Claudia Gonson was born in Boston in 1968. She met Stephin Merritt while attending high school in the 80s at Concord Academy in Massachusetts. Gonson performed in a band called the Zinnias with Merritt and John Gage while teenagers. The band broke up when Claudia left to attend Columbia University in New York. She late returned to the Boston area to attend Harvard and joined the group Lazy Susan, which also included Therese Bellino and Shirley Simms.

Gonson has since performed on many of Merritt's albums and frequently appears with him live as part of the main Magnetic Fields quartet (John, Stephin, Sam, and Claudia). She also acts as the band's manager and has been since its inception. As well as her work with Stephin, Gonson has also played drums for English twee pop band Tender Trap and indie pop group Honeybunch. Claudia is a proud lesbian and has a daughter named Eve.