Forest Claudette

After shedding a few other musical guises, Kobe Hamilton-Reeves achieved full bloom crafting dreamy, sensitive R&B as Forest Claudette. Born into a musical family alongside their brother, Northeast Party House singer Zach Hamilton-Reeves, the singer-songwriter nodded to their precocious creativity on the 2022 debut single, “Creaming Soda,” repeating “But f**k it, I’m nineteen.” Earning early comparisons to Steve Lacy and Frank Ocean, Hamilton-Reeves won two ARIAs in 2023 for their second EP, Everything Was Green, recorded in Los Angeles. That pair of gongs included Best Soul/R&B Release for the playfully romantic “Mess Around,” featuring Atlanta hip-hop duo EARTHGANG. Hamilton-Reeves has continued to explore not just youthful sensuality but also gender and identity. The 2024 double EP Jupiter & Stone Between saw the artist celebrate their queer awakening on “Moonlight,” inspired by the Oscar-winning film.