Chenayder is Music’s Freshest Voice with an Old Soul
Her mom gave her music equipment, and she never looked back.
Chenayder by Jordan Margolin
When you hear Chenayder’s voice, you won’t think you’re hearing a teenager’s voice. Instead, you’ll hear a voice reminiscent of the Harlem Renaissance, Billie Holiday, and Etta James. The Orlando native is only 17 years old and still in high school, but her music career is already taking off. She’s received the attention of Lyrical Lemonade and quickly became signed to Alamo Records.
She began writing poetry as early as third grade. As Chenayder became more dedicated to poetry, the COVID-19 pandemic a few years later. With nothing to do, her mother gave her a laptop and microphone, and she made beats to pair with the poetry to create what she didn’t expect to be viral hits.
In the eighth grade, she wrote one of her first and most acclaimed songs, “Bethany.” She posted the song on TikTok and received positive feedback to keep making music, even if it’s out of her bedroom. Last year, she released her most popular single (so far), “Fall.” The song has over eight million streams and also made its way around TikTok. Chenayder discussed the beginning of her music career and her future as a young artist with 1202 MAGAZINE.
When did you begin making music, and what motivated you to start?
It was a waterfall effect. I knew I’d always wanted to do something that had something to do with entertainment or creativity. When I was very young, I started writing poems in elementary school. Then, I began experimenting with making beats in middle school and singing on top of these beats. I didn’t post these because I thought it could just be a fun hobby. But then, in the seventh grade, COVID-19 happened. My mom had a box of mics she was going to sell. I took one because there were a bunch of them. I decided to practice and try to post online. I started making a whole bunch of songs until I felt like one of them could be posted.
My first song was ‘Bethany,’ I released it at the beginning of eighth grade and kept going after that. Many people were being nice to me online and telling me to keep going. It was really encouraging. In ninth grade, I made a song called ‘Fall.’ I wrote it in a couple of hours, and I was so proud of it when I first heard it and excited to release it. A week later, I went to the laundromat with my mom and decided to record a video on TikTok, which went viral. ‘Fall’ then went viral, and many people reached out to me, saying they loved my song and wanted to represent me. I was only 15, so I honestly didn’t know what to do with all the attention. I told my mom and brother, who helped sort everything out. That’s why I’m here.
What does your songwriting process look like?
A lot of it is real life and also making up scenarios. Sometimes, I write in the Notes app when I have ideas or the beat will inspire me. I’ll feel some emotion towards the beat. I usually have the beat first; then, I write the lyrics.
Do you still make your own beats or co-produce?
In the beginning, I did. But now, I just make beats for fun and on my own time. When I’m in the studio, I’ll give my opinions, but I’m not really playing anything.
Why do you think you consistently go viral on TikTok?
Because it sounds really different, a lot of people ask me what genre I make or where I can find music like this, but I barely had music out at the time. I feel like it’s because the old sound is coming back, which not a lot of younger people listen to. They think it’s something totally new, and I tried to put my own spin on it. It’s fresh and new to the younger generation.
What genre would you consider your music?
Alternative and soul.
Are you an old soul when it comes to music?
Yeah.
Who are some of your inspirations?
Billie Eilish, cover groups from the ‘50s, and The Four Freshmen. I love listening to instrumentals during my free time and on the way to school. I like slow and fast music.
You’ve had a spotlight on Lyrical Lemonade so early into your career. How has your life and career changed since then?
It honestly changed a lot. I’ve gotten to travel outside of Orlando and Florida in general. I saw New York, Los Angeles, and even Atlanta, which is pretty cool. Before that, I’d never been on an airplane or anything besides a car. Sometimes, I get recognized, which is kind of crazy because people know me beyond my online presence. Now I’m in eleventh grade, and freshmen will come in and ask me if I’m Chenayder.
How do you balance your school life and music life?
The majority of the time, I go to school. I might miss a Friday, but most of the time, music happens during breaks or on the weekends. I do a whole bunch of stuff, and I keep going to school. I’ll go to the studio after school from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. I have to wake up at like 5 a.m. to catch the bus.
What are your plans after you graduate?
I definitely plan on making music full-time and branching out into other things like fashion.
Chenayder by Jordan Margolin
What have you learned since you first started making music, and how have you evolved?
I’ve learned to have a lot of patience. I’ve learned new producing skills when it comes to tracking and engineering. I’ve learned that it’s okay to be direct and voice your opinion. It used to take a lot for me to say how I actually felt because I was scared of how other people might perceive it. I’m more confident in my choices, for sure.
What can fans and listeners expect from you soon?
It's nothing too different from what I do now, but it's also a bit of an evolution. It’s a different vibe, but not too much.
What do you mean by ‘evolution?’
I was mostly writing in my room and recording on my laptop. Now that I get to go to a professional studio and have people help me through the process, I feel like it’ll be better-quality songs.
You recently did your first performance in Miami. What was that like?
It didn’t feel like it was going to happen until they said my name to go up on stage, then I was nervous. But the people and crowd were really nice, and they loved it. But I made many mistakes because I was nervous, but it went pretty well.
What do you want to achieve in the next few years?
I want to be more present and confident in my choices. I want to keep getting better at what I’m doing right now, for sure. I want to keep going and persevering.
What is it you feel like you need to get better at?
Sticking with my gut, playing instruments, and producing. I was playing the violin a couple of months ago, and I’m probably getting back to it soon.
