In this episode, Dara finally achieves a long-term goal of the podcast – he gets his wife to sit down for an interview at Hashtag Blessed!
Chiara Clear (nee Browne) is an Australian who fell in love with music almost as soon as she first heard it. She didn’t know then that it would become and remain a defining force in her life. From school through university to being an in-demand session singer in 90s Sydney, Chiara was led by her fixation on improving her craft as a singer and getting instruments under her hands to help her hone her songwriting skills.
She talks about a publishing contract with Warner-Chappell that brought her to Nashville but came at the wrong time in her life. She speaks of her love of Aretha Franklin and Billie Holiday and the other great singers that have inspired her. Her musical quest eventually convinced her to leave Australia and pursue music further afield, ultimately settling in Ireland.
A return to Australia saw her achieve a long held ambition to become a music therapist, training at The University of Melbourne in one of the most acclaimed Music Therapy departments in the world. Back in Ireland since 2020, Chiara now practises and advocates for music therapy in the Wicklow and Dublin region.
Amongst other things, Chiara talks about the first music a baby hears, having stigmatised hands, and what song Dara is!
Chiara’s website: https://www.safeandsoundmusictherapy.com/
IACAT (Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists) website: https://iacat.ie/
Brokentalkers’ Manifest: https://projectartscentre.ie/event/manifest/