'5 Questions With': CHA:DY
"It is so important for me to release this song at this time to tell people: 'you’re not alone'."
Speaking to French-born, London-dwelling songstress Chady (stylised CHA:DY) was a big dose of honesty when discussing the side of lockdown that has nothing to do with baking banana bread and working out; rather we spoke on the realities of self-confinement for most who aren’t able to articulate their current feelings of lethargy and a lack of motivation as poignantly and real as she did in her new single and visuals, ‘Lazy’. ‘Lazy’ can be described as a courageous, bold, and ultimately honest track that shines a much-needed light on young people suffering from mental health (particularly through the pandemic), and having bravely opened up that she has also been a sufferer of depression and anxiety herself, CHA:DY was able to channel this into her song writing in the hopes of helping others through her music.
Speaking on ‘Lazy’ CHA:DY mentioned, “I feel like it was important for me to write this song instead of something more poetic or romantic just because it’s real and I think it will resonate with a lot of people.”
With her raspy, yet silky vocals, CHA:DY has drawn inspiration from big names in the industry such as Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Amy Winehouse and conductors her journey with this first release of the year. Read more to find out where 2021 will take this budding star…
Interview by Danielle Temeng
EQ: Hi Cha:dy, welcome to EQUATE! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you developed your love for music?
C: Hi I’m Cha:dy, I am a singer-songwriter, I was born in France, near Paris. I moved to London to do music full time 5 years ago, fell in love with the city, and have been here since. When I was a child, there was always music playing in the house, it could be some Arabic music, some jazz or soul especially Motown records… I used to spend a lot of my time imitating great female artists such as Destiny’s Child, Whitney Houston, or Céline Dion and I think my love for music came from all of that.
EQ: Who are you most inspired by when it comes to music your artistry? Was there anybody / any songs in particular that shaped your sound?
C: At the moment I am very inspired by Rosalia, I really love how she mixes Flamenco to trap and hip hop in her sound. I am also very inspired by some great Neo-soul artists like Mereba, Alex Mali…. Tom Misch’s new album, which was an inspiration for the production on my latest single ‘Lazy’, is being played on repeat right now.
“The hook came to me when I told someone how miserable I was feeling, and they answered ‘stop being lazy!’, which made me feel very misunderstood, and inspired me to write this song. At the time, I thought it was just a phase and didn’t recognise those were signs of a deeper unhappiness and problem that I needed to work on.”
- CHA:DY
EQ: You’re releasing your new single “Lazy” this week, congratulations! Listening to it, it was very raw and grounding, you express in a very real way the day to day realities of mental health (which is even more so needed in this current lockdown). Why was this important for you to discuss in your second release?
C: Lazy is a song I actually performed live before I recorded it in a studio and at the end of my set, people would come to talk to me about it, to say how much they liked the song and went through something similar. It is so important for me to release this song at this time to tell people: ‘you’re not alone’. I want them to vibe with a song they can relate to, and to some extent to also help them identify signs of depression or anxiety or any mental health issue they might be struggling with at the moment.
EQ: You were born and raised in France but moved here (London) a few years ago to pursue your music career. What would you say are the main differences across bring an artist in the two cities, have you found it easier to be creatively expressive in terms of music in London?
C: The difference between Paris and London is that London is definitely a city where you could experience live music any day of the week, well at least before the pandemic :’( music is everywhere and it is so easy to connect with other musicians. Also, I feel like there are more opportunities for independent artists to get out there and showcase their music too.
EQ:…and finally, what can we expect to hear from you the rest of the year? Do you have any more releases planned?
C: I’m currently working on my up and coming 5-track EP that will be called ‘Manifesto of Honesty’ which should be out in June, all the songs in it are very personal and honest and I cannot wait to share that project with everyone!
YouTube/CHA:DY
Stream Lazy HERE
Keep up with CHA:DY on socials
Instagram: @chadymusic
Twitter: @chadymusic