FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Elaine Schock or Meredith Louie Shock Ink (818) 932-0001

November 4, 2011

NEW COUNTRY ARTIST ANN CLAIRE DEBUTS WITH FIRST SINGLE BETTER GIRL Daughter of a Royal Line Proves Herself a Honkytonk Princess on Album Out in Early 2012 Hit Songwriter & Grammy Nominee Travis Howard Helps Bring Her Music to Fruition (Nashville, TN) Real life princess and country singer and songwriter Ann Claire makes her bow at country radio with a song that reflects her aspirations to be the best woman that she can be, Better Girl. The number is the first track on her upcoming debut album. Honkytonk Princess, slated for release in the first quarter of next year. Ann Claire sings about how love inspires being a Better Girl on the up-tempo tune laced with fiddle, pedal steel guitar and banjo. She co-wrote it with BMI Award winner Greg Crowe (whose songwriting credits include numbers cut by Montgomery Gentry, Sammy Kershaw, Adam Gregory and Lonestar, as well as writing, singing and producing the official song for the Tennessee Titans Radio Network, All Fired Up) and Chris Caminiti (who was a Top 4 finalist in the CMT/NSAI Song Contest for two years in a row). Its theme expresses her philosophy of self-awareness and personal betterment as a way to keep your dreams alive and achieve your goals. Her life and career prove how dreams can come true thanks to hard work, determination, and dedication to being the best one can be. Hailing from the Iranian royal Pahlavi family line, Ann Claire is already known to millions worldwide after starring in the 2006 top-rated reality show, Love Is In The Heir, that focused on her ambition to become a credible country music artist amidst pressure from her parents to instead marry into aristocracy. She chose after the shows run to move to Nashville and develop her career from the ground up like many aspiring country talents before her. After winning record deals with both a major and independent label and finding the recordings that resulted not up to her standards for the real country music she knew she could create, Ann Claire struck out on her own to finally make Honkytonk Princess. The catalyst for the album was being introduced to Travis Howard, the Grammy nominated songwriter who has written eight songs for and with Miranda Lambert over the course of her three albums, including her #1 single Heart Like Mine and Famous in a Small Town.

The moment we started talking, there was an instant connection, recalls Ann Claire. I was insecure and broke. He saw my talent and my heart, and was moved to help me. We wrote our first song together, Somewhere, in two hours. We connected on a very deep level. Howard signed on to produce the Nashville sessions that yielded Honkytonk Princess, co-wrote five numbers on the album with Ann Claire, and sings with her on the track Dark Horse. He fashioned a sound around her that has deep country roots while also being rich with contemporary appeal. Howard, who appeared on the first season of Nashville Star, also helped Ann Claire hone her writing to a sharp edge that cuts to the bone of real human emotions. As a storyteller, Travis looks into peoples lives and at the world in a truly unique, honest way, she explains. He is a star, tender-hearted but hard as nails. His ability to cut straight to the heart of it all so succinctly helped me form my style and bolstered my confidence. Ann Claire has also scored a sponsorship with Sunlyte Packaging, whose CD and DVD digipaks for her single, album and EPK are certified net carbon neutral, made from 100% recycled materials, and printed with natural inks. They make the most eco-friendly CD packaging on earth. -30-