Chela

Returning to home soil after earning her stripes in the USA, synth-pop songstress Chela chatted to me about the jam-packed year that was and what she will be squeezing into the year ahead.
Since releasing singles ‘Plastic Gun’ and ‘Full Moon’ and making her mark with Goldroom collaboration ‘Fifteen’ only a few years ago, Chela has been one busy lady. “When I look back, I feel like I’ve done so much and worked so hard … I kind of feel crazy about how much I’ve fit in.” Her sentiment is justly warranted, as 2014 was full of (among other things) wandering the USA on acclaimed tours like Check Yo’ Ponytail, SXSW and Coachella – the latter festival heralding one of Chela’s most surreal moments.
“One of the weirdest nights was the first night of Coachella … I was walking past Jay-Z and Beyoncé and all my favourite artists all within the one hour … Then we went to the Jeremy Scott Party and again all my favourite artists were by the pool hanging out and it was a crazy experience being right in the thick of it. It all seems so normal when you’re actually there, but when you come back to Australia it seems kind of surreal.”
These experiences abroad have acted as a bittersweet muse, with such dizzying highs contrasting lingering homesickness. “I did feel lonely at moments living away so when I moved to L.A. I was quite low and I wrote some sad songs getting those feelings out.
“I think that the people and atmosphere around you influence your songs heavily, and I always write about things that are immediately close to me at the time, so a lot of my songs from this year have been inspired by things that I’ve experienced in the US.”
Despite this raw foundation to her songwriting, she promises a characteristic up-beat buzz to her forthcoming EP. “I’m keeping the style quite similar, [but] there’ll be a range of emotions in there, which is great.” Thankfully, we won’t have to wait too long to hear some more of the rhythmic, cool-pop we love. “I’ve got four or five solid songs … so I’m definitely going to make an EP earlier in the year and release that around mid-year [2015] and see how that goes and perhaps make an album from there.”
Back home now, Chela is relaxing and filling up on family time before she starts making the rounds of the summer festival scene. One of the more exciting gigs on the horizon is Sugar Mountain Festival. “I love the idea of mixing visual art with the performers; it’s such a fresh, unique idea that really makes it stand out.”
As a long-time patron and avid supporter, she will now be taking the stage to perform alongside her friends and other rising talents that are also heating up our home-grown sound. “It supports a lot of local talent and it’s a really good community of people. You know almost everyone there; it’s such an amazing atmosphere.”
Sugar Mountain Festival is set to launch Chela’s New Year with a bang, and if 2014 is anything to go by, it’s safe to say we can be expecting big things from this little lady.
When&Where: Sugar Mountain Festival, Melbourne – January 24
By Emily Hirst