Clairo

Birth Name: Claire Elizabeth Cottrill

Place of Birth: Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

Date of Birth: August 18, 1998

Ethnicity: English, some Scots-Irish, Scottish, and German, distant French Huguenot and Welsh, remote Channel Islander

Claire Cottrill, known by her stage name Clairo, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began uploading her bedroom-recorded songs at the age of 15, blending indie pop, lo-fi, and electronic elements. Her breakthrough came with her viral hit “Pretty Girl” in 2017. She subsequently released her debut EP “diary 001” in 2018, followed by her debut studio album “Immunity” in 2019. She released her second studio album, “Sling,” in 2021. She is also known as DJ Baby Benz.

Clairo is the daughter of Allie, a photographer and designer, and Geoff Cottrill, a marketing executive, who has worked at Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Converse, and Topgolf. She has deep roots in the U.S. through all of her grandparents. She was raised in Carlisle, Massachusetts.

Clairo’s paternal grandfather is the son of John Gaily “Jack” Cottrill and Margaret M. “Peggy” O’Neil. Jack was born in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, the son of Virgil Chester Cottrill and Stella Ramsden. Peggy was born in Butler, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Leo Joseph O’Neil and Sophia Heitzer.

Clairo’s paternal grandmother is the daughter of Douglas A. Stalley and Cecille Boyer. Douglas was born in Clinton, Summit County, Ohio, the son of George Thomas Stanley, Jr. and Nettie Louise Eadie, who were from Cleveland. Cecille was born in Cleveland, the daughter of James Garfield Boyer and Bernice Townsend, who was from Cuyahoga Falls, OH.

Clairo’s maternal grandfather is the son of Woodrow Wilson Edwards and Vivian Winifred Sells. Woodrow was born in Sugar Hill, Georgia, the son of Horatio Bruce Edwards, who was from Oconee, South Carolina, and of Elizabeth Goering “Gay” Shelley. Vivian was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia, the daughter of Ruben Bolin Sells and Bertha Haslett.

Clairo’s maternal grandmother is the daughter of Willie Williams and Florence Lillian Cassetty. Willie was born in Jackson County, Tennessee, the son of George Washington Williams and Rhoda Jenkins. Florence was born in Jackson County, the daughter of William Alexander “Alex” Cassetty and Sarah Althie Carver.

Sources: Genealogy of Clairo’s paternal great-aunt (grandfather’s sister) – https://www.familysearch.org

Genealogy of Clairo’s paternal great-grandfather, Douglas A. Stalley – https://www.familysearch.org

Genealogy of Clairo’s maternal great-grandmother, Vivian Winifred Sells – https://www.familysearch.org