Charlotte Clark’s ‘The Shadow In My Company’ EP Is One Of My Newest Obsessions
Samantha Colleran, May 2020
I learned about Charlotte Clark when she first joined Harry’s band in 2019 to replace his previous keyboardist, Clare Uchima. Harry has always been really good at picking talented people to be in his lineup, and Charlotte is no different. When I saw the first ever live performance of “Adore You”, I kept going back to the bridge where Harry lets the girls of the group take over the vocals as they sing “Like it’s the only thing I’ll ever do”. I know what his drummer Sarah’s voice sounds like since she’s been in the band since 2017, but Charlotte’s voice stood out to me among the two new female voices, the second voice belonging to the additional guitarist Ny Oh, and I knew I had to learn more about her the second I heard her glorious voice fill my headphones.
Charlotte Clark, professionally known as ARK, is from Hampshire, England and began songwriting around the age of fifteen. She draws inspirations from Neil Young, Jeff Buckley, and most notably, Joni Mitchell. Growing up, she often performed Motown songs with her sisters at home, as well as spent time learning how to play piano.
ARK signed a record deal in 2017 with Kobalt and released her debut single “Made For Us” which was featured on a few Spotify playlists, and went on to release an EP titled The Shadow In My Company in 2018. Her voice is just incredible, and her sound is super unique and fresh. Her voice is super smooth and she hits really pretty high notes and is overall a talented individual I think everyone should add to their playlists.
The Shadow In My Company has a total of five songs, each with a different feel. Most of the tracks are piano driven, but they do incorporate other instruments and beats. Her lyrics are honest and vulnerable, and her music videos are so aesthetically pleasing. My personal favorite is a track called “Operator”; with lyrics like “Take to the town/ With my feet on the ground/ Where I’m going/ I’m far from home” and “I need an operator, savior/ Disconnect my nature/ Calling you”, I immediately clicked with the song and have been listening to it nearly everyday.
Recently, Charlotte and a few of her musical friends got together to create a project called Songs for Supper to help those in need in England during the COVID-19 pandemic. The proceeds for the purchase of the compilation album will go towards Trussell Trust, which works to end poverty and hunger throughout the UK. Charlotte’s song titled “Good Thing” (which you can listen to here) is a beautiful piano driven ballad that clocks in at just under three minutes, so feel free to give that a listen as well!
Listen to Charlotte Clark (ARK) on Apple Music and Spotify, and check out her video for Operator below! Let me know your thoughts on the extremely talented Charlotte in the comments!
Pretty voice. Listened to the song in the video as well as “Good Thing”. Loved the piano in that one!