by pankhuri bhutani
photo courtesy of chaii
Starting her musical journey with her debut single “South,” this New Zealander based Persian artist is one of the upcoming rappers in the industry. With over 35,000 active monthly listeners on her Spotify, CHAII recently released her new track “Trouble,” along with a music video.
The Frank Keys-produced, self-directed video is the third in a trilogy of visuals that she filmed in Oman and is her most emotional and personal song so far. Having some successful tracks like “South,” “Digebasse” and “Trouble,” CHAII has some bright plans for her future. She was kind enough to take out some of her time to talk to us regarding her music journey!
Hey! Thank you for joining us on Unclear Magazine! How are you?
CHAII: “Hey, I’m great thanks, thank you for having me.”
When did you decide to start your journey as a music artist?
CHAII: “Ever since school.”
What can you tell us about your new single “Trouble”?
CHAII: “Trouble was produced by my partner Frank Keys. The visual is a re-creation of me as a kid in Middle East while the song is about where I am today. Definitely the most personal song I’ve done so far.”
What’s your dream concert like?
CHAII: “Outdoor. Stage across a lake. I saw a video of a Gipsy Kings concert in London. I fell in love with the setup.”
If you could describe your music with one emotion of yours, which one would you choose?
CHAII: “Adventurous.”
You’re about to release your new music in July. What was the process like with the music?
CHAII: “There’s always something that inspires the direction that my music takes. My July release was inspired by the migration of music artists from Iran to California during the 1970’s Iranian Revolution. The new regime banned artists/actors/musicians from working in those fields. I found that I had an interesting connection to LA, because not only having the western-hip-hop music that I love and grew up listening to, but also, it’s the biggest Persian music hub outside of Iran. Perfect blend of the two.”
Out of all the tracks you have released, which one was the most fun for you?
CHAII: “South. I made the beat in my room one night, even added a live cricket that was stuck in my room wall at the time. I never intended to release, it was just a play around. I was pretty sleepless from the nights of interrupted sleep by the cricket, but yeah [it] was still fun.”