CHAI SULLY INTERVIEW: Chai Sully is an emerging artist with a soulful tone and a witty pen. In her own words; a full-time RnB Fairy, part-time Rap Diva. Get familiar…
What five words define your sound?
Playful, Intimate, Nostalgic, Raw, Authentic.
Tell me something unique about your creative process.
My creative process is kind of like info-dumping my cringiest thoughts and all my problems onto a friend, except the friend is just my notes app. I get it all out, I light some incense, turn on Do Not Disturb and sort it all out until the song feels like a cohesive moment. I love creating visuals too but that process is more case by case because I love to bring in brilliant visual-thinkers to interpret the music in their own way.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
The first song on my upcoming EP is one I’m really excited about because it’s so personal. But for now ‘Princess Peach’ is a great place to start. It’s my response to my earlier single ‘TRIED IT’ which was a lot more aggressive and literal. I’m telling 2024 Chai to chill out and rise above the dusties.
What inspired you to make that song?
‘Princess Peach’ was inspired by the come-down of high stress moments. Like, I had to stand on business all year and be this tough person but now it’s time to be a princess and kick my feet up. The girls deserve that!!! I feel like all my girls were stressed TF out last year. I’m saying girl, slow down. Being in the studio with a girl producer, Jess Peradise made it easy to go there. She’s the best.
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?
The most vulnerable I’ve allowed myself to be when writing music was sitting down to start making my EP. My mentor really challenged me to cut the tough-girl act and tap into how I really got here. I found myself opening up about the personal, spiritual and financial sacrifices that it took to do music full-time and the process of diving into that really softened me as a person. I think my friends and family would agree that it was a necessary transformation.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
The best experience I had on stage was this Valentine’s show I did in Vancouver back in 2019. The black and queer community there really embraced me and were the first people to start booking me regularly for shows. It was a safe space to figure it all out. It was just me and my childhood bestie Aubrey on stage doing all these songs we made together, totally winging it. He knows my lore up close and personal and I think we have music to thank for surviving our upbringings together. My worst experience is a show I did opening for someone this past summer. I ran out of time to cut the bangs on my wig, so I tried to turn them into side bangs right before hitting the stage and I just looked absolutely crazy. It was hilarious but tragic.
What is your favourite song to perform?
My favourite song to perform is an unreleased song of mine called ‘RAW’ – I get to rap and sing my heart out on it and I always get this amazing synergy going between me and the audience when the beat drops. I’m super excited to drop it soon, it feels like an anthem for West-Coasters and anyone who’s looking to feel empowered in simply doing their own thing.
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
My mom and stepdad were both DJ’s throughout my childhood and my mom was also always joining different bands. She would sometimes make me fill in for a missing member – so it always felt natural and acceptable to prioritise music. It was Beyoncé’s career that made me googly eyed about becoming an artist. I was three years old when her album ‘Dangerously In Love’ started playing in my house and it wasn’t long after gaining consciousness that I realised I wanted to make people feel how she made me feel; utterly captivated and inspired.
What’s the meaning behind your name?
“Chai” is actually my real name and “Sully” is short for my real last name. My mom said she named me Chai because she knew I’d be sweet & spicy. She ate with that.
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?
I would probably be saving up to go to law school as strange as that sounds. I was always fascinated with law and legal process in high school and I saw it as a way that I could make change in communities like mine. I have close family members who were incarcerated for a lot of my life etc. But dance/music/acting stole my heart and my family didn’t have the money to put me in college. I’m very happy with the outcome and I don’t think I could survive law school anymore. My attention span is admittedly not great these days.
What’s success to you?
Success to me is a mix of creating community through music and having literal security. I understand the sentiment behind “money can’t buy you happiness” – but self evolution and fulfillment also can’t happen in survival mode. Having spent many years surrounded by poverty and addiction, any version of life where I get to focus on making art rather than losing my mind over paying a bill or staying safe is truly a success to me.
What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?
I spent a summer in New York with my aunt when I was 15 and it opened my eye to what was possible. As a kid I was obsessed with the idea of New York and it totally lived up to the hype. The fashion, the performers, the strange characters on the subway – I thought: if people can pick up their lives from anywhere in the world and move here, then I can just start being a musician!
Where can people keep in touch with you?
People can keep in touch with me on my instagram @chaisully – I’m always sharing my thoughts, announcements, cool art and snippets of what’s inspiring me lately. If you want to get a little more in my brain (proceed with caution) I’m starting an interview series called “Let’s Be Blunt” where I sit down with my peers (other emerging artists) and get into their process/dreams while we smoke a blunt. You’ll find it on my YouTube channel; It’s good fun.
