Singer/songwriter Louise Chantál recently released “Pull Up,” an upbeat single exuding summer vibes. British born and now based in Los Angeles, Chantál exudes charisma and determination with strong vocals and an undeniable visual aesthetic.
We had a phone conversation with Chantal to talk about music, style and more. Check it out below.
Snobette: Where is home for you right now?
Louise Chantál: “Home now is Los Angeles, but I was born in Norbury, London. Later on I moved to the U.S. with my mom living mostly on the East Coast”
Snobette: What’s your creative process like?
Louise Chantál: “My first project, ‘Welcome to Aranbi,’ was made in a different way. At that time I was attending NYU as part of the Clive Davis Recording Music Program. I had the opportunity to work with Atlantic Studios and a lot of the work I did was writing songs to be pitched to their signed artists like , Kehlani , Justine Skye for example. “
“In the beginning, I was not very confident in my songwriting. I was brought in by an A&R as a singer. I was sitting in sessions to learn how to write. In the process of all this writing, I became more confident in my talent and I selected some of the songs that didn’t get placed and released my own project. From Monday through Friday I wrote for Atlantic artists, and on the weekends I was allowed to record what I wanted.”
“I did that for about six months, which led to me to drop out college and work in the studio all week. By the time I finished my project I wanted to focus on building my audience.
I ended up on a track with Noise Cans under Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak label called ‘Caan Dun.’ At the time, Noise Cans was opening a bunch of shows with Steve Aoki and we toured together. I started working as an artist full time performing at venues in New York like the Delancey and SOB.
After promoting the song with Noise Cans for about a year, I was meeting with indie record labels, and some majors as well however, it felt like they really did not really understand my artistry. I went through a time of questioning how I can grow more as an artist and that led me to Los Angeles.”
Snobette: Given the current social and political climate in the U.S. “Pull Up” is very upbeat, was that deliberate?
Louise Chantál: “A lot of the music on my upcoming EP is dark and almost sad. But then in talking to my manager and looking at a lot of the music that was getting released, we wanted to release something that felt good.
“As an artist when you’re releasing a project and you want it to be perfect, it’s also important to not abandon your fans. “Pull Up” was my way to channel a lightness that maybe we can’t fully live out this summer but that we can at least feel.”
Snobette: You have a very focused style and aesthetic what is the dynamic between you and your stylist?
Louise Chantál: “I’ve been working with David Mansion for seven years now! It was challenging when I moved to L.A., because I’ve never done any shoots without him on set.
“Working remotely really strengthened our relationship because no matter where we are in the world, we figure out ways to connect and create together. Each time we create something the direction is always different. A lot of times for me the look will start with a color for example in ‘Put It On You,’ it was red. I was feeling more assertive in my womanhood and felt like red communicated really well. For ‘Pull Up,’ I was really attracted to the brightness of the color yellow.”
Snobette: Once you determine the color, how do you go about getting the looks together?
Louise Chantál: “I found this yellow bikini in a shop that’s popular with strippers. I sent it to my manager and David and we agreed it was a good look. Sometimes David and I fall in love with a designer, sometimes it’s a seamstress in the back of a shop who does alterations.
“In sourcing looks, the reality for me is that I’m an independent female artist, I’m a black woman and I’m 5’3″. I’m not yet a superstar which means I don’t have a budget or an income and runway designers are not rushing to dress me. That’s why for me I push to express my vision to the max. Even in the context of fast fashion I will do my best to showcase high quality visuals.”
“A lot of what I do with my look is at the intersection loving high end fashion, not being able to afford it and living in fast fashion world. In the same way whether I work with photographer or a brand wants to seed me product, I go above an beyond to make sure the photos, the videos are of high quality. It is all about relationships in the end.”
Snobette: Do you have a launch date for your upcoming EP?
Louise Chantál: “I think we’ll be ready by the end of the year, however I will be dropping more singles as well. I have a track called ‘Cry For Me’ that I really want to release, so stay tuned!”
