Peace & Blessings, I had the pleasure of sitting with this beautifully well-rounded creative who I first had the pleasure of meeting while we were both prospering in another creative outlet. Her amazingly welcoming energy made the konversation seem effortless, and intriguing. Being two creatives in multiple mediums, the konversation naturally transitioned to other areas we had in common, such as music. We bonded over how healing music is and I was left feeling refreshed by not only the konversation but her energy, and later asked her if she would be interested in an interview and here, we are.
For those who are unfamiliar, Chauntoria is a singer, songwriter, creative and supporter of others from Albany, GA who started singing at a very young age. Along with her sister, she would make up songs for hours about various topics developing her love for music. Like many southerners, she started in the church. Any chance that presented itself for her to sing, she sang. Anywhere singing was allowed, she dove into it. Whether that was choir, plays, chorus, graduations, ceremonies, gatherings, etc., she took it very seriously. When she graduated as a Salutatorian, she already knew she wanted to be an artist. However, as planned, still did what was expected of her, which was to further her formal education. But life brought her back to her first love, music. In 2018, she quit her job as a car salesperson and decided to pursue her music full time and drove Uber and Lyft to subsidize her income. Since then, she has released several projects, made Top 5 in a national singing competition, got back on stage in various platforms, and her music career is ever growing. Join us on her journey and find out how she navigates the music industry in 2023.
KWK: Who would you give credit to getting you started in this career field?
Chauntoria: My family, by allowing there to be a space for my siblings and I to express ourselves. We would often have talent shows in the living room for family and friends. If I was riding with my grandparents in the car and a song came on that I liked, they never told me to be quiet. They encouraged me to keep going. My dad, who was a rapper when I was young. Watching that process in the third grade let me know that dreams don't stop once you hit thirty and have children.
KWK: Who are some of your influences and why have they impacted you so?
Chauntoria: Currently, my influences are more spiritual than they are human. But for a long time, I took inspiration from Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, SZA, and Doja Cat. Now I feel there is a spirit of creativity that I pull from that makes my presentation more authentic instead of imitative.
KWK: Where do you gain motivation to do music?
Chauntoria: I gain motivation from the past and the future. So, my motivation is knowing that I have achieved some things for myself and if I've done it before I can do it again even more. With the future there are so many goals that I want to hit. Those two things can feel exciting and yet intimidating. Because if I don't keep achieving things that means I'm letting my talents and skills go to waste. There is also an excitement or comfort in knowing that I am capable of achieving a lot when I look back at the things I have already done.
KWK: If you could duet/collaborate with anyone, who would it be and why?
Chauntoria: There are a few. Doja Cat because I was a part of the fanbase that initially got her discovered. I was a part of many of her lives where she would ask chat for input on cowriting songs. That experience was inspiring, and seeing her take what we gave her and create great work has left this desire to do that in person. SZA's music is transcendent. Her sound is multi-dimensional to me. You can feel it, you can hear it, it works with all of my senses. It might be strange, but I find her music to be very titillating. It feels like meditation every time I hear SZA on a record.
KWK: What motivates you to keep pushing at moments when you want to give up?
Chauntoria: LIFE! Life does. All the possibilities of life motivate me to keep pushing towards the bigger picture for myself. The support systems that I have, because these people have seen something in me that made them want to invest their time, money, and energy into me and I can't let that go to waste. My mom, she made me promise her before she passed that I would never stop singing and working towards my music career. My greatest expression of gratitude would be expressed through my success. And then ME! I'm someone who motivates me to keep moving forward. I made myself a promise years ago that I would never stop doing this no matter what.
KWK: You have been recording a lot of dope music, what are your plans for this drop?
Chauntoria: I plan on releasing them as a series.
KWK: What does that mean, releasing as a series?
Chauntoria: What I mean by releasing as a series is to release collection of work, that will be released over a period. This is my approach to releasing music without the pressure to have an entire Ep together, I can focus all my energy into the one single.
KWK: If you had to give me three words that would describe your music, how would you describe your sound?
Chauntoria: Vulnerable, very expressive, and authentic.
KWK: Which one of your songs represents you?
Chauntoria: Karmaa, because I am a very gentle and humble person who minds her own business and does her own thing. But I think Karma expresses that even though I'm chillin' and calm, Don't Fuck With Me!
KWK: What are your thoughts on mainstream music today?
Chauntoria: I feel like the artistry has been taken out of the industry. The main focus is virality and how do I replicate what this person did to get where this person is. But if we are honest with ourselves the people that go the farthest and are the most successful are those who are the most authentic. They don't mind breaking the mold. They don't mind going outside the norm to find there own way. Some examples are Lil Baby, Beyoncé, Jhene Aiko, and SZA.
KWK: If you had to pick just one song in your collection to adequately describe your sound, which song would you choose and why?
Chauntoria: I honestly couldn't choose just one because I'm complex. So, I don't think one song would really express my sound per se'.
KWK: What are your main aspirations as an artist going forward?
Chauntoria: I hold strong to the aspiration of being a household name. I want to be an inspiration to others but not in a cliché way. I have the skills and the knowledge to have successful careers in other fields but I am choosing to put all my efforts in to music because I have the strongest faith in it.
It was an absolute pleasure to have the opportunity to get to know her better. We give thanks to not only Chauntoria for this dope interview but to you the reader. Please be sure to show her some support.
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