Diary 001

Diary 001 is the solo debut studio extended play by American singer-songwriter Clairo. It is her twelfth extended play overall, following several demos and collaborative releases under the name Claire Cottrill. The EP was released on May 25, 2018 through Fader Label.

Diary 001
EP by Clairo
Released	May 25, 2018 (2018-05-25)
Genre	Indie pop lo-fi[1] R&B[1] bedroom pop[2]
Length	14:43
Label	Fader Label
Producer	Clairo Danny L Harle Eddie Burns Isaac Burns Ashwin Torke Deaton Anthony
Clairo chronology
Claire Cottrill / Keel Her (2016) Diary 001 (2018) Immunity (2019)
Singles from Diary 001
"Flaming Hot Cheetos" Released: June 14, 2017 "Pretty Girl" Released: August 4, 2017 "4EVER" Released: April 27, 2018

Background

Clairo began her career in 2014 with the demo EP Do U Wanna Fall in Love?, released through Bandcamp under her legal name Claire Cottrill.^[1] Over the following years, she released eight more demo EPs and two collaborative EPs.

After signing with Fader Label in 2017, she released the indie pop single "Flaming Hot Cheetos", her first release under the new name Clairo. The single was followed by "Pretty Girl", whose music video which went viral on social media. The video was filmed entirely in Clairo's bedroom in Carlisle, Massachusetts, and its success caused major labels, including Capitol, Columbia and RCA to gain interest in her.^[3] "4EVER" was released as the EP's final single in April 2018.

Promotion

In support of the EP, Clairo performed as an opening act for English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa in 2018, during the Self-Titled Tour.^[4][5] She also performed her own tour the same year, dubbed the Lazy Days Tour.^[4][5][6]

Some Reddit users accused Clairo of using her ties in the music industry to promote the release, resulting in an inorganic success. Many claimants labeled her an "industry plant" and brought up the idea that her father may have boosted the release due to his affiliations in the industry.^[7][8] In response to the claims, Clairo said "The fact that there has to be a man behind my success when I genuinely have worked so hard is frustrating," implying that the claims are sexist. She told the New York Times "No, I just have representation, like every single other artist you listen to."^[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Pitchfork	7.0/10[1]

The EP received a positive review of 7.0/10 from Pitchfork, with Sasha Geffen praising Clairo's "careful songwriting" and noting that "[s]he has worked hard to make it sound this easy".^[1]

Track listing

Diary 001 track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Production	Length
1.	"Hello?" (featuring Rejjie Snow)	Claire Cottrill Snow	Cottrill	Cottrill	2:15
2.	"Flaming Hot Cheetos"	Cottrill	Cottrill	Cottrill	2:02
3.	"B.O.M.D." (featuring Danny L Harle)	Cottrill	Isaac Burns Cottrill Harle	Cottrill Harle	2:39
4.	"4EVER"	Cottrill	Deaton Chris Anthony Eddie Burns Isaac Burns Cottrill Ashwin Torke	Anthony Burns Burns Cottrill Torke	2:39
5.	"Pretty Girl"	Cottrill	Cottrill	Cottrill	2:59
6.	"How" (demo)	Cottrill	Cottrill	Cottrill	2:07
Total length:					14:43

Certifications

Certifications for Diary 001

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[10]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history and formats for Diary 001

Country	Date	Format	Ref.
Various	May 25, 2018	Digital download streaming	[11]
United States	August 10, 2018	LP vinyl	[12]

References

1. Geffen, Sasha. "Clairo: Diary 001 EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
2. Wang, Steffanee (May 24, 2018). "Clairo would like to leave her bedroom now, please". The Fader. Retrieved September 13, 2023. But for Claire's part, she hopes diary 001 will mark the end of her "bedroom pop" phase, a label that has become somewhat awkward to work around.
3. Coscarelli, Joe (May 23, 2018). "Clairo's 'Pretty Girl' Went Viral. Then She Had to Prove Herself". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
4. "Clairo Announces Tour". Pitchfork. May 30, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
5. Jacklyn (May 31, 2018). "Clairo Announces Summer Tour!". Stage Right Secrets. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
6. "Velvet Underground - Just another WordPress site". Velvet Underground. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
7. "Clairo: 'This industry drains young women until they're not youthful any more'". The Guardian. July 13, 2021. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
8. Zoladz, Lindsay (July 25, 2018). "The Curious Case of Clairo". The Ringer. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
9. Coscarelli, Joe (May 23, 2018). "Clairo's 'Pretty Girl' Went Viral. Then She Had to Prove Herself". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
10. "American album certifications – Clairo – Diary 001". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
11. "Stream Clairo's 'diary 001' EP". Hypebeast. May 25, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
12. "Clairo - diary 001 EP (Vinyl)". The Fader. Retrieved August 10, 2023.