From open mics to outreach: Claire Campbell’s career and history with Nuçi’s Space
Songwriter Claire Campbell has been producing music since 17 years old.
Campbell first started performing at open mics in Atlanta to get her foot in the door. Looking back, Campbell attributes her passion for music to her dad.
“I grew up watching my dad perform. He was an entertainer, and I would sing with him on stage, and it felt good,” Campbell said.
The best and most fulfilling part of being a musician is the touring, Campbell says.
“I don’t tour as much as I used to at all. But in my 20s and 30s I toured all over the country and got to meet lots of people, formed a lot of really strong bonds with other musicians, and played for some really great crowds,” Campbell said.
Touring has two different parts, the music and surviving, the former being Campbell’s favorite.
“The one hour that you get to be on stage is the best part. The one hour of a day that you get to actually play music. The rest of the time isn’t music, it’s driving and giving interviews. Most of the touring stuff is not glamorous. Most of it is just trying to figure out where you’re going to sleep, to eat and then you have about an hour or two on stage where you’re actually playing music. That’s the best part for sure,” Campbell said.
Currently Campbell works with Nuçis space, a local business in Athens Georgia that strives to provide a safe space, help with suicide prevention and to provide a place for budding artist and musicians to grow.
“I would guess that most of their expenses go towards paying for people to see counselors and therapists. Another goal they have is to help musicians and artists because they know that musicians and artists in particular need a place to work and need a community,” Campbell said.
According to Campbell Nuçi’s Space has many different programs and classes they provide to help the community.
“Nuçis space offers a QPR class, which is one of their newer offerings. They’ve been doing it for about four or five years. QPR is a suicide prevention class where you can get trained on what to do if you are dealing with somebody who is suicidal or in some kind of a crisis. I know I’m leaving tons of things out but that’s the core of what Nuçis space does,” Campbell said.
Nuçi’s space is an important part of the Athens community that provides community outreach and help, but those services come at a cost. Due to this Nuçi’s space needs help to be able to keep providing its services.
“The money that they raise does a lot of good in this town. Nuçi’s space runs almost entirely on private donations. So if people can purchase a ticket to a concert or give a small donation it would make a huge difference in hundreds and thousands of people’s lives every year,” Campbell said.
