CHMBRS Talks About Her Big Plans For 2017 ...
Our student Aimee Chambers shares the story of 'CHMBRS', how music changed her life and the process behind releasing an independent EP....
When did you realise that you wanted music to be your career?
That, actually took a long time for me to decide. Too long. I’ve suffered from self doubt so much that I never thought I’d ever be ‘good enough’ to be a professional musician, or even artist. It actually took some really heavy hits, and a bit more heartbreak to realise that one thing that I kept coming back to, the one thing that kept my head above water was music. Music gives so much to people; joy, happiness, healing, resolution, inspiration. I don’t think there really was another choice for me, anything else I tried to make a career out of left me unmotivated and miserable. Life’s too short to do things that make you miserable.
Tell us a little bit about your debut single "Rabbit Hole". What was the inspiration behind this track and why did you choose it as your debut?
Originally I wrote ‘Rabbit Hole’ for my own healing, but as it pieced together I decided I wanted to give it to someone else. Someone else who is struggling to find their purpose, their self-belief and their identity. I spent that night on the piano crying my eyes out begging God to help me write a song, help me find the ‘artist I was meant to be’. I wanted this track to be my debut as I am still learning everyday, who I am and who I want to be. This song helped me realise that defeat was just a state of mind, that if I could keep my soul strong, no matter the obstacle, I would ‘make it out alive’. This track was the revival of my self-belief so I decided it was only fitting to make it my debut.
How would you describe your music and sound to our readers?
My music is very emotional. There is a ‘Dark Pop’ aspect that is quite prominent in my sound, channeling the likes of BANKS, Lapsley, Meg Mac, Halsey etc. My music is lyrically very visual and metaphorical, I want people to think about the words and meanings in my songs. I want my music to take people on emotional journeys and revelations. My goal is to create music that is ‘an emotional punch in the gut’ - hard-hitting, raw and honest.
Can you share a little bit about the creative process behind this project from writing, recording and marketing yourself as an independent artist?
There is so much involved in this process and it never stops being exciting. From my own personal experience it began with writing. After I wrote Rabbit Hole, I took the song to Josh Needham who believed in the track so much he suggested that I should create an EP. Josh and I jumped into the project together, and after 5 x 8 hour days of writing, we then took our 4 favourites into the studio to work on for the following 6-7 months. We then brought in Daniel Kelaart to be part of the project to do some production and mixing. A couple tracks got sent of to be mixed in LA and then finally mastered back here in Aus. THIS was the “easy” part. The hardest part has been the ‘branding’ and ‘marketing’ myself. I had a lot of help during this part but still is a little over my head. It seems simple - just be yourself, right? You have to be your ‘marketable’ self. Which is far from simple. Luckily in the process of releasing Rabbit Hole (and maybe more…) I have brought on a PR & Social Media team to keep up with all the ‘over my head’ details, but what I’ve learnt from all my marketing guru friends is that you need to keep relatable to your audience, they want to feel like they know you personally, and to try to stay as exciting as possible - this doesn’t mean parties and fireworks all the time, but maybe show them some new songs you’ve been working on/writing, a gig you played/went to, your daily inspirations, etc. Keeping an ‘active’ social presence and letting your fans feel engaged.
What are your top tips for artists wanting to take the next step and successfully release their own single and EP?
1) Save, save, save, save and SAVE. You want the best possible production, recording and team on your side during this process.
2) Make sure you invest in the right people who believe in your music and don’t just want to make a dime. Have a meeting with whoever is going to produce your music and make sure they understand your sound, otherwise they’ll just turn you into another wanna be ‘pop’ singer because it’s “easy”
3)Analyse yourself. Write down all your beliefs, what you want your music to stand for, what makes you different, who you want to sound like (your produce will thank you), what your style is, etc. Try to understand your ‘brand’ as much as you can - the better you know your brand, the better your marketing team will be able to promote you.
4) Write, write, write! Write as much as you can, write with others! Collaborative writing is probably one of my favourite ways to create a song and one of the first ways I got encouraged to be creative with my music.
5) Have confidence in yourself and your artistic brand. You're worth it and your music deserves to be heard.
FOLLOW CHMBRS:
Facebook: facebook.com/chmbrsmusic Insta: @chmbrsmusic Twitter: @chmbrsmusic Website: www.chmbrsmusic.com.au