With her new EP bad bear, Claire Javier steps further into a pop world that’s deliberately cute on the surface — and a little mischievous underneath. Across four tracks, she plays with desire, control, and self-definition through glossy grooves and sharp self-awareness, building a project that feels like a coming-of-age snapshot in real time.
What started as a visual spark tied to her first studio release, 'misbehave', eventually became the EP’s core symbol: the “bad bear” duality of softness with bite. In this interview, Claire breaks down how the EP’s world took shape, how her Filipino-Singaporean upbringing informs that “confident yet conflicted” push-pull, and why 'comic sense' felt like the perfect closing statement for this chapter.
Hi Claire, congrats on bad bear! Could you tell us a bit about how this project was conceived?
Thank you! I had this idea for bad bear for quite a while now. It started from my first studio release back in May 2025, 'misbehave'. I was figuring out what I wanted to do for the album art and I came across this photo on Pinterest of a girl in a bathtub with stuffed toys all over her. It intrigued me. The stuffed toys were perfect for how I felt 'misbehave' to be — a youthful take on a toxic relationship. I decided to stick to the bear for the subsequent releases because I thought it was cute and different, and over time, the songs naturally began embodying that ‘bad bear’ duality — something soft and innocent on the surface, but mischievous underneath.
What does “the bad bear” mean to you?
It’s very playful, isn’t it? Which is the whole idea of the EP.
I started this project when I was 20, and with the drop of bad bear, I’m turning 22. So, bad bear is a symbol of me going into my adulthood and navigating through my femininity and my relationships in a very light-hearted manner. It’s like permission to be imperfect — to explore femininity, desire, and make mistakes without apology. It’s kind of naughty too, which is something that I wanted to incorporate as a young woman growing into my sensuality.
The new EP unfolds across four “emotional chapters.” When did you realise this EP had a narrative arc — was it planned, or did it reveal itself while sequencing?
The emotional arc wasn’t planned, but the narrative arc was sort of planned. I made a few more songs with PARKA (the label that I’m currently working with) after the release of 'misbehave', and I always tried to keep the idea of what bad bear should be in the back of my mind. I don’t like when things are unfinished — every project I do has to have some sort of closure.
When it came down to finalising the songs for the EP, I picked those that I felt were fitting to represent what bad bear is all about, while establishing what kind of artist I am. Some songs didn’t make the final cut. It’s okay — they belong to the next era.
bad bear paints a portrait of youth: “confident yet conflicted”. What parts of growing up shaped that duality for you?
I feel like it has got to do with being a Filipino and raised in Singapore. As a Filipino, watching The Filipino Channel, and growing up with Filipino artists to look up to, it made me value the sense of freedom and sense of self when it came to my artistry. Filipinos are known to be loud and outgoing, and just generally courageous with their talent. I knew I had that in me. However, with growing up in Singapore, having had a more socially reserved culture, I was quite hesitant to let those parts of me shine.
If you ask me personally, I feel that I’m still holding back with bad bear. But it’s alright because it’s a necessary step for me to grow into the artist that I want to be.
Opening track ‘misbehave’ is about the thrill of the chase. How did you choose to present the excitement of wanting, and the recklessness of that rush sonically?
I was listening to a lot of Chappell Roan at that period of my life. It was also the same time she started blowing up, so as an emerging artist with global ambitions, I looked up to her. Listening to her songs helped me embrace the idea of playful chaos and I wanted to incorporate that same feeling of friskiness and freedom that she has in her songs, so we brought in the synths and the bass — all core elements of an 80s-inspired song. The lyrics were my own exaggerated illustration of how I depicted a side of my relationship to be — playful and toxic in its own little way.
'easy' explores boundaries of emotional control. What micro-moments in your life inspired your insight into that tension?
I’m an overthinker. I tend to fixate on small things and think things mean more than they actually do. 'easy' was based on a recollection of a time when I had a dream of someone from my past. I remember I woke up feeling confused but slightly amused as well because I have not thought of this person in years, let alone feel anything for this person. After I got out of the grogginess of waking up, I felt powerful. The whole “incident” felt like an official closure to something I had forgotten. It helped me put other things in perspective especially when it came to my thoughts — that thoughts are just thoughts, it doesn’t have to mean anything more. This mindset grounds me, to stop giving attention to trivial things.
'INSTRUCTION MANUAL' leans into irony and wit. What role does humour play for you: defence mechanism or truth serum?
Truth serum. I think a joke is only funny when there’s some truth behind it. That said, I’ve been told my humour is questionable — so take it with a grain of salt. Personally though, I think my humour is elite.
Because it closes the EP, ‘comic sense’ feels like a final statement. Why did you want this track to be the last word of bad bear?
Even though 'comic sense' sits more low-key sonically, it feels like the most explosive track. 'comic sense' is direct, assertive, and rooted in temptation, and in-your-face. I wrote it from a place of confidence, and it felt like the right way to close the bad bear chapter because it leaves a clear impression of who I am and how grounded I am in my sensuality. I wanted it to mark the identity that I’m building for myself, so that with future releases, listeners can come back to this track and think, "she’s still that girl."
Was there a specific production decision on this EP that felt like a risk — something you wouldn’t have done a year ago?
It would be either 'comic sense' or 'INSTRUCTION MANUAL'. I have always loved the hyperpop, math rock, and pop rock influences behind 'INSTRUCTION MANUAL'. However, I never really expected to be doing that kind of genre, at least not as soon as I did. I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off yet.
The sound for 'comic sense', on the other hand, was new to me. I only started getting on artists like Tate McRae, so to embody the style and persona so quickly was a little nerve-wracking.
Finally, what are your plans for the rest of 2026?
To release more music! I feel like I’m at a place where I’m ready for the world to see a more vulnerable side of me as compared to what I’ve released so far. I’m excited for my listeners to hear what lies deeper than bad bear. I’m also really looking forward to getting back on stage with a full band. I’m a performer at heart, and I miss performing. So when I’m back on stage next, you can expect something special.
