Q: I notice the song was a collaboration duo throughout the pandemic. What was your creative process in making “You Had It All” with those musicians/artists?
Chantelle: We have always been a massive advocate for collaboration in the creative arts world, whether that be art, lyrics, music or video. Chris and I have been a collaborative duo from when we first met as we we were writing songs together before I became involved in the band. We have also collaborated with other musicians along our journey such as Elis Mullholand. However, the “You Had It All” collaboration was slightly different to the others. Stephen A Quinn is a very good friend of ours and we have all shared interests in the musical world but it had never really crossed into ‘collab’ territory until during a jam session one night and he played us the original version of “You Had It All”. We then put pen to paper and re-arranged the structure, explored the lyrical content and came up with the final track you hear. The idea to collaborate further than just co-writing was a unified choice from all 3 of us. It’s something we hadn’t really done before and the two different viewpoints of the lyrical story were brought together by the two different voices. The artwork on this track was also a collaborative process as it was hand drawn and designed by Stephen A Quinn, not just a songwriter but a talented artist. This was also the first song that Chris and I co-produced which is a process that now takes place in every track we release.
Q: In your own words, how would you describe the music that you typically create?
Chris: We listen to so much music and are fans of so many genres. So our own music is a reflection of this. We firstly, like to think of ourselves as a bit of a fusion, a melting pot of influences where the song guides where it wants to go. But, we tend to characterise our music as a fusion of modern day Pop/Rock mixed with a more roots based, Country/Rock flavour. Especially in the songwriting where we like to tell stories.
Q: Was there a pivotal moment in your life when you decided to follow your path as a musician?
Chris: For me music is in my blood as my Dad was a singer and guitarist in various bands. But, I have two lightbulb moments that really made me want to become a musician. The first was being fascinated with guitar from an early age, picking it up and wanting to play it. The second was my parents vinyl collection. I used to just pick records at random and play them. But one day I picked up a record with no sleeve. So I had no way of knowing who it was. I dropped the needle and a sound came out that I had never heard before, especially the guitar sound. It later turned out that the record was a copy of Queen’s debut album and the sound was the intro to ‘Keep Yourself Alive’. From that I knew that I wanted to be a musician and also that I wanted experiment with sound.
Q: I love the emotion behind your voice! Who are your biggest musical influences?
Chantelle: Thank you! There are so many. I grew up listening to all kinds of music so I have a range of influences namely Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Hayley Williams etc the list could go on for days. I find that I take certain aspects of any influence I have and I mould them into my sound which is what you hear on the records. I don’t like to pigeonhole my vocal sound down to one genre or influence because it doesn’t have one. I was firstly trained in Musical Theatre to which I have a diploma and I have also trained in Classical and Pop/Rock vocal styles, they all play a role in how I express my voice. Its also not hard to put emotion behind a song or story that you connect with and that’s really what you get from us (The Rising), its real, we write from personal experience and we take inspiration from events, people or emotions we have felt that relate to the lyric of the song which in turn can get emotional.
Q: What is coming up next for you?
Chris: We are currently in the process of releasing an EP called ‘No Hope Without Love’ but in line with modern day consumption we are releasing the EP as a series of 5 singles. After the EP we have several singles planned and they will come out roughly every month. This will lead to our second full length album which will be released on limited edition vinyl. So all in all, lots of new music coming.
Q: What would you like to tell your supporters out there?
Chantelle: We are so amazed by all the support and love that we receive from you. None of it would be possible or worthwhile if we didn’t have that support. We really do appreciate every single one of you. However, If you are new to us and you would like to know more about us then you can get involved with us on our socials with @therisingmusic (Instagram, Twitter) or @therisingofficial (Facebook). Also, you can join us every Monday 8pm on our weekly Facebook Live show and become part of our community. All information about us, our music and merchandise can be found at www.therisingmusic.com
Interviewed by Stephanie Pankewich
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