Clementine Douglas is Stepping Into a New Era; Her Own Era

WORDS: SHANNON BONE

PHOTOGRAPHY: BREE MAY O’HAGAN

Twelve months ago, Clementine Douglas was the voice behind someone else’s biggest moments. Now she is filling rooms with her own name headlining the posters.

The British singer-songwriter touched down in Australia this year for her first solo headline shows, a full-circle moment for an artist who had previously only seen the country from a support slot - most recently taking the stage with Dom Dolla in front of an audience of 60,000. This time, Sydney had already turned out for her instead, singing back every word of a catalogue she’s only just started to build under her own name, and just hours before she was due on stage in Melbourne, Temper caught her before the show. With a 2026 APRA Award for Electronic Work of the Year, a Brit nomination for Song of the Year, and a co-write with Calvin Harris that turned into “Blessings’, Clementine Douglas is stepping into a new era, and the spotlight is on her.

Temper: How does it feel being back in Melbourne, but this time as a headliner?

Clementine Douglas: It’s nice. I’ve been here before with Dom [Dolla], so it’s nice to  come and do my own thing. I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was great - in Sydney everyone was singing all the words of the songs, and it was a really nice way to start.

T: You’ve picked up a 2026 APRA Award for Electronic Work of the Year. What did that recognition mean to you?

CD: Oh, I didn’t even know that! That’s crazy. Wow.

T: Your 2024 track “True” was the first song you wrote and produced entirely on your own. How has that side of your process developed since then?

CD: I'm still doing a lot of it myself, but I do enjoy working with other people too. We just did a camp in Ibiza over the summer, which was really fun - some of my closest friends and collaborators came out, and we got a good few songs from that. My last single, "Trust," was one I worked on myself again. I think I like having a bit of both. Doing it all on my own can get a bit insular, so it's nice to flip between the two.

T: You’ve described “Trust as the start of a new era. What does that mean for you?

CD: It’s me moving into making the music I’ve always wanted to make - a mixture of soul and dance and R&B, all the things I love and grew up listening to. I spent a lot of time writing for other people, which I love and will keep doing, but it feels like I’m ready and excited to take a step away and take that step into my own project.

T: Is writing for yourself a different process to writing for someone else?

CD: When I first started writing for myself I was approaching it differently. The more that I’ve done it, I’ve stopped trying to think about myself so much and I just try to make the best thing. That’s been a process - because at first it was overwhelming - what do I want to say, what do I want to do - I was thinking too much. Now I’m just trying to make stuff that feels good and that I am proud of.

T: Is one easier than the other?

CD: What’s easier working with other people is that it’s up to them when it’s finished. I do the writing, and they take it off and finish it. When it’s just me, I could go on forever.

T: You collaborated with Dillion Franic on ‘Free’, and he described it as a track meant to make you feel like a Golden Retriever having the best day of its life. How would you describe Trust in a similar way?

CD: It feels like a sunset. Driving, wind in your hair, roof down - with the girls.

T: A lot of your work takes really vulnerable, sad moments, and turns them into something euphoric and danceable. Why do you think people want to dance to feelings they would usually avoid?

CD: It’s funny because I never intentionally do that, but I think it’s cathartic. You don’t have to always say it - you can just feel it out and move on. Dancing is the best therapy

T: When Calvin Harris messaged you on Instagram about ‘Blessings’, you reportedly thought it might be a hoax. What was going through your head?

CD: That’s actually not true - that’s what someone made up about me. I knew that it was him - I just wanted to do the best job I could.

T: You’ve also picked up Brit Award nominations for Song of the Year and British Dance Act, what was that experience like?

CD: It was great - that was my first nomination as an artist, to get to go along, and it was a lot of fun. I don’t think it’s changed how I get treated in the industry, not from what I have felt, but it’s a nice thing to have achieved. It’s good to still have things to keep aiming for.

T: When was the last time music genuinely surprised you?

CD: Honestly, the AI situation. Not in a good way, but it’s been pretty crazy to see how much that’s come to the forefront, and what it’s going to mean for musicians. 

RAPID FIRE:

Current favourite song? "Strike a Pose" - Isco featuring Camille Munn

Current favourite show? Paola Nottini at Preston Park.

Current drink order? A tequila soda, lime, with a bit of pineapple juice.

Book? I used to love memoirs on vacation.

Current favourite item of clothing? This hat.