We had the good fortune of connecting with Chanel Young and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Chanel, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I decided to pursue an artistic career as a way to express myself freely. I have a really hard time expressing how I feel at times and through the years I have found peace through the music I write. it’s the best way I can express myself and really let people in. It’s my outlet haha. More recently I have been working on making my music come to life and it has honestly felt so fulfilling. I absolutely love it.Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a singer-songwriter, musician, and as of recently, content creator. I’ve been writing for a few years now but I will admit I’m not one of those avid songwriters that has a huge catalog of lyrics. I used to be ashamed of that, but I never want to force songwriting or anything that I create so I do it when I’m inspired. I have found doing it that way to be much more rewarding. I only ever want to put out good content that is well thought out (even if that takes longer haha) Part of what sets me apart is my overall sound. Being versatile is really important to me as a musician and so being able to incorporate all of my favorite genres and vocal stylings into the music I create has allowed me to produce a unique blend of my own. I am probably most proud of my overall growth as an artist. I don’t have a ton of experience with music production and creating music in general but I will say that looking back at where I started, I’m happy with where I am now and the growth and development I’ve been able to make. I’ve been working on some new music lately that I never thought I would be making so I’m really excited to get to put it all out there. I think for the most part, nothing anyone is working towards is ever really easy and trying to make it as an independent artist/musician is no different. There is a lot that goes into being an independent artist. A lot of time and dedication, patience, money haha, and of course consistency. A lot of thought goes into it. You really have to love what you do to keep pushing. That love has to be greater than the payout as cheesy as it sounds because nothing is guaranteed. I have definitely learned quite a few lessons from being in this field. Taking my time has been a huge one for me. I always give myself these strict deadlines when it comes to my music and then I end up wishing I had been more patient in the end. I have to remind myself that it’ll all payoff in the end if I just take my time with what I create. I’ve also learned to only compare myself to me and me alone. I used to want to just give up because I would compare myself to people who had been doing what I’m doing for WAY longer than me. I think it’s super important to acknowledge your own growth. What I want people to know about my brand is my authenticity with everything I do. I want to put out really good content but there’s a process to getting there and I don’t mind sharing that with people. We are so used to seeing the final product that we forget that there were several rough drafts before that and several lessons to learn. (I think that’s why so much of my music is about personal growth haha)The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate this to my mom first and foremost for being my biggest motivator and number one supporter from day one and always stressing the importance of taking the opportunities that are presented to you. She has always been so encouraging and I am incredibly grateful for that. I also want to thank my fiancé for believing in me and constantly reminding me of my worth in all of this BUT still being brutally honest with me when something I create is not so great haha. Last but not least I want to dedicate this to all of my music professors at LSC for being so supportive inside and outside the classroom and for seeing something in me that I hadn’t. The impact that they have made on me is something I will always cherish.
Website: www.chaneleyoungmusic.com
Instagram: instagram.com/chaneleyoungmusic
Facebook: facebook.com/chaneleyoungmusic
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3v2KIa8QNRuO2kswYOwpSA
Other: tiktok: @chaneleyoung Spotify: https://artists.spotify.com/c/artist/1oLgItjtc9jR2sNj1A1cWM/profile/overview