Festival stages and open spaces

Music, outdoor life and visual creativity connect Anna Claire Clouds’s Tennessee beginnings with the interests she continued to describe after moving west.

A life around live music

Clouds travelled the southeastern electronic-music circuit with a go-go dance troupe. Her performances included fire and light spinning, often at smaller camping festivals lasting several days. She remembered the work fondly and said she remained in touch with members of the troupe.

Country music took longer to win her over. Growing up near Nashville, she heard it so often that it once felt like background noise. After moving away, returning to that sound brought a sense of nostalgia and a new appreciation for the music associated with home.

Nature close to home

In 2023, Clouds described living with four animals and enjoying free days with her pets, friends or time outdoors. She valued the possibility of reaching very different natural settings within a few hours in California. Her childhood memories of Tennessee likewise included the lake and nearby woods.

Later she spoke about exploring Santa Monica, walking by the beach and appreciating the state’s open spaces. Those accounts give a quieter counterpart to her work schedule: ordinary outings, fresh air and the freedom to discover a place beyond its film industry.

An image with personal roots

Clouds explained that her prominent sun-and-planet tattoo honoured her family and childhood home. She initially worried that such visible ink could limit opportunities, but came to regard consistent work as more important than fitting expectations about an unmarked appearance.

Her interest in shaping an image also extended to art direction. For her 2025 X3 cover shoot, she helped create a country-inspired setting with a white cowboy hat, matching boots and clouds. It brought elements of her Tennessee background into a contemporary visual concept.