Today we’d like to introduce you to Thom Darling and Claire Debonair and let them tell their story below:
The roots of Darling & Debonair’s music started in 2007, at a home in Liberty Wells. There, the two formed a band with friends, wrote a handful of songs, and played some of SLC’s favorite stages.
After recording an album in Helper Ut in 2010, that group dissolved, but Thom and Claire kept making music and writing songs together. Since then, they have been in various groups, but when the pandemic hit the two decided to move forward as a duo. Their growth has been exponential both personally, and as singer-songwriters.
In April of 2022 Darling & Debonair released their live-tracked album “Just Us Two” recorded at Audio Inn Recording, a local SLC studio. It highlights their powerful vocal harmonies and thoughtful writing, and being a live album, the listener is getting a true reflection of what they will hear while standing in front of the stage!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not smooth, and after 15 years, we wouldn’t expect it to be. In past years, our biggest struggles have been interpersonal between various band members. Since pairing down and becoming a duo, our struggles and roadblocks have changed. We are learning each other’s working styles more in-depth and adapting to each other.
We are expanding in our writing and what we have to say. We are growing closer as friends and creative partners in general. We have learned how to have hard conversations and how to overcome personal challenges. We are learning how to market ourselves online and on stage.
All of this has had a massive ripple effect on all our other relationships and aspects of our being. The love and respect for each other are strong and seem to only be growing. We feel privileged to be on this journey, and in a way, we welcome the challenges!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Thom Darling and Claire Debonair are each songwriters and performer in their own right. But with their forces combined the sum is greater than the parts. With equal parts candid and earnest songwriting, along with bold and impassioned delivery, the duo captivates audiences with their performances.
The pair feels most at home with the soulful grooves emanating from the golden era of the 50s/60s/70s soul, r&b, and funk but write in all genres. Whether you call us alt-soul, alternative, or just plain good, once you get a chance to listen, you’ll find your own way to describe our sound.
Darling and Debonair work out of Better Understanding Studios in Liberty Wells in Salt Lake City. Better Understanding Studios is a non-commercial publishing studio that supports artists and songwriters in the Salt Lake Valley by offering no-cost recording and creative services to help musicians focus on what they do best, write and perform their songs.
What matters most to you? Why?
The exchange of energy. Serving and being served. Healing while being healed. We want to uplift people with our lyrics and our voices. Life on this planet is hard, and we want to alleviate the hardships we all experience as much as possible.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/darlinganddebonair
- Facebook: facebook.com/darling.debonair
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYlXF7Nwy2Y&list=PLfa-XHEKPtoQ9HbqsC3uDys5rvoy7-_88
Image Credits
Brian Smyer, and Isaac Hale
