Clare Doyle

‘It was a hell of a year,’ says Americana artist-to-watch Clare Doyle, reflecting on a breakout year in which she was named one of First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2023, and Emerging Artist of 2024 by Music in Minnesota, and released three debut singles which garnered immediate attention for their infectious blend of soulful country and rootsy rock, and a bold lyricism that’s hailed as “a fresh perspective in emotional storytelling” by Music in Minnesota.

Doyle had settled in New Orleans until the pandemic forced a move back to her hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota, where she began to write and rediscover a musical identity she’d neglected for years. Armed with a decade of heartache, adventure, addiction, and life on the road, she began to alchemize raw emotions into a collection of songs that run the gamut from clever and rollicking, to gritty and gut-wrenching.

Initially inspired to write by heroes like Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard, now Doyle incorporates both classic and contemporary sensibilities into her songs – she draws on a range of influences to write candidly about loving, losing, hurting, and making a hot mess of things.

“A lot of artists cite Jason Isbell or Ruston Kelly as…inspirations, but rarely do you hear the attention to detail and knack for describing emotions that prove they’ve really learned from those two master storytellers,” writes Carol Roth of Adventures in Americana, “With Doyle, you can tell.”

In a short span, Doyle has established a reputation for a mesmerizing live show that brings audiences along for a ride – from the electrifying heights of a cathartic anthem to the pin-drop quiet intensity in a breakup ballad. She has been tapped to support artists such as The Cactus Blossoms, The Last Revel, and Them Coulee Boys.