The fact of also not having money due to my room being too expensive and I was working as a waiter was also another episode where life literally put me inside my room only facing notebooks, pens and my piano keyboard. But first, as a conceptual artist, I needed a name. In between unclapmutts & clapunmutts, CLAPMUTT started.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

CLAPMUTT : I had various kinds of training – I studied visual arts at secondary school,took a BA(Hons) In Sculpture at the Fine Arts University of Lisbon.

Acting- Since I was 15 I always attended theatre groups until I finished University. Other than that, auditioning for Universities in London helped me a lot with my self-research and development. I took acting courses in London and studied some acting theories such as Stanislavsky’s. I also ended up giving movement direction as well as doing stage design whilst I was performing in theatre groups.

Dance- I joined dance classes at the age of 19. Started with contemporary and ballet, and after that I did academic classes for Jazz, Contemporary, Musicals and Lyrical Jazz for 3 years in Lisbon. Other than that, I remember learning tecktonik on YouTube when I was 16 lol.

Music- music has always been a funny thing in my life. I was forced to play the guitar at the age of 9, therefore I hated it. When I was young I used to sing in catholic churches and at the age of 12 I sang used to sing in evangelical churches. At the age of 15 I joined the choir in a boarding school and at the age of 17 I decided to start having private classical classes in Piano and Singing for 3 years, at the conservatory in Fatima . I Self taught myself songwriting.

Modelling- This one just happened. lol

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name CLAPMUTT’?

CLAPMUTT : I have a strong reference in Lady Gaga’s pop honesty and shock, Benjamin Clementine’s piano , Nirvana rawness pain, Stromae beats, Chemical brothers unexpected story line with melodies, Massive Attack poetry, Tom Waits boldness to be experimental with his voice.

Clapmutt is actually a complex concept I created (and it’s still in process) to define an emotion. I started as a project but then I realised that “project” was in me . It defines An emotion of realisation that always cheered me to do what I wanted to do and put me in peace when things would go drastically wrong. I would say “Eureka ” is partly a synonym for this. It’s like a sort of the “negative sound of an applause” that I couldn’t hear but I would feel the vibration inside me. This feeling gives excitement, energy, focus to do what I want to do and acceptance of the present moment. Despite that, it makes you feel whatever you’re doing is right for you, even if people can’t really see ithat. It’s like the applause from your heART that makes you shine with nonsense. Eheheh

Terminology – it’s a mix of two things I’ve always loved – CLAP – GAGA;Pop art; applause; looking for approval & attention and I’ve always been fascinated why people clap… it’s so beautiful as it is silly. MUTT– DADA (Dadaism – I LOVE nonsense;randomness; spontaneous; so I stole Duchamp’s signature from his piece of art “Le font” ). I believe that people can be more connected to each other if they are more connected to their own personal creativity, which it’s something really repressed in society, you know? Creativity is the bridge that exists in between who you think you are, your ego, and who you really are. To be connected to your real self requires a lot of bravery to be vulnerable, therefore to your creativity. That’s what Clapmutt is all about.

For now, Clapmutt is portrayed as a Clown of all trades. Tomorrow, it might become a Zebra of Op stripes, who knows?

As you can see, it is a complex mission concept I have in my hands to describe what I feel that moves me forward throughout this journey.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

CLAPMUTT : The lyrics and the story that it tells under the weather of the arrangement of the song. The poetry of the rhymes in between the playfulness of the “nonsense” words when it happens. Sometimes I write such random and silly things that always make people think. I describe my sound as a chameleon sound… or maybe… Well… Actually, maybe a mutable sound! It’s a bit complex, but also quite out there like my performances. I sometimes listen to U=U and imagina a rock musical of 007.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as POP?

CLAPMUTT:

I see pop associated with “ Popular” but with a very strong layer of “ population” which makes me see my music as something very inclusive with a more community aspect. I like to look at the stars in the night sky and see they don’t fight to steal each other’s shine. They shine with their social distancing space and I quite like that so I try to bring that to my music – “shine, with respect”. For my process, I think the mind is vital and incredible to plan and see the rules, but the mystery of the subconscious is fascinating! This also applies to music. The shower and the toilet are the best sanctuary for me to find the melodies and the right words. If I have images and sound in my head, I bring them to the physical world and its problems and details will take me to the next level. My main principle are – if the idea is silly, take it; Taste is an education so let’s challenge people’s contemporary prejudices. Sometimes My friends ask me “ What are you going to do with that draft?” and I say “ I don’t know, but it knows and it will show us all (the creation)”. The trademark of CLAPMUTT, for instance, the red lipstick and bow tie plaster, is an example of that – I had a problem with being “ extremely versatile” to the point quite a few people said they couldn’t recognise me from one work to another (to be honest I NEVER thought this could EVER be a problem). So, in order to find a solution, I just had this picture in my head of covering my body with plasters . So I decided to bring this image into the physical world and by accident having a finger plaster on my neck reminded me of how much I hated being called a “ clown “ at school. So I decided to use something that I hated to be called, plus a detail of an experience (bow tie plaster) to another thing I thought was never good at – drawing/painting (hence why the messed up lipstick). Same goes with music. Can’t count how many times my mind would think some lines I’ve written were bad and time showed it to be super nice!

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

CLAPMUTT :

Music and other art styles are the most powerful tool to Redraw what people think, even though we live in a society that doesn’t see that (but the truth is humans are pretty good at being unnatural to their nature so I’m not surprised). However, if I have a vision of the future in some decades, it is actually a society much more developed innerly due to the increasing number of people who appreciate art. My music is certainly Spiritual, Cultural and It looks to challenge prejudices in life, such as, stigma around HIV and those little “ ham Walls” we have in our mind that makes our personal journeys challenging in order to become who we want to be, which is who we really are. I also find my music political, however but the root concept of politics I support is “the capacity to help a stranger”. And I can only help people through my personal narrative of how my life is and use entertainment to show others.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

CLAPMUTT :

Everyday music is giving me more and more pleasure. However, it sometimes gives me pure moments of exhaustion, which I see as the price of surrendering to pure honesty and vulnerability. I have big dreams in the long term, but for now my expectation for the future is to have more and more events to perform and live the best time of my life whilst caring for my fans with my artwork. At the end of the day, if I have only one person to see what I am doing, that person would matter to me the same way if I would be performing to a big audience. My next expectation is to dedicate myself to the process 100% and purely enjoy it.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

CLAPMUTT :

I normally start my creative process in two ways- One more formal and methodological and another more playful. The first one is normally to choose a topic of what I want to talk about. I put down many questions around this, always having the following as a standard:“ who is singing?” “ Who are you singing to?” “ what are you trying to say?” “ Why? “ (The last one is the most important for me) bearing in mind that I sometimes find the answers for these after rehearsing the song thousands of times, even in years. For the more playful version, I would start with a brainstorm of lyrics or a chord progression, and then just live it whilst I’m playing on the piano, and take the song with me everywhere. I LOVE collaborating with others in the process. The toughest lesson I had to do was actually to work on my own for a long period. The most special collaboration I’ve had until now is with my music producer Zhero. We are like draft queer queens and two pieces of puzzle with different shapes that still fit so well together. Another very special collaboration I’ve had was with Tresca who wrote the song U=U and was super open to being vulnerable with her own words for the song.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

CLAPMUTT :

Putting myself out there. Exposing my voice, believing in my own opinions and thinking I’m worth listening. Taking criticism from people of whatever they have to say. Singing has also been the hardest thing for me. I have loved singing since I was little, until my voice started to change and I had people constantly telling me to be quiet even when my singing was just a whisper. I had people I loved telling me to give up my dreams which, back in the day I thought it wouldn’t affect me until in the long run I realized my subconscious had these comments stuck as thoughts inside me. Also accepting that some people are also mean and not everyone has good intentions with what they do.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

CLAPMUTT:

When I finished the single “U=U” with all the adventures that this one required.From composing it for a Life Drawing session in 2021, record vocals, pianos and produce it in many different bedrooms, to finding more women living with HIV to sing the BVs and organising a fundraising event for the music video was another big achievement. With the help of my friends, we managed to set up a life drawing session (in person and online), have Live performances and a photo exhibition about the Stigma, and see everyone having an amazing time. Another big achievement was having people asking to get tested for HIV and other STDs after listening to me and Tresca singing our single.

11. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

CLAPMUTT : Both excite me. Home, and studio are the process of where I find myself in the creation. What I am going to say, how am I going to heal myself, how my imagination is going to build a new dimension and where I find the biggest keys. Then the performance is where I care about the audience with honest stories and vulnerability. I strongly believe that honesty brings people together, regardless of the consequences and I also look to give value to people’s life when I perform.

12. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?

CLAPMUTT: I think everyone should have access both options and that’s up to each individual. As a performer, I always tell my story or someone’s that is relevant to me. If I understand my dimension, my performance will make some people understand their own dimensions. That’s what I find beautiful about creativity – is a sort of foreign abstract language that, in some way, synchronizes to the right people in the language they need to understand in order to find themselves at that exact moment. Art with my heART helps me to understand the world around me and hopefully my heART’s fans to find themselves . On the other hand, knowing my story and what I really mean behind my songs would certainly reveal a bit of who I am and what my principles are and that helps my fans to connect with me and, again, to themselves.