Claire Keszei – better known to French music fans as Clarika – was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, in the Paris suburbs, on 3 February 1967. Abandoning the idea of an acting career, Clarika enrolled at the "Studio des Variétés" in rue Ballu, deciding to concentrate on her singing instead. It was during this period that she met one of the most influential figures in her early career, making the acquaintance of a Belgian singer and musician by the name of Jean-Jacques Nyssen.