“I know you’re hiding something you won’t let out / acting so tough and trying to be too proud,” sings CC Clarke at the start of “Boys Do Cry.” In the new song, premiering on HollywoodLife, the London-based singer-songwriter/beauty influencer delivers an emotional bop to an unnamed lover, encouraging him to drop the macho act and come to terms with a fact: that “boys do cry,” and men need to acknowledge – and celebrate – their emotional side. With a sun-kissed beat that allows Clarke’s voice to shine on the track, “Boys Do Cry” is the mental health pop anthem for all those “boys” who need one.
https://soundcloud.com/tileyard/cc-clarke-boys-do-cry-24-bit-master-v3/s-1k9Wbx1SPpy
“‘Boys Do Cry’ is about not being afraid to break down your barriers and show your emotions in order to feel and heal – and that goes for not just ‘boys’ but all of us,” CC shares with HollywoodLife. “There is such a stigma around men not talking about their mental health, though and especially after the year we have had, I felt it was a really important message. Relationships break down when we don’t express how we feel and actually talk to each other, so I hope people can feel a sense of reassurance and determination when they listen to this. Have a dance, have a cry and live life to the fullest!”
Though a good portion of the internet knows CC mostly as a beauty personality, music has been her passion ever since she was a little girl (when she would write out lyrics, which her parents mistook for her copying poems out of a book.) Her interests in beauty and music finally intertwined when, while appearing in an advert for Maybelline as part of their Color Sensational campaign, she was asked to provide a song to accompany the ad. Luckily, CC had just the thing: she shared, “Solo,” a track she’d eventually release as a single in 2018. This marked a dramatic first step in a musical career that is seemingly taking off.
“Boys Do Cry” follows her previous song, 2020’s “Not Playing,” a track described as a girl-gang anthem about not taking any garbage from any males trying to keep the glass ceiling in place. It certainly was a smash, hitting No. 19 on the iTunes Top 40 UK Pop Songs chart. Since then, she teamed with Sondr for a remix and continues to build a buzz as a beauty influencer is more than just a pretty face: she’s a sharp songwriter with an alluring voice.
“Boys Do Cry” is out now.