First up on the Dr. Martens Presents Tour: Claud; the solo project of Claud Mintz. After releasing an EP that was made out of their college dorm, Claud dropped out to pursue music full time. Their upcoming EP, Sideline Star, came out of a dark period of transition and growth that ultimately resulted in Claud’s evolution as an artist and a 20-year-old closer to finding themselves and belonging.

Before their Dr. Martens NYC show, we spoke with Claud about their first concert, their first pair of Docs, and what it was like filming their recent music video (in which they perfectly style a pair of Sinclairs).

Tell us about the most rebellious thing you’ve done.

Dropping out of college and moving to LA was the scariest and riskiest thing I’ve done so far! I hope to do many more rebellious things that top that in the future though.

What song have you been listening to on repeat lately?

Sofia by Clairo!!!

What was the first concert you attended?

Hillary Duff, which is so crazy because it was my 2 best friends’ first concerts too and we all saw her in different cities. I barely remember it but my mom took me and she said I liked it.

Tell us about your first pair of Docs.

I got my first pair of Docs when I was 14. I found a brown leather pair with orange and green knit on the side – I think they were vintage or limited edition. They eventually got too small for me but I still have them in the back of my closet in the house I grew up in. After those, I wore black 1460s every day because I was an angsty teen who wanted to look intimidating. I still do that.

Tell us about filming the music video for Wish You Were Gay.

Filming the Wish You Were Gay music video was the best experience ever! One of my closest friends, Christina Xing, directed and produced the video; we actually met in high school at an arts boarding school. Everyone in the video was a friend or people who messaged us on Instagram. It was such a cool and wholesome environment. It was also pretty emotional because of how much the song means to me.

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How did your time at Syracuse influence your music?

Syracuse was the first place I fully felt comfortable to be myself and explore my interests. I grew the most I ever have in my entire life during my freshman year of college. There were so many talented people there and I became extremely inspired by everyone around me. It was also there that I met one of my best friends Josh Mehling, who helped me develop my sound and produce my first EP. I wouldn’t be making the type of music I am now if it wasn’t for him. He’s one of my biggest inspirations. All of my friends are.