Read an in-depth interview with independent artist Chesney Claire as she discusses her latest single 'Without You,' her journey in the music industry, and the inspiration behind her work. Discover her thoughts on collaboration, her goals as a female producer, and what makes her happy in her career.
If you have read my past articles, you may have read about Louisiana native Chesney Claire. She is a confident artist who shares her craft with the world at a professional and driven speed.
Chesney has released a new single titled “Without You”. I asked what inspired her to write it and she responded with “I was in my studio creating and I came up with this really cool beat. “Without You” was stuck in my head and the words just came. I was thinking over and over about lyrics that would explain the story I had fabricated about a woman who had a great life but she always kinda chose the bad boys. She was willing to give up being safe and serene to be stuck with him in his chaos. I thought the lyrics were superb. They are lyrics I would sing over and over if I was a music consumer so I went with it.
The song has no real significance, I didn’t have to break up with anyone to have a cool story, and I thought I’m sure there are MANY women who have left a more than perfect life to be with someone who isn’t really right for them. We all do it at some point, even if we don’t admit it. I immediately started thinking about ways she could get to him and flying seemed the best, so I started making a storyboard and my music video was then taking over. I realized I had so much more to say and that a visual interpretation of this song would help it tremendously. I was picturing the Music video in my head as I finished writing the song. The visual gave me more song ideas and I played off of both of them. I used both in my favor to both write the song and direct the music video”.
She continues to add “As always, my hope has always been to showcase my work, and of course hope the right people hear/watch.
I am not really looking to be signed by a major label. I own my own record label, so it’s another to add to my discography but I also like feeding my audience. They were all asking for more music. Another OCD factor is that I’d already released 19 singles (through my label, Red Twenty-Five Record Group)- and who wants to stay stuck at 19? Had to make it 20!!
I feel like my music production is getting better the more I work on it, so this single “Without You” came with challenges. I wanted to show the quality of my work is getting better. I never wanted to be a producer, but I knew I couldn’t wait around forever for someone to teach me and I was hearing production from other Producers and I was like…. “He should have added some compression”, or “HE should have left those breaths in that song. It adds drama.” So I knew I could do it. I just wanted to show the world. I’m proud to be in the 2.8% of Producers that are Female”.
There are a few prerequisites that we like to see in place before accepting the collab. I have to adore the person’s sound, creativity, and work ethic. If you’ve put out two songs and make music part-time, that’s not going to pique my interest (even if the artist is really great). Right now, at this level, I’m open to collabs with major artists. I feel that’s a very good way to become a little more “known” and I have the stats and the experience to hop on a project with a major artist. I don’t think there’s an artist out there who I can’t stand toe to toe with (music-wise). I am open”.
I continued to ask “If you could open up for any artist, who would you want to open up for?” She said “If I could open for any artist, no limits- I’d choose Lady Gaga or The Beebs. I just saw Gaga in concert at the MGM here in Las Vegas. I walked around in awe for weeks after. Not only would I open for GaGa, I’d give my left lung to be able to work on a project with her. Justin Bieber and I have a lot of vocal similarities and ideas, and I feel the same about Miley Cyrus. Every time I choose a cover, Miley Cyrus is my “go-to”. Singing her songs in her range are very comfortable to me. A “sure thing” when focused on delivery. I’ve more recently spent my time headlining, so maybe I can get some really cool artists to open for me??
My next question was “What are you most proud of with your new release?” She went on to say “I’m most proud of doing it ALL 100% BY MYSELF. In a world where people hop on a mic and they are suddenly an “Artist”, I can truly say this song is 100% Chesney Claire. I am the songwriter but I also needed a beat that would be mine, so I made it. Producing my own music was in direct response to not being able to find a Producer that wanted to work. I said, “I can do this MYSELF!” (And so I did). People say, “Yeah, but who mixed and mastered your project and engineered it?” It was ME again. It’s taken years to teach myself how to do it all, but when it comes together so cohesively, I have a sense of accomplishment. Directing my music video is something I’ve done before, so fairly easy enough. I’m most proud of the fact that I can do it and this song shows that.”
Finally, I questioned what she would do if she were to win an award for this single, she says “If I were to win an award for this track “Without You”, I’ll pull a “Snoop Dogg” and start with thanking MYSELF (because when everyone else walks out, I always remain.). I couldn’t have done it without God by my side every hour and the third person I’d thank is my Mom. MY “Momager" always takes up the slack any time I’m overwhelmed due to time crunches, meeting deadlines, and the overall planning of my next attack. Overall, I did this one by myself. There’s no producer to thank. No engineers; no one that I can truly say helped me in any way- except me.”
I asked Chesney if someone were to want a collaboration with her, what steps should they take, she replied with “ I get collaboration request every day. I would say to someone who wants to collaborate with me that you should contact my team at ChesneyClaireMusic@gmail.com
Chesney Claire is an independent artist who has a great drive to succeed. Winning multiple awards for her songwriting ability. Chesney is paving the way for future generations of female producers/artists. Stay tuned for more updates and in-depth coverage of your favorite celebrities and entertainment news. Create a free membership account with us today!
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