Connecticut-raised turned Nashville pop singer-songwriter Zoe Clark is ready to introduce to the world a new page from her diary in the form of her new single “Last One Standing.”
The soon to be Belmont grad is a straight-from-the-heart songwriter that sings about the importance of loving yourself outside of a relationship in her new song. This pop-driven and edgy release is a reminder that there is strength in not conforming to the world’s idea of what or how a person should or shouldn’t be.
I talked to Zoe recently to get to know Nashville’s newest up and coming pop star and to discuss the idea behind “Last One Standing.” In the opening of the song, you quickly learn that Zoe is very matter of fact in what she likes and does not like. Zoe sings “I drink my coffee black, I eat my chocolate dark” and describes the feelings she gets when she sees couples in a park. Zoe can often be found hanging out at Portland Brew drinking her coffee black or sipping on a cappuccino while working on new music and eating dark chocolate almonds.
Growing up in Connecticut there was not a pronounced music scene like there is in Nashville, so she had to seek opportunities to perform elsewhere, often finding herself in New York searching for chances to showcase her talent. Zoe spent a large part of her time playing sports like soccer and lacrosse, but always knew, even at a young age, that she was meant to be a singer. She turned to songwriting as a way of keeping a diary and that has helped her write ‘honest, raw and vulnerable’ music.
Clark contributes her songwriting style to influences like Taylor Swift. Like Swift, Zoe desires to write songs that connect with people and with “Last One Standing” she has done just that. The Greenwich-raised Clark co-wrote the song with Autumn Byssee and was surprised by how quickly the song came to be. She says the song was written in two hours after Byssee asked her a rather frank question, “On a scale of 1-10, how bitter are you? Because I’m at a 7!”
Collaborating with others as a method to write songs was very alien to Clark in the beginning, and she was not a fan of the process at all at first, but after forming a kinship with Byssee and others, she says she would not have it any other way. Her process for songwriting finds her concentrating on the lyrics at first. She has several pages of notes in her phone full of song lyrics just patiently waiting for the right song to come along. When the lyrics are not working as an inspiration, she turns to another set of notes in her phone consisting of possible song titles.
In “Last One Standing,” Zoe finds herself being the girl friend and not the girlfriend when she is asked to be her guy friend’s ‘wingman.’ Turns out, Clark has some experience at this and knows just what it takes to be a good wingman or wingwoman. “Being super confident is important and personal too,” she says when it comes to stepping up to help a not-so-confident friend meet someone they have their eye on. Zoe says she is no stranger to playing a little game I like to call “Have you met Ted?”
It is obvious that the past year was rough for Zoe as it was for every performer. Not being able to perform in person was hard for her as she released her debut EP last year, and then had little to no way of promoting it other than online. Her EP Lovers Mark is also a collaborative effort that she wrote between Nashville and London while she was with the songwriting program from Belmont and is about the ups and downs of being in a relationship. “Last One Standing” differs from the EP as it takes the listener on a journey of self-love and not overthinking love. “It’s a relatable and fun song that’s about not conforming to someone’s idea on what a person should or shouldn’t be.”
One of Zoe’s goals after graduation is to achieve a publishing deal for her songwriting so she can be like some of her other influences including Carol King, James Taylor, John Mayer, and Ed Sheeran. With only a small sample released for the world to hear, it is already apparent that Zoe Clark has the talent it takes to be the last one standing.
Steven McCash is the Music Columnist for SoBros Network. He is the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music, in addition to the occasional live show review. Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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