My essentials: Claire Tonna’s cultural picks

About  

Maltese pop-soul artist Claire Tonna blends raw emotion with empowering storytelling, using music as a pathway to heal from trauma and inspire courage. Known for deeply resonant performances worldwide that foster inclusion and connection, she uplifts audiences facing life’s challenges. Beyond the stage, she mentors people with different abilities through the songwriting programme at The Malta Trust Foundation

Book

One book that truly stayed with me is Lost Connections by Johann Hari. It explores the 10 vital connections humanity has lost and how restoring them can heal us and reduce the anxiety and depression epidemic. I was deeply moved by ideas like making real time for genuine friends on weekly basis, reconnecting with meaningful work, spending time in nature, connecting to trauma healing, and dedicating time to clean nourishing food. For me, it felt like a medicine box for the soul—a guide that helped me rebuild connections that sustain a more grounded, thriving life. I recommend this book because the practices it suggests lifted me out from loneliness and reduced my anxieties.

Film 

I recently watched Rental Family and it struck me deeply. The film beautifully articulates the emotional starvation many of us feel today and our profound need for genuine human connection. There’s a quiet tenderness in how it explores loneliness and belonging. Brendan Fraser delivers a stunning performance that is vulnerable and human. It’s a film that lingers with you, reminding us how essential empathy and connection truly are. I would absolutely recommend it.

Internet and TV 

In the last months I have been unable to tolerate any noise, disturbances from social media, news or TV itself. I tend to only use internet platforms to promote my music work and concerts. It has been so detoxing to actually have a break from the disturbances of all the platforms. When news happens, somehow, it always reaches me and so I do not feel the need to go and search for it. The distance from noise is actually helping me to listen to deeper things inside me that in turn strengthen my ability to thrive and do better work as an artist and as a human being. 

Music 

I usually listen to a whole lot of soul and gospel music, yet in the last months I have been mostly listening to folk songs that give me a sense of tranquillity and intimacy, whilst also helping me slow down my pace. One song I am addicted to at the moment is Deep Love by the folk trio Bonny Light Horseman. This song has an old magic in it, almost like alchemy each time I listen to it. It gives me more than a good feeling.

Place 

I have lived in over 30 countries across every continent, yet the one place I’ll choose at the moment, that is deeply close to home (literally) is Wied il-Għasel in my hometown Mosta. No matter how many decades pass, and changes that shift our Maltese landscape, this place remains unpolluted, silent, and a true physical refuge. Each time I walk through it, time stops, and I re-connect with the Malta I love—ancient, sacred, mystic, resilient, and a place of hope. It is a place I visit often. At the moment it is filled with almond tree blossoms and wild asparagus. Sometimes that is enough to bliss my day and renew myself for a calmer day.