Claire Elise Boucher, known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, and record producer born on March 17, 1988. She rose to prominence with her 2012 album Visions and has since released five studio albums.
She is also known for her three children with entrepreneur Elon Musk and her recent work exploring artificial intelligence in music.
Who is Claire Elise Boucher?
Claire Elise Boucher is a Canadian musician, songwriter, and record producer who performs as Grimes. Her music blends synth-pop, dream pop, art pop, and electronica with themes of science fiction and feminism.
She began releasing music independently in 2010 before signing with 4AD in 2012.
Her breakthrough album, Visions, introduced the singles “Genesis” and “Oblivion” and won the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year. She legally changed her name to c, though she continues to perform and release music under the name Grimes.
Early Life of Claire Elise Boucher
Claire Elise Boucher was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 17, 1988. Her mother, Sandy Garossino, worked as a Crown prosecutor and media commentator.
Her father worked as a former banker before moving into the biotechnology industry.
Boucher was raised Roman Catholic and attended Catholic school in Vancouver. Her parents divorced when she was 11, and her mother later remarried an Indo-Canadian man named Ravi Sidhoo.
Through that marriage, she gained a stepbrother who raps under the name Jay Worthy. The two later collaborated on the song “Christmas Song,” included on a bonus disc for her Visions album.
In 2006, Boucher graduated from Lord Byng Secondary School and moved to Montreal to study neuroscience and Russian at McGill University. She left the program in 2011 before completing her degree to focus on music full time.
Claire Elise Boucher Age
Claire Elise Boucher is 38 years old as of 2026, born on March 17, 1988. Their zodiac sign is Pisces.
She released her new single “Sign From God” with Swedish singer Cobrah on June 26, 2026.
Claire Elise Boucher Ethnicity and Nationality
Claire Elise Boucher holds Canadian nationality. She has French-Canadian, Ukrainian, Italian, and Indigenous Métis ancestry.
She was born and raised in Vancouver before relocating to Montreal and later the United States.
Claire Elise Boucher Height and Weight
Claire Elise Boucher stands at approximately 5 feet 5 inches, or 1.65 meters. Her weight is estimated at around 110 lbs, or 50 kg.
She has a slender frame that she often incorporates into her visual and stage presentation.
Her ethereal look has become closely tied to her sci-fi inspired aesthetic and music videos.
Claire Elise Boucher Musical Style and Influences
Grimes blends synth-pop, dream pop, art pop, and electronica into a distinctive sound built around her soprano vocals. Her music often explores themes of feminism, technology, and science fiction.
She produces and engineers most of her own music.
For her 2015 album Art Angels, she taught herself guitar and violin. She has said she deliberately avoided leaning on keyboards for that project so the album would not be classified as pure synth-pop.
Claire Elise Boucher Education
Claire Elise Boucher attended Catholic school in Vancouver before graduating from Lord Byng Secondary School in 2006. She then enrolled at McGill University to study neuroscience and Russian.
She left the program in 2011 without finishing her degree.
Music had already begun taking over her attention by that point, and she chose to pursue it full time instead of returning to her studies.
Claire Elise Boucher Career
Claire Elise Boucher began releasing music independently in 2010 under the name Grimes. She put out two albums that year, Geidi Primes and Halfaxa, through Arbutus Records.
Early Career
Boucher signed with 4AD in January 2012 following growing buzz around her early releases. That signing set up her breakthrough the same year.
Her third album, Visions, arrived in 2012 and was recorded largely using GarageBand.
The album’s singles “Genesis” and “Oblivion” earned widespread critical acclaim. Visions won the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year and earned her a Breakthrough Artist of the Year nomination.
Breakthrough Album
In November 2015, Boucher released her fourth album, Art Angels. The record produced the singles “Flesh Without Blood” and “Kill V. Maim” and reached number one on the Billboard Top Alternative Albums chart.
Several publications named it album of the year.
She toured Europe, Asia, and North America through 2016 in support of the release. In February 2020, she released her fifth studio album, Miss Anthropocene, featuring the singles “Violence” and “Delete Forever.”
Recent Work
Boucher signed with Columbia Records in March 2021 and released the single “Player of Games” that December. She spent 2022 through 2024 releasing standalone singles, including “Shinigami Eyes” and “I Wanna Be Software,” while working toward a planned sixth album.
She has since left Columbia Records.
In October 2025, she released the single “Artificial Angels,” which explores artificial intelligence from the perspective of an AI narrator. In April 2026, she announced her upcoming sixth album, Psy Opera, describing it as centered on motherhood, spirituality, and both human and artificial minds.
Claire Elise Boucher Discography
Claire Elise Boucher has released five studio albums under the name Grimes.
- Geidi Primes (2010)
- Halfaxa (2010)
- Visions (2012)
- Art Angels (2015)
- Miss Anthropocene (2020)
Claire Elise Boucher Awards and Recognition
Claire Elise Boucher won the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year for Visions in 2013. She earned two additional Juno Awards for Art Angels, including Alternative Album of the Year.
Both Visions and Art Angels also received Polaris Music Prize nominations.
Her work has been included on multiple best-of-the-decade lists from major music publications since Art Angels was released.
Claire Elise Boucher Boyfriend
Claire Elise Boucher dated entrepreneur Elon Musk from 2018 until their split, which became public in September 2021. The couple share three children together.
Their relationship later became the subject of a public custody dispute.
In 2022, Boucher was also linked to activist Chelsea Manning, though details of that relationship were not widely confirmed. Her current relationship status is not publicly confirmed.
Claire Elise Boucher Children
Claire Elise Boucher shares three children with Elon Musk. Their first son, X Æ A-Xii, was born on May 4, 2020.
Their daughter, Exa Dark Sideræl, arrived via surrogate in December 2021.
Their second son, Techno Mechanicus, was born in 2023, though his existence was not revealed publicly until later. Boucher has said she tries to keep her children out of the public eye as much as possible.
Claire Elise Boucher Net Worth
Claire Elise Boucher’s estimated net worth is $1 million as of 2026. Her income comes mainly from music royalties, streaming revenue, and past touring income.
Digital art sales have also contributed to her earnings.
In 2021, she sold a collection of digital artwork as NFTs for a combined $5.8 million, though her legal costs from a custody dispute have since reduced her overall wealth.
Claire Elise Boucher Social Media
Claire Elise Boucher stays active on Instagram, where she posts updates on her music and art. She also posts frequently on X, where she shares commentary on her upcoming projects.
She uses both platforms to interact directly with fans about her music.
Her social media activity has become one of her most direct channels for sharing updates on new releases.
The Bottom Line
Claire Elise Boucher built her career from a self-released 2010 debut into a Juno Award win for her 2012 album Visions. Her 2015 follow-up, Art Angels, reached number one on the Billboard Top Alternative Albums chart.
She grew up in Vancouver and studied neuroscience at McGill University before leaving to pursue music full time. Her sci-fi inspired aesthetic and self-produced sound have defined her career since.
Boucher is currently preparing her sixth studio album, Psy Opera, following her October 2025 single “Artificial Angels.” She continues to balance her music career with raising her three children.
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