Clara Chung (born October 31, 1987), known by her stage name CLARA (previously Clara C), is an American singer-songwriter, producer and composer. She is a music artist who rose to fame on Youtube when she won numerous talent competitions in a row including JC Penney's Talent Search, Los Angeles’ Kollaboration 10, KAC Media Juice Night, and ISA 2009. CLARA is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist who writes, produces, and directs her own content. CLARA's sweet, sultry vocals paired with soul-stirring music make her an artist to remember. CLARA has independently sold out tours worldwide and has performed at the Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and for the White House's U.S. Department of Education. CLARA's music has been featured in commercials, Film & TV (Netflix's Big Mouth) and can be heard in public spaces all around the globe. CLARA also composes for cosmetics industry titan Bobbi Brown. Early life and education Chung was born in New York on October 31, 1987 to South Korean-born parents who currently reside in Northridge, California. Chung graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and a minor in Education in 2010 and is currently enrolled in a graduate program for Psychology at Pepperdine University. She is now a full-time professional music artist, but had taught children with autism prior to all her music endeavors. Career In a 2011 interview after the release of her first album, Chung said that she initially was not particularly motivated to post videos of her singing and guitar playing on YouTube, but was encouraged by her friends to try it out. Chung describes the music in her album, The Art in My Heart, as being diverse and "taking on a lot of different sounds." "There are songs that are very much like Sara Bareilles and others that are more like Coldplay. And there are other songs that I can't categorize. I guess if you want to sum up influences, I’d say definitely Sara Bareilles, John Mayer, Feist." In 2010, Chung won the Kollaboration LA competition after writing her first hit original song "Offbeat", and performing it at the competition held at the Shrine located near University of Southern California. In April 2010, Chung worked with other popular artists such as rappers Dumbfoundead and Jay Park. In September 2010, she released her album Art in My Heart in conjunction with her music video for the