About

Winston Michael Clapper was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, on 24 July 2002.  Adopted when he was exactly one month old, he enjoyed a happy childhood in a loving family.  Named after Sir Winston Churchill and celebrated solo pianist George Winston, he grew up with his two younger brothers in a Roman Catholic household in rural upstate New York.  His father is a celebrated ambient musician who made his name on Bandcamp.  Having attended private school from the age of 11, the young Winston grew to be quite independent, rarely spending a birthday at home but rather at summer camp.  He can play the clarinet and taught himself to play the piano during the COVID-19 pandemic in early-mid 2020.

Winston initially intended to be a new age artist, or a composer of piano instrumentals.  He had even considered writing hymns for a while.  When "Sounds of Nature" was released in July 2019, it seemed a sure thing that he would follow that path and continue composing instrumentals.  He himself believed the second album would add vocals, albeit in a soothing new-agey way.  In October 2019, he began writing songs for his first lyricised album.  He surprised himself when the first track he wrote, "Gotta Win Tonight," was far more pop-influenced that he had intended.  The song, with lyrics and music written together, took only about 10-15 minutes to write.  Still, the intention was for the remainder of the songs to be slower and more relaxed, perhaps in other languages as well.  No one knew what was just around the corner...

The COVID-19 pandemic shut down all work on the album.  The intended album photoshoot and "Gotta Win Tonight" music video were both postponed and eventually cancelled.  During this time, he taught himself to play piano, a skill which he'd always wanted to possess.  When Winston joined the US Navy in mid-2020, he had every intention of writing, recording, and releasing a full-length studio album by spring 2021.  However, his personal life took a turn for the worst, and the music was shelved indefinitely.

For the majority of the writing process for his eponymous debut, from late 2019 until December 2022, Winston had intended to release the music under a stage name.  By the time the album was being recorded and completed, he was far more confident about himself and decided to release it under his given name instead.

His musical style rapidly evolved and developed during his military service.  When he finally decided in November 2022 that the new album would be definitively a pop record, it reflected a larger shift within him as a person.  He felt freer and more empowered than he ever had, and he decided the music needed to exemplify that.  He wrote dozens of poems during this time about his struggles, usually based off of themes he wrote in a list.  Many of these were adapted into songs for the album.

An extremely ambitious individual, Winston has done virtually everything on his own since the very beginning of his career.  All of his albums are entirely written, composed, arranged, performed, mixed, and mastered by him, and he only accepts assistance for release artwork, photoshoots, and music videos.  However, he oversees the art direction to ensure everything fits the image he wants to portray.  Not signed to any record label, Winston has masterminded his career and the promotion of his music on his own as well.

With the release of "Winston Clapper" in September 2023, Winston began to create choreography for live performances, in the event the music became popular enough for a tour.  Although he suffers from stage fright, the newfound confidence that came with the creation of his new album was enough to start and break down that barrier to success.  His extensive preparation and attention to detail expands here beyond the realm of the recorded album to become a dynamic audiovisual experience.