Lake Charles native Chesney Claire is making her mark in Las Vegas.

Claire’s inspiration and motivation is her family. “My very first time performing anywhere, it was at my grandfather Jerald Helms’ funeral,” she said. “After singing my grandparent’s wedding song at his funeral, my family approached me and said, ‘You need to continue doing music, that’s where you shine.’”

After the death of her brother, Matthew G. LeBlanc, in 2016, she felt the need for a distraction. “The loss of both of my grandparents and my brother led to me needing an outlet for all of the emotions I was feeling and music is what kept pulling me above the high water.”

Following this period of loss, Claire and her “Momager,” Kim Hebert, made the decision to move to Branson, Mo.

“Our time there was short but very beneficial,” she said. “Being in Branson really solidified my career choice of being a singer/songwriter.”

During her time there, Claire visited her first recording studio.

“I visited Atlantis Recording, owned by Rich Brown, and fell in love with the entire process of recording,” she said.

There she recorded six cover singles released under her legal name, Chesney Hebert. These included “Watch,” “Gravity,” “Grand Piano,” “Chasing Pavements,” “BAD,” and “House of the Rising Sun.”

After her time performing with the many notable musicians in Branson, Claire began to make a name for herself in the music industry. She began receiving international calls from musicians seeking collaborations. After receiving a call from Las Vegas and spontaneously catching a red eye flight to spend a weekend recording two original songs, Claire and her mother decided to pack a U-Haul and make the move to Sin City.

“Las Vegas has been an excellent place for me to get my name out,” she said. “My mom and I moved here right at the beginning of the pandemic and since then, I’ve met so many wonderful people in the industry.”

Claire’s time in Las Vegas has “been nothing but amazing.” She has spent her time making connections with peers and industry professionals, gracing red carpets, and creating in her home studio. “I learn every day something new about the business and how to improve my craft.”

The transition has been interesting, said Claire. “Las Vegas definitely differs from Southwest Louisiana!” She misses the people, traditions, and green grass, but overall feels “very blessed to be able to be in a place so beneficial to my career.”

Despite the distance, she has made it a mission to bring Southwest Louisiana’s culture to the desert. Claire infuses Louisiana culture into her music. Her peers have lovingly dubbed it “Gumbo music.”

“I thought that was the funniest thing but that really is true,” she said. “My culture definitely is noticeable in lots of my art. Some say they can hear my southern accent shine through even when I’m singing R&B. I’ve learned to let that be a part of what makes me, me,” she said.

Claire describes her music as Pop and R&B, and takes inspiration from artists such as Mac Miller, Billie Eilish, and Rihanna.

For Claire, the creation process begins with good instrumentation. “From that point forward, I hum a melody and that’s how I get the bones of my song,” she explained. “Whatever lyrics are written come straight from what I’m feeling from the beat.”

“I love to be connected to the instrumental in a way that writing becomes thoughtless and lately, I’ve been able to do just that by creating my own instrumentals, too,” Claire said.

Claire has released seven singles under her stage name, “15 Candles,” “Moving On,” “Hours,” “Come Alive,” “Distracted,” “Not In The Mood,” and “The Problem.”

Her most recent single, “The Problem” is a product of Claire’s new skill, producing.

“I was struggling to find somebody who made the perfect beats for me, exactly what I was hearing in my head, so I learned how to do it myself,” she said. “My latest single was completely 100% made by Chesney Claire.”

She has also taken up acting and modeling. She has upcoming roles in films that will be featured at the Cannes Film Festival, and is currently working a contract with a modeling agency. “I look for any way to broaden my horizons in the entertainment industry.”

So far, her favorite experience has been attending the La Jolla International Fashion film Festival to present the award for Best Music in a Film. “I got to walk the red carpet and take press photos and network, meeting so many amazing people such as Pat Cleveland,” she said. “After spending 2 days at the festival, and meeting the owner of Jenneration Magazine, I was invited to do a fashion photoshoot in La Jolla for their magazine.”

“The Fashion Film Fest helped me meet so many amazing people and really get my name out there.”

“I have so many unreleased songs that I’m so excited to share with y’all in the future. I have big dreams and big goals and I’m working every day to make these goals complete and these dreams come true,” she said.

Claire’s music is available on all streaming platforms.