R&B Artist CHANJ Debut Single – “It’s The Worst” (New Album Coming Soon…)
R&B Artist CHANJ (pronounced: change) Is Set To Take The Industry By Storm With His Debut Single “It’s the Worst”
“Chanj,
a metamorphosis of growth and learning at the tender age of 21 is a
profound thinker and a maestro of words crafted into the universal
truthisms….his songs!”
Listen to his soulful harmonies on this Steven Russell (Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown “No Air”) produced track!
“It’s The Worst” by clicking play button below!
(press play button in left box -box 1 of 2)
ABOUT CHANJ
Every so often the industry is blessed to witness the birth of a
genuine new artist, the kind whose very first single grabs music fans’
attention and maintains it until arriving at bona fide stardom.
Alistair Records recording artist CHANJ is that next artist and he will
seal the deal with the release of his forthcoming, aptly titled debut
disc, TIME FOR CHANJ.
The gifted Plainfield, New Jersey native
has spent the better part of his life on some form of a stage. Growing
up on healthy helpings of classic soul singers like Al Green, Sam Cooke
and Luther Vandross provided him with a solid musical foundation. But
his more direct influences were contemporaries like Prince, Lauryn Hill
and D’Angelo. As a member of an extracurricular high school program
partnered with the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, CHANJ’s original
aspiration was to be an actor. But seeing awe-inspiring performances by
some of his music idols compelled him to try his hand at singing and
soon he began honing his craft by performing at local talent shows. He
eventually crossed paths with veteran music executive Darnell Scott,
who would provide the “big break” aspiring artists always dream about.
Before meeting Scott, CHANJ would find himself on the very stage that
inspired him to become a vocalist. He proved a force to be reckoned
with when he appeared as an “Amateur Night” contestant on Showtime at
the Apollo. Commanding an audience known globally for its fiercely
critical and sometimes brutal reception, CHANJ put his own stamp on
Floetry’s highly received sensual ballad “Say Yes.” It was the mark of
a consummate performer, as he recalls, “It was a lukewarm reception as
I began to sing the song but I just kept going and it turned into
cheers and people standing and clapping.” He won the challenge not once
but four times, earning a $25,000 dollar grand prize for his final win.
Footage of his performance of the song on the Apollo and at other live
venues has generated thousands of hits on YouTube.
Scott
introduced CHANJ to his partner and Alistair Records co-founder Warren
Braithwaite, who knew he’d found something special in CHANJ the first
time he heard him sing. Braithwaite recalls, “I haven’t heard a voice
like that in a long time. Every time he sings you get chills, you feel
it in your soul.” And he knew just the right people to help generate a
buzz on his promising new artist. Braithwaite cranked up the machine by
booking a spot on pal Jamie Foxx’s popular “Fox Hole” Radio Show on
Sirius, which led to a gig singing at a birthday party for actress
Tisha Campbell. The fete was of course attended by a tenfold of
celebrities who were equally awed by the newcomer’s talent and happy to
spread the word. That led to a performance at R&B Live — the
popular Los Angeles showcase hosted by actor Chris Spencer — where his
performance had regular guests like Judge Mathis and Tony Rock in the
palm of his hand. In fact, Foxx was so impressed by the young talent,
the Oscar-winning actor opened up his Los Angeles-based home studio for
CHANJ to record some of the songs on his debut disc.
Teddy
Riley produced the update of “Say Yes” that appears on TIME FOR CHANJ.
Asked why he chose to attempt the intricate song, CHANJ says, “When I
bought [Floetry’s 2002 disc Floetic] ‘Say Yes’ was the one song that
stuck out to me so strong. It’s passionate, it’s intimate and it’s a
true R&B/soul song.” He now gets consistent requests to perform it.
After friends insisted she see the Apollo performance, former Floetry
vocalist Marsha Ambrosius was equally impressed with CHANJ’s version of
her composition, and she was thrilled to work with him on his album on
the track “Give it All.” He says of the Grammy-winning songwriter,
“Working with Marsha was incredible. I’m such a fan of hers and she
wound up being a fan of me too, which made for great chemistry in the
studio. And ‘Give it All’ is such a strong song.”
CHANJ was
able to nurture his own budding skills as a songwriter on the project
while working alongside a host of industry heavy-hitters. He says, “I
really just wanted to get involved with different people with different
ideas. And I wanted to learn a lot so that when my second album comes
out I would have a lot more knowledge on how to really construct a
song, or really get the best out of a harmony.” In addition to Riley
and Ambrosius, some of his collaborators included Dre & Vidal,
Adonis, Day 26’s Robert Curry and Mike City. Of working with Riley – a
music legend known as the architect of “New Jack Swing” – CHANJ says it
was amazing “just to be in the studio with an icon. He has this thing
called the ‘Teddy Test’ where he’s really, really hard on people to get
that great performance. Fortunately, I passed Teddy’s test. He taught
me a lot.”
Working with Adonis on the track “Dance for Me”
was an eye-opening experience that reinforced the “less is more”
concept. CHANJ says of the hit-maker, “He understands the art of
simplicity. He can make something so simple sound so great. He has
these catchy melodies that lock into you. His mind is great.”
Melodically the track invokes ‘80s-era Prince, which is fitting for a
sexy ditty that nods to strip clubs by suggesting a couple create their
own venue at home. But CHANJ can also leave sex out of the equation
when celebrating the opposite sex; skillfully produced by industry
tastemakers Dre & Vidal, the catchy dance tempo “2 Kool” is an ode
to the girl whose confidence and self-assuredness complete her physical
package and make her the star of the club. The duo also blessed the
project with the flirty mid-tempo “Maybe,” the infectious introductory
single in which CHANJ sets the tone for his artistry, singing, “I know
you’ve been waiting for a song like this/Wait no more/ ‘Cause here it
is.” And the aptly titled “Transform” will likely see CHANJ morph from
buzzed-about newcomer to crossover phenomenon, with its expansive sound
and radio-friendly appeal in the vein of T.I. and Justin Timberlake’s
“Dead and Gone.”
The lead single, “It’s The Worst” produced by
Steven Russell (Jordin Sparks “No Air”) features a powerful and
emotional delivery from Chanj while giving the listener an intimate
look into the difficulties of relationships. Says Chanj, “Everyone has
been in the type of relationship where you love someone, but you can’t
seem to make it work. It drives you crazy. Damn! “It’s The Worst!”
CHANJ delivers lyrical content about admiration, infatuation, and love
in a manner that’s chivalrous rather than salacious. “My musical style
is a bit more honest, a bit more genuine. My lyrical content has to
display a certain type of image – a gentleman-ism, a romantic side. Of
course it can be fun but at the end of the day I want to influence
people with love all over again. Everything is so sexual that we’ve
moved away from genuine love songs.” He also has a profound love and
respect for the art of performing and strives to connect with and
captivate his audience. “My live show is like a party. My DJ, DJ
Scratchator, always amps up the crowd as a pre-warning to a fun loving
intense show you’ll receive.”
Armed with an enormous amount of
talent and stage-worthy charisma, CHANJ is next in line to carve a
permanent niche for his self in the music industry and is destined to
achieve the pop-crossover status few R&B artists have achieved
before him. He recognizes the qualities that make the quintessential
artist because he possesses them himself. “The great singers of R&B
are always the people who can touch you. It’s important to know who you
are and what you want to display to the world because people feel a lot
more connected when they know that something’s not contrived.” Without
a doubt, CHANJ is good.
CHANJ
Time For Chanj – This September
Alistair Records
www.myspace.com/chanjmusic
www.twitter.com/chanjmusic
ThinkTank