Claire McCartney

Claire McCartney is a singer-songwriter/actor and performer from Antrim, Northern Ireland. Upon completing a BA (Hons) in Drama Studies at Queen’s University Belfast, Claire continued her studies to gain a Master of Arts in Music postgraduate degree (with commendation) from Queen’s University Belfast – specialising in areas such as Musical Theatre, Pop Music, and Ethnomusicology. She also achieved an ALCM diploma from the London College of Music in Music Theatre.

Claire is a trained vocal coach and workshop facilitator. Notably, she was one of the first voice teachers in Northern Ireland to become a certified ‘Vocal Habilitation Professional’ and ‘Vocal Health First Aider’ with Vocal Health Education, London. Claire also obtained her certificate in ‘Singing And Mindfulness’, and incorporates mindful and holistic practices into her voice and workshop facilitation work. She regularly works with singers and actors preparing for live shows, film shoots, theatre productions, and album recordings, as well as touring artists (both UK-based and internationally).

Recently, Claire was an awardee of the International ‘Northword – Bringing Stories to Life’ Fund for Creatives, selected to represent County Antrim, as one of 6 creative artists from Northern Ireland alongside Northern periphery counterparts from Sweden, Norway, Scotland and Russia. Culminating in a musical composition highlighting the folklore and stories of County Antrim, specifically the history and lore of the Islandmagee witch trials entitled ‘The Song Of The Bones’, this mixed arts theatrical piece of dark alt-pop music (VOKXEN), poetry and puppetry was performed to sell-out audiences upon its debut at The Lyric Theatre, Belfast.

Other theatrical credits include a Northern Irish tour of ‘The Jazzabelles’ by Nicholas Boyle (Skinnybone Theatre), for a sell-out run, with Claire starring in a lead role of ‘Ella’, 4 consecutive runs of Wireless Mystery Theatre’s Irish Christmas touring production, and a 1940s Christmas Radio Show of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. She has also often performed as part of Wireless Mystery Theatre’s 1940s vocal harmony trio, The Mystery Sisters.

Claire’s own band, dark-synth alt/pop act ‘VOKXEN’, musically and lyrically draws influence from Irish folklore, feminism and cult film. VOKXEN were selected for ‘Scratch My Progress’ on the Oh Yeah Centre’s Artist development programme and have since gone from strength to strength. Vokxen are releasing music, collaborating with other artists, touring and performing live shows in Belfast, as well as internationally, in cities as far afield as Berlin. They have appeared on BBC TWO, NI (TV Series, I Lár an Aonaigh), featured in Hot Press, CLASH Magazine, and have been listed as ‘one to watch’ by Dublin’s The Last Mixed Tape. The band have received radioplay on stations such as Cool FM, BBC Radio and RTE 2FM.

As a vocalist and keyboardist, Claire holds a residency in the Cathedral Quarter’s very own arts hotspot, The Black Box, as part of ‘The Unholy Gospel Band’. This is a line-up featuring some of the NI music scene’s finest and fronted by top Irish rock band, ‘The Answer’s,’ Cormac Neeson.

Claire is skilled in session vocals (studio and live), songwriting, co-writing, performance in theatre, concerts, stage productions and TV/radio plays. Her experience also includes touring and performing at concerts and festivals throughout Ireland, the UK, and further afield including Tennents Untapped at top Northern Irish Music Festival, Tennents Vital, Planet Rock Festival, Fete De La Musique (Amiens, France), BBC at Edinburgh Fringe, International Guinness Blues On The Bay Festival, and the Stendhal Festival.

Claire has experience in performing at corporate and promotional events, including the NI Tourism Awards at the Grand Opera House, Belfast, Titanic Belfast Banquets, Arts and Business Awards, Council Dinners, Wedding ceremonies, and other formal events.