Having been best known as the charismatic frontwoman for the established South African space-rock outfit Diamond Thug for the last few years, singer and songwriter Chantel Van T is now ready to break out on her own as she delivers her wonderfully wistful debut single 'Rumble And Crawl'.
Lifted from her forthcoming debut album 'Nicalochan', which is due out on the 23rd October, 'Rumble And Crawl' makes for a wonderfully smooth and enticing instruction to her solo guise. With its light and atmospheric production, layered around her deeply soulful vocal performance, this new delight follows in the footsteps of Lana Del Rey with its rich and heartfelt direction.
So with her first song making waves right now, we sat down with her to find out more about her background and what has inspired her most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Piano.
What has been the most prominent inspiration behind your music so far?
Life, loss, love and growth. Music has helped me grow both as a person and as an artist. It has been a strong vessel of expression and making sense of many parts of myself, my life and acknowledging the connectivity we all have to feeling certain things.
What kind of music did you love as a teenager?
Wow a big range depending on what I was up to: folk (Bob Dylan, Nick Drake,Leonard Cohen, Nina Simone, Tom Waits, Nico), hiphop (Jurassic 5), alt rock/indie/ambient (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Foals, Radiohead, The Velvet Underground, Modest Mouse, Block Party, Nick Cave, Santigold, Sigur Ros and Brian Eno).
Can you remember the first song that made you want to pursue a life in music?
Villa Lobos preludes Preludes 1, 2,3 . My mom used to play them on guitar when I was little. Then the artists who made me want to pursue my solo career were artists like Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, Nico, Sam Cooke and Nina Simone.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Amen Dunes, Bombino, Sigur Ros , Big Thief , Etta James, Otis Redding and Johnnie Frierson.
How many of your songs have you written about people in your life?
A few.
What has been the most unusual moment in your career so far?
The synchronicity of meeting my producer of this record and good friend Anders Ormen Christopherson. If I had not met my friend Jen at an entrepreneur camp in Lithuania who had then told me about her other friend in the industry who I skyped with and then said I should contact Anders regarding collaborating and who took a chance to invite me to his studio to record an album after we worked on a skateboarding song together... This album, which we both realised as we started recording had in its depth something unworldly about it, including how it came together and the timing of everything.
Outside of music, what is your biggest passion?
Dancing (at the moment Flamenco and Swing), baking, outdoor venturing as well as studying - at the moment in Health and Sciences.
If you weren’t a musician, what other path do you think you might have taken?
Quantum Scientist or Dancer/Actress.
And what advice would you give to other musicians looking to start a career in music?
Know why you are making music and what music makes you happy or what music gives you meaning and what music makes you feel. If no one else was listening, what music would you make? Asking why do I make music? is also a pretty important thing to know. Perhaps know that there is no one thing that all of a sudden makes a career great, the sooner you acknowledge the big journey you are starting on the quicker you can celebrate the little victories deep in the cheap seats like writing your first song or playing your first show. What for you would it mean to be successful beyond what society or others expectations are. Remember that there are highs and lows like anything in life, it is cyclical. But overall loving what you create/do and never quitting if you make that commitment to yourself because you know deep down why you do what you do.
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Chantel Van T's new single 'Rumble And Crawl' is available to stream and download now. Have a listen to it in the player below.