Clara Lars’ “Hero” Named June “Best Song Of The Month”

Clara Lars, a young pop singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles, has won the SongwriterUniverse “Best Song Of The Month” Contest, for her song, “Hero.” This song is included on her 7-song EP called Illusions, which she released independently last October (2022).

“Hero” is a midtempo pop song that has a modern, electronic-driven arrangement. The song starts off softly, and then builds to a full-band sound in the chorus. This recording provides a good showcase for Lars’ expressive lead vocals, and she also contributes background harmonies. “Hero” was expertly produced by Lars and Chris Coady, who played keyboards and did the programming on this track. Coady is a producer & engineer who has worked with Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio and Beach House.

Lars, who is 17, was born in New York City and moved to Los Angeles when she was 10. She learned to play piano and started singing at a young age, and she now also plays some guitar and ukulele. She’s been inspired by listening to such favorite artists as Beach House, Angie, Labrinth, Coldplay and Lana Del Rey.

As a young teenager, Lars began to write and record songs at her home studio. She has become skilled at using Ableton Live (digital audio workstation) and Pro Tools. She records demos of her songs, and then usually produces the full versions with Chris Coady. Coady co-produced five of the seven songs on her EP, Illusions.

For her song “Hero,” Lars explains what inspired her to write it. “’Hero’ is about feeling internal pressure to live up to certain ideals, and I love the song because I think it’s something that rings true for a lot of people. Musically, ‘Hero’ was inspired by a unique sound that I found on Ableton while I was experimenting. After creating chords and a melody, the song sounded unlike any other song I had written before.”

Impressively, Lars has already received exposure and praise for “Hero.” The song has been featured on Spotify’s Fresh Finds Pop playlist, and it has been added to the Sirius XM Hits1 Hitbound Channel and the Nick Music Channel.

Lars, who is completing her junior year of high school, is finishing two new songs that she’ll be releasing soon. She is also planning to perform live shows, both as a solo act and with some musicians.