HCM. How did you come by your stage name?
Clo 9. Well, Clo is short for Ency’clo’paedia because as a tease my friends would call me that because I just knew a whole bunch of random facts. But for obvious reasons “encyclopedia” was way too long for a nickname so I went with Cyclo for a couple years then leading up me making the leap to streaming platforms I find out the name Cyclo already belonged to an already well-known artist so that’s what pushed me to shorten Cyclo to Clo. As for the 9, I was born in the 9th month of the year.
HCM. When did you discover your love for music and what made you realize you wanted to pursue a career in music?
Clo 9. I know it’s mad cliché to say “as far back as I can remember” but my earliest memory of that fluttery feeling you get when you hear a sound you love was listening to “happy birthday” by Stevie Wonder and I must have been about 3/4 years old at the time so the love for what music is literally goes back as far as I can remember. However, the love for music started officially when I could really understand what had gone into the process. The earliest memories being “Bob Marley’s greatest hits” & “Kanye West – College Dropout” on the old school portable CD player. Pushing a bit forward in time I grew up wanting to pursue a multitude of career paths from football player to doctor. Rapping and singing was just something I did just because I loved it but I think it finally clicked for me at university when I myself decided to become the college dropout. It was at that moment I realised I hadn’t really put much deep thought into my goals and aspirations but there was one thing I hadn’t given up on as the years went by and that was music.
HCM. On your current/upcoming album… How did you come up with the concept for this project?
Clo 9. Day to day life really. It’s a concoction of happy moments, difficult/confusing moments & downright sad moments. To me, it just seems like if there was a moment to feel all these types of emotions at the same time it would be in a moment of peril like the end of the world per se.
HCM. What are some of your greatest challenges as an artist, and what is your greatest attribute when it comes to your work ethic?
Clo 9. Always striving to be better I’d say it’s both a challenge and an attribute because that nagging doubt that the song could be better sits with you throughout the whole process and it kills sometimes but on the plus side it always pushes me to improve at a rapid pace and stay ahead of myself. Continuing on that I also have a habit of never giving up if it’s still in the ballpark I have a relentless drive to achieve and I think that also helps me grow. I also have a horrible memory which seems quite challenging when trying to remember lyrics even when I’m reading them point-blank in my face but hey that’s life, I don’t let it slow me down.
HCM. What are your plans for the near future?
Clo 9. Fulfilment. My sole goal as a human being is to reach a level of balance where I’m completely happy with who I am and what I have become. This whole thing is just one personal journey I have chosen to share with everyone in hopes I can shed light along the way and help others fulfill themselves. Because at the end of the day that’s all we have, no one wants to die with an unfinished life.
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