Rachel Clearman | Chasing the Sound of Becoming

Three weeks. That was all Rachel Clearman had to decide whether to move to Nashville.

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There was no long-range plan and no carefully structured five-year vision. Just a room that opened up through friends, a gut feeling, and the quiet realization that this was her opportunity to chase her dreams. It was spontaneous. It was bold. And in hindsight, it was inevitable.

Long before Nashville, before studio sessions in Muscle Shoals and late nights writing in Music City apartments, a good portion of Clearman’s story unfolded along the Gulf Coast in Pensacola.

Though she spent parts of her childhood in Mississippi and North Carolina, Clearman’s teenage years were rooted in the Pensacola area after her father transitioned into a lead pastor role. Her family now resides in Gulf Breeze, and for several formative years, Pensacola was not just a stop along the way. It was home.

And music was everywhere.

Clearman grew up the daughter of a worship pastor, immersed in church life. The church was expressive, immersive, and deeply musical. Church was not just Sunday morning. It was rehearsals, choir, late nights, and constant exposure to live music. Sound filled the room and shaped her ear long before she realized it was shaping her future.

Her first instrument was piano at age seven. At ten, she picked up a ukulele and taught herself how to play. By thirteen, she transitioned seriously to guitar, the instrument that would become her foundation. Today she also plays bass, drums, and mandolin for fun, but guitar remains her anchor.

She remembers her first song vividly, the chords, melody, and lyrics. It was called “Somedays.” Most writers cannot recall their earliest work in full detail. She can.

By high school, Clearman was playing gigs throughout the region, from Fort Walton and Destin to downtown Pensacola and even the Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival. Venues like Andy D’s became early proving grounds.

Pensacola was not just a backdrop. It was where she learned how to perform. Where she tested her voice. Where strangers first became listeners.

Before leaving for Nashville, Clearman recorded her first single, “Disguise,” in a church office. It was mixed and mastered by Eric Myers as a simple, stripped down but important release. The song established her presence on Spotify and marked the beginning of something more serious.

A family friend in North Carolina later commissioned her to write and record a song for a documentary about Hurricane Helene titled Rising Above Helen. The result was “My Own Foundation,” a track leaning more country than her usual sound and featuring contributions from seasoned musicians. It was a step forward in professionalism and confidence.

Still, Nashville was different.

Moving there before turning 21 meant leaving family, familiarity, and the Gulf Coast support system she had grown up with. The early months were lonely. She has never wanted to quit music because it is too personal to her.

“Music’s like my best friend,” she says. “I’ll never let it go.”

Her creative process reflects that intimacy. Songs often begin while she is busy doing something else, a lyric or melody arriving unexpectedly. She records quick voice memos and returns later to shape them intentionally. She also keeps a running collection of unfinished hooks and pieces waiting for the right story to grow around them.

Sonically, Clearman describes her sound as Americana with rock influence, drawing inspiration from artists like Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks. There is strength in it. Texture. Movement.

Her music came into sharper focus in Nashville. Before the move, she describes her style as closer to “sad girl pop.” Being immersed in one of the most competitive and saturated music communities in the country forced growth and brought freedom. Freedom to take risks. To throw ideas at the wall and see what sticks. To explore concepts she once felt timid about.

In Nashville, talent alone is not enough. Identity matters.

The city pushed her to shed people-pleasing tendencies and write more authentically. Instead of chasing what might land well, she began chasing what felt true.

On May 22nd, Clearman will release her debut five-song EP. The entire project was written after moving to Nashville. It was recorded in Muscle Shoals at Sonic Boost Studio and East Avalon Recorders, produced by Eric Myers, and features musicians including Bob Wray, Scott Todd, and Blake Thompson.

Of the new material, she is especially proud of “Burn Out,” citing its vulnerability and production. Meanwhile, the upbeat, country-tinged “Dancing with the Devil” is expected to resonate widely.

But ask her what success means, and she does not mention streams or follower counts.

“Success is being happy with what I create,” she says. “As long as I’m making music and proud of it, I’m good.”

Whether that means playing Broadway in Nashville, touring, or returning to Gulf Coast stages where her story first took shape, Clearman is not chasing numbers.

She is chasing growth.
She is chasing authenticity.
She is chasing the version of herself she has not met yet.

And sometimes, it only takes three weeks to decide you are brave enough to go find her.