Claire de Lune grew up in New York City, grew up some more in Minneapolis, and lived in Austin somewhere in the middle. Her style reflects that vagabond past—an open-minded acceptance of the cosmopolitan sexiness of R&B, the dusty roots of indie, and the propulsive energy of hip-hop.

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While working on her new project, she’s sung hooks for some of the Twin Cities’ most buzzed-about indie-hip hop acts like The Tribe & Big Cats!, Mally and Wide Eyes, collaborated with critically-acclaimed MC/poet Guante as A Loud Heart, and founded an all-female hip hop collective alongside up-and-coming emcees Lizzo and Sophia Eris called The Chalice (City Pages "Picked 2 Click" 2012).

Her latest solo EP, titled New Lion, is the culmination of all of this work and more. Expanding on her soulful roots and hip-hop connections, the project is a tribute to both the late ‘90s R&B and ‘60s and ‘70s soul music that she grew up with. With guest appearances from MaLLy, Freez of Illuminous 3 and Truth Be Told of the Tribe & Big Cats!, and some production work from some of the Twin Cities’ best beat-makers (including Big Cats!, Julian Fairbanks of Audio Perm, Mike Frey and more), the album is unlike anything else coming out of the Minneapolis scene—smart, sophisticated, sexy and catchy, just in time for the summer.