CHANTEL

(THE VOICE)

 

By: Cecile Anthony-Bryan

 

Chantel Cofie, best known as “Chantel,” has already managed to hit an extraordinary level of maturity and complexity with her appealing music at the tender age of 22. This charismatic Australian singer, songwriter, musician, and actress creates beautiful songs that are inspired by the green energy of pop and the soulfulness of R&B.  Her dynamic vocal style is very emotional and direct, echoing the work of artists such as Beyonce’, Usher, or Rihanna, to mention a few. Chantel’s passion for Music started at a very early age. “She could sing before she could even talk,” her dad fondly recalls. 

 

Around the family home, Chantel was introduced to the great soul and R&B classics, always singing Mary J Blige, Jackson 5, Michael Jackson, Mario Winans, Luther Vandross and Marvin Gaye, which prominently impacted her approach to Music. Ever since the early age of 9, Chantel had determined her ultimate dream – using her God-given talent of singing to connect with a global audience and bring joyfulness and happiness to her listeners. 

At the age of 15, Chantel was awarded a scholarship to ‘The McDonald College,’ Australia’s leading academic and performing arts school. There, she further developed her musicianship and performance techniques. In 2016, Chantel flew across the world to perform on the prestigious stage of the Premier Program, held in Orlando, Florida, where she was awarded “Top Vocalist” and “Most Outstanding Performer.” 

 

Chantel had already appeared on Disney Channel Australia and New Zealand the previous year when she performed “The Smart Cookie” on “BF Chefs,” a show about three girls who love to spend time together as best friends while enjoyably cooking quick and healthy snacks. The show was a success, allowing Chantel to expose her work to a whole new audience. 

In late 2017, Chantel entered the first global competition app, MEGASTAR, in which she placed 1st worldwide in the debut round of the app. She concluded, placing 1st in the Fame Points competition, landing herself an invitation to have a mentoring session with Usher in Los Angeles. Usher and Chantel spoke all things Music, and he has inspired her vision further. 

“I overthink, overlove, over feel and overstress…but it’s all in the beauty of being creative!” 

Following the likes of Quincy Jones, John Mayer, Lalah Hathaway, and Charlie Puth, this young rising star has most recently been accepted into the prestigious Berklee College of Music at Boston, Massachusetts. Find out more and let the music tell you the rest of this wonderful story! 

 

HMM: WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE GROWING UP FOR YOU? TELL US ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD? 

CC:  Music was ALWAYS a huge part of my childhood. I was always in the school assembly performances, plays, and musicals. I grew up with my brother and later, my two younger sisters from my dad’s side. It’s funny, though; a lot of the time, I feel like I grew up so quickly, and individual factors forced me to mature a lot faster. Looking back, I wish I enjoyed certain childhood moments a little more.

HMM: HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU KNEW THIS WAS YOUR CALLING AND WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO DO FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? 

CC: Great question. It’s not something I physically thought about, like “this is what I want to do from now on,” it was just a given. I was always singing. It’s not something that I knew from a specific age – it’s almost like it was embedded in me from birth.

HMM: WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO BE WHAT YOU HAVE CHOSEN AS A PROFESSION TODAY? WHO WERE SOME OF YOUR EARLIEST INFLUENCES? 

CC: What I currently do for work today is not my long-term profession at all. Being an international recording artist, musician, and actress is my ultimate goal. I’m known for my tangents in conversations, so a little side story…After high school, I went straight into university and studied Law then changed to Biomedical Science. By the end of my first year, I burnt out and lost the passion for my subjects. I worked in the aviation industry for different airlines between the university and then I decided to move to London. Shortly after, I started singing on cruise ships around the Pacific Islands, which brought me back to Australia, and now I work here in my hometown…all while recording Music, sending demos, working with incredible producers and performing worldwide. So, I would say my current 9-5 job is to assist by means of living/daily affairs and but my profession?? Oh, that’s Music, baby! It’s a 24/7 commitment & dedication.

“If the love does not feel like 90s R&B, I don’t want it!” 

HMM: HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN YOUR INTEGRITY IN AN OTHERWISE VERY COMPETITIVE AND SCRUPULOUS INDUSTRY? 

CC: Keeping God and family values at the forefront of what I do. Also, I try to stay as authentic to myself as possible. It’s so easy to get sidetracked by what others are putting out and what they are subsequently perceived to be. Especially with social media, as a woman, there are lots of external pressures, and you have to block it out and stick to your energy and your grind. Also, being genuinely supportive of other artists in the industry is so important. Yes, it’s a competitive industry, but we need to push each other to strive upwards and be happy for each other’s success.

HMM: HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO MAINTAIN A WORK-LIFE BALANCE? 

CC: It is tough. I have so many aspirations that require full dedication. If it were up to me, I’d do music 25/8, but you also have to work to survive in the meantime. Because of my dedication to Music, I missed a lot of parties, going out with friends and general late nights out socializing – an activity one usually does as a teenager. I chose Music instead, so yes, work-life balance may not have always been perfect, but the feeling I get when singing? You can’t trade that for any party. The music is the party. 

HMM: WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A DRIVEN PERSON? WHAT MAKES YOU A POWERHOUSE? WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF YOUR STRENGTH?

CC: Yes, I am driven by my love for singing, Music, and being all-around creative. The hardships I’ve gone through in life thus far are what have strengthened me as an individual. It’s those moments in life you have to learn from yourself, that no one else can teach you or tell you. 

HMM: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO HAS A “DREAM”? 

CC: If there was no concept of money and you were doing what you classify as your “dream,” would you still be doing it? Would it still fulfill your happiness? Ask yourself these questions, and if your answers are all genuinely yes, you’re on the right track! Make sure you’re perusing your dreams for the right reasons because, in the end, all you’re left with is your legacy…what did you leave behind? Did it have creative, positive impacts in this world? These are the great rewards of dreams, knowing you’ve changed even one person’s life for the better. 

“Verily, with every hardship, there is ease!”

HMM: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR OTHER VENTURES? WHAT CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE FUTURE? 

CC: I would have loved to be signed by a label that truly understands my vision, and I know theirs, so together, we successfully achieve new heights. Original Music is on the way!! Acting is a part of my future as well. I have a profound love for acting. As a kid, I was always in commercials, and I was a lead actress on a Disney Channel series in Australia and New Zealand for four years. Now I want to position myself into film/screen (a/k/the movies you go into the cinema to watch with bags full of popcorn with your friends after watching the trailer a million times because you were waiting for the movie you’re now watching to come out hahaha). 

This Australian beauty loves traveling, seeing the world and soothing the world through Music, so if you are interested in CONTACT INFO:

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/theonechantel

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/theonechantel 

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6t8fmwdwx68puCi2VRrOnw

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