{{Short description|Irish singer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{EngvarB|date=March 2020}} '''Claire Sproule''' (born 9 April 1984) is a singer-songwriter from County Donegal, Ireland.
She was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, into a musical family; her uncle is Dáithí Sproule of Altan. After playing the clarinet for some time, she showed an interest in guitar, having been brought up listening to Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell and Elvis Costello in Derry and Donegal. At the age of 14 she started writing her own songs.<ref name="othervoices">{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/tv/othervoices/clairesproule.html |title=Other voices: Claire Sproule |work=RTÉ website |access-date=12 May 2008}}</ref>
After leaving school, she began by performing Eva Cassidy songs in local pubs in Donegal, before starting to sing her own songs. She made a rough demo tape which was sent to both the Parlophone and Blue Note record labels, who jointly offered her a recording deal within a week — Parlophone publishing in Europe and Blue Note in the United States. Her self-titled debut album, ''Claire Sproule'' was released on Parlophone on 10 October 2005.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/theticket/articles/2005/0826/1122072839103.html |title=From Claire 2 here |date=26 August 2005 |work=The Irish Times |access-date=12 May 2008 }}</ref> The album was produced by Stewart Levine, and included top musicians such as Pino Palladino. The album consists of tracks which Sproule wrote between the ages of 17 and 19, and attracted widespread attention.
Following the release of her first album, Sproule played numerous Irish television and radio shows, including the BBC Northern Ireland's ''An Stuif Ceart'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/anstuifceart/programme2/ |title=An Stuif Ceart |date=24 January 2006 |work=BBC Northern Ireland website |access-date=12 May 2008 }}</ref> and RTÉ's ''Other Voices''<ref name="othervoices" /> and ''The Late Late Show''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/tv/latelate/20050914.html |title=The Late Late Show |date=14 September 2005 |work=RTÉ |access-date=12 May 2008 }}</ref> Her second album, entitled ''Shades of Night'', was released in May 2008.
Sproule toured with Paulo Nutini on his first album UK tour and has supported the likes of Al Green, playing in the Royal Albert Hall, and Irish artist Mary Black.
==Discography== '''Albums''' * ''Claire Sproule'' (10 October 2005) * ''Shades of Night'' (May 2008)
'''Singles''' *"Wondering" (13 March 2006) *"Flame (31 July 2006)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.clairesproule.com/ Official website]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sproule, Claire}} Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:Women singer-songwriters from Northern Ireland Category:Musicians from County Donegal Category:21st-century Irish women singers Category:Musicians from Derry (city) Category:21st-century singer-songwriters from Northern Ireland