Jenny Claffey: “I was known for this very specific brand, did anyone want to listen to me on my own?”

Her's Digital Cover Star for December is Irish podcaster and YouTuber Jenny Claffey. 

"People need to know it's a tough gig, especially now that I'm working completely solo."

Jenny Claffey's job can certainly evoke envy. Many people dream of being a freelance content creator, but the reality is, not everyone can. It takes commitment, self-belief, discipline, and let's not forget - an audience. You can, of course, create content without an audience, but can you pay the bills? As the former co-host and co-creator of It Galz, Jenny Claffey certainly has an audience and one that she's worked hard to attain. But the last year has brought about unexpected changes to Jenny's life, changes that no one, particularly the It Galz community, could have predicted. Launched in 2017, the show was the brainchild of Jenny and her co-host, Lindsay Hamilton. It Galz instantly set the Irish podcast charts on fire with its mix of cultural commentary, a knack for courting controversy and a healthy dose of girl talk. If merchandise lines and sold-out shows at Vicar Street are anything to go by, the partnership was a massive success. The It Galz disbanded this past summer - a personal rift between the pair the cause - and they've gone their separate ways as a result. We caught up with Jenny on her 32nd birthday as she closed the book on both a challenging and fulfilling year. We jumped straight in and began discussing her new podcast Red Room, a show that promises to 'peel back the curtain on the weird and wonderful.' If you're interested in conspiracy theories, unsolved mysteries and, at times, genuinely terrifying content then this is the show for you. As dark as the content can sometimes be, Jenny instantly lights up as she explained the importance of bringing out something completely unexpected, "It was a weird one because obviously when I left It Galz, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I didn't even want to do a podcast I was so known for this very specific brand. When you're known as a twosome, I wondered - did anyone want to listen to me on my own? "I had also pigeonholed myself into that kind of content," she told Her. "Once I realised I didn't want to talk about it by myself, I decided to take it as an opportunity. When I started It Galz I was 27, now I'm in my thirties, what is the content that I want to consume? And Red Room was that." As a continued departure, Jenny has removed herself from being the focal point of the podcast, something she admits was very important to her, "It's definitely a relief and the right thing for me to remove myself from being part of the content, I didn't want to be the focal point anymore. My life and my interests are very different now. And again the content with It Galz, I'm so proud of it but when I was given the opportunity to move on I knew I was going to do it. "My audience has listened to hundreds of hours of me talking about myself, I didn't need to introduce myself again with Red Room, but they're definitely getting to know a different side of me." Starting any new venture can be a daunting experience, and it's not only the podcast that occupies Jenny's days. She's recently dipped her toes into the world of YouTube - vlogging in particular - and she releases new videos documenting her day-to-day life each week on her channel. It's a world she's familiar with and admits she's been religiously consuming content on the platform for years, "I just love watching random bloggers, YouTube is my TV and it has been for years. I guess because I've watched it grow itself I've become completely immersed in it. "I never felt like I could justify a YouTube channel, you're so used to seeing people living this glamorous life in New York or London and here I am living in Dublin, and also being way older than a lot of people on the platform. But the feedback that I've got is that it's great to see older people on YouTube. I had a mental block about it originally but now I'm like, you know what f**k it, I'll just do it." As promising as everything looks for Jenny now, she does reflect on the last year in a realistic manner. She admits, with a hint of sadness in her voice, that she did struggle to get over what happened with the It Galz, "I was having a really tough time mentally and a friend of mine said to me, 'Look there's gonna be a point this year that you'll look back and it's going to feel foreign to you.' Oh my god, I wanted that!" she explained. "You know when you break up with someone and you want to fall asleep and wake up and be over them? Like that's what I felt like. I literally wanted to sleep till it was over, it was such a sh*t time for me but I feel like I've woken up. Even though it's not that long ago I'm really confident in the content that I'm creating." Jenny adds that it's important for people to understand that the freelance life and working alone is not as glamorous as it can seem, "It's been going really well but people need to know that it is a tough gig, especially now that I'm working completely solo." We couldn't wrap up our chat without asking Jenny - on her birthday - how she feels about the passage of time, and as we chatted about her hopes for the future and reflected on the past, it was only a calmness that emanated through, "I spoke about this recently on one of my YouTube videos. I feel like when I was in my mid-20s I found the concept of ageing way more daunting, but since I hit 30, I've become at ease with getting older and everything that comes along with it. "The irony is the older you get the more you realise what a privilege it actually is to get older. So, I'm thankful." You can catch up with Jenny via her Instagram account. All imagery used in this piece thanks to Jenny Claffey and Evan Doherty.