Clare Dunn

Country singer Clare Dunn cut her teeth opening for bro-country acts Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line, but the Colorado native had a tough, formidable sound of her own, as evidenced by her bluesy 2013 debut single, "Get Out," and its 2014 follow-up, "Cowboy Side of You." Born and raised in Southeast Colorado, a rural area where her parents ran a farm, Dunn didn't start playing music until she attended Nashville's Belmont University. Upon graduation, she landed a publishing deal as a songwriter and started to chip away at a performing career, spending time singing backup -- she appeared on Luke Bryan's hit "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)" -- and collaborating with other professional songwriters. Eventually, she teamed up with Ben West, with whom she wrote "Get Out." The single appeared in 2013 and it became an independent sensation. It, along with "Cowboy Side of You," helped her secure a recording contract with Universal Music Group Nashville in November 2014. Dunn next set about recording her major-label debut, a five-track EP released in 2015. Its single "Move On" reached the country chart soon after, peaking at 45 on Billboard's Country Airplay. "Tuxedo" followed in its footsteps in 2016, reaching 51 on Country Airplay. "More," the first single from a new project, appeared in 2018, reaching 60 at Country Airplay. Over the next few years, Dunn steadily released singles -- acoustic and live variations of previously heard songs combined with new tunes like 2019's "Money's All Gone" and "Gold to Glitter" -- culminating in 2019's cover of Elton John's seasonal standard "Step into Christmas." Dunn left MCA Nashville in March 2020 and signed to Big Yellow Dog shortly afterward. "Safe Haven," her first single for the label, appeared in early May, with "Salt and Lime" following later that month. Both songs were featured on the EP Honestly a personal collection, which was released in June 2020. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine