Claire was born in Wimbledon in 1967. She attended The Doris Holford Stage School until she was fifteen, singing was her strongest passion with dance coming a close second. Claire studied singing with Verona Chard in London and Marilyn Johnson in New York. For two years she worked on the QE2 and Cunard Princess.

Aged 21, Claire formed a quartet which featured Jim Mullen on guitar and Jonathon Gee on piano. In 1991 Claire signed to the Linn label.

She achieved instant recognition with her debut album "The Waiting Game", which was chosen as one of the Times records of the year. 1994 saw Claire receive the Rising Star award at the British Jazz awards. By 1995 Claire had made three more critically acclaimed albums for Linn Records and made her American debut with four sell-out shows in Washington DC, receiving rave reviews from the Washington Post and The Village Voice.

Later that year Claire won the Best Vocalist Award at the British Jazz Awards and took her group to Ronnie Scott's Club to make her first live album titled "Offbeat".

In 2000 Claire started presenting the jazz magazine show "Jazz Line Up" for BBC Radio 3.

In July 2003 the third BBC Jazz Awards named Claire Vocalist of the Year.

"Talented and hip beyond her years.... the most exciting jazz star to soar to my attention in a decade" Rex Reed - The New York Observer.