Today isn’t Chela’s birthday, but still, today is her day. The Australian electr0-pop babe is blowing up our Check Yo Ponytail 2 tour, shooting music videos left and right, and just dropped her brand-spankin’-new single, “Handful of Gold” on our label 1NFINITY like, five minutes ago.
The girl is on fire, so we caught up with her in the millisecond of free time she has to find out how she feels about being our inaugural INFINITY artist, her infamous stage personality, and whether or not she remembers any lyrics from her high-school punk band phase (of course she does).
Hi! How does feel to be our first-ever release on IHC 1NFINITY with you new single, “Handful of Gold?” It feels like I’m stealing the born-again virginity of a hot babe who has been celibate for five years.
Sounds sexy. We just shot the video for that song with you … Can you give us a little info about the concept and where you got the idea from? How much involvement do you have in concepting your videos? I have a healthy imagination, I’m constantly visualizing concepts for my music. I have made all but one of my music videos (Vegas Nights). “Handful of Gold” was inspired by a few dark scenarios in my life. I tried to capture that in a light-hearted way with the video.
What frustrates you about contemporary pop music? Some of the most popular, most lucrative pop music in the world is manufactured by a team of business people, lacking the heart and soul I hope and look for.
Some artists have a stage persona that’s wildly different from who they are when they’re chilling with a blunt and a Cup-o-Noodles on the couch on a Tuesday. Would you say your stage-presence is who you naturally are, or did you develop it as a separate entity? Ha! Yes I feel very much myself on stage – just more bombastic. It’s like you have to leave your manners aside for a moment to be able to let go. Sometimes I catch myself and think “what the hell am I doing?”
You’ve said that you “absolutely love playing live.” How do you feel when you’re performing? I love that intense connection with an audience, or with my fellow musicians. It’s such a powerful energy to share. Sometimes if an audience is drunk and/or disengaged I get really disheartened. It’s such a bold thing to do, to get up there, and show and tell your creations. It’s an extremely spiritual experience and especially if the audience are there with you some magical cosmic shit can happen and you can get high from the adrenaline and endorphins.
Looks like girl can bust a move. What’s your favorite dance movie? I’m a naughties tween so films like Centre Stage and Honey really stuck with me. My dancing has been largely inspired by watching Michael Jackson concerts over and over too.
Your dad taught you how to make music using Logic … is that program still your jam or have you moved on to greener pastures? Who says there are greener pastures? Ha. I am still working on Logic, I love it. It’s good for what I do right now. I have been pleasantly surprised when I’ve come across some of my favorite producers using it.
You were in a high school punk band. Do you remember any lyrics from those days? Of course! There are so many songs to choose from. This is from ‘He’s Going Down’ when I was cheated on at age 18:
Who do you think you are you motherfucker?
You cannot charm me now you’ve blown your cover
You stupid dick, didn’t think that I’d…
I can’t believe it, believe it, believe it!
Oh my god that’s amazing. Okay. Spontaneous girl’s ski trip. Who do you pick to come?
Mariah if my sister Nicole was there because they’d be kindred spirits. Otherwise Nancy! She’d have some sweet stories to share by the fireplace.
What’s your go-to karaoke song? I don’t do karaoke because it’s hard for a singer not to sound too serious, and try to sing well – which I think goes against the good time vibe of karaoke. I did once do a drunken rendition of ‘That’s What Friends Are For’ with my besties Nellie & Etta at age 17.
Which of your songs do you connect with emotionally the most, or comes from the deepest place? Most of my songs come from a deep place and are disguised as light-hearted fun-time jams. One of my newest songs is about a homophobic homosexual I know, I get a little emo performing that.
What’s your Armageddon game-plan? Plane to Perth, family hangs, confessions to high school crushes, lots of ice cream.
What music would you play in your son or daughter’s crib, assuming you’re gonna make one of those baby-things eventually? Live acoustic versions of Shins covers.
Has there ever been a time when you were performing and something went wrong and you had to improvise? The most recent time was a show with Goldroom in Sacramento at TBD Fest. I know ‘Fifteen’ so well, so well perhaps that I totally forgot the lyrics on the spot! I jumped down to the front row of the crowd and asked a sweet girl who was singing to sing with me. Worked like a charm, and was a beautiful moment.
Did you ever see yourself where you are today when you first worked with Goldroom? No, I try not to look too far into the future, it makes the present move too fast. I did hope I’d have an album out by this year, but the longer I wait, the better the songs get, so I’m happy to wait for the right time.
What’s next for you? Hopefully an album and more touring next year! I’m also looking forward to creating more songs and videos!
Come dance like a crazy person with us during Chela’s set at CYP2’s final tour date at The Regent on November 15th.
