Chinese multi-hyphenate Chace chatted about his singe “Mariya,” his music inspirations, and the digital age.
The producer, vocalist, and songwriter is receiving the support of DJ Snake and Billboard Dance for his sleek electronic sound.
‘Mariya’
His single “Mariya” shows Chace stepping into a new artistic era as a frontman for his dark dance-pop visions, brought to life in a surrealist video co-developed by the visionary wunderkind. Playing his first festivals at 17, Chace now explores a minimalist and matured sonic palette in his new 12-track album Belated Suffocation, released via Fabled Records.
On his song “Mariya,” he said, “The initial idea for the production is to try a find a blend between the modern urban sound and house music, so it really started with the instrumentals, and I know I wanted it to feel dark and raw, so I really went deep with fine tuning the drums on this one, there’re probably six versions of the song with different kinds of house drums. After having the backbone of the production adding auto-tune felt natural to be honest, I tried mumbling into the mic with auto-tune on and It sounded right.”
Inspirations
Regarding his music and songwriting inspirations, he said, “A lot of the times it’s usually one sound that triggers ideas for a song, and a specific vibe, I really like my tracks to sound like movie scores, in a way that it has a cinematic feel to it, and I think the approach is reflected from the music as well, usually there’re lots of room for the ambience to set before the actually song starts.”
Future plans
On his future plans, he said, “I think diving back in the studio and try new things is the priority at this point, I’ve always been trying to balance the dance music side and the more indie, live music side of me, and I think my main audience haven’t really seen the non-DJ side of me yet, figuring out how to present that is gonna be a fun new chapter.”
The digital age
He opened up about being a recording artist in the digital age. “Technology has its pros and cons for sure, on the technical side it’s wonderful, so many stuff to take in and to learn about easily, but I think at the same time it demands more heart and soul at this day an age with writing and actually arranging songs, because there are so many influences out there that’s constantly pushing through your ears and it’s extra hard to stay focused and centered towards one’s own taste. But ask this question to artists from any era, they’re never gonna think they are at the golden age, things can always be better I guess,” he explained.
Advice for hopefuls
For young and aspiring artists, he said, “Being one myself I think the most important note is to stay true to your own heart and stay aware. Like I said is so easy to be influenced and most artists don’t realize how fragile creativity is, you got to protect your own energy and time, it’s easy to have a lot of work but it’s hard to have the right ones.”
When asked if there were any moments in his career that helped define him, he said, “I always felt like moments of growth happen the most when I’m in the studio making stuff, realizing different sides of my musicality has always been the most exciting feeling I get. Other than that I always enjoy getting out there and travel, having different perspectives on life.”
On his definition of the word success, he said, “Being able to keep evolving and stay true, at the same time improve the life qualities of mine and my inner circle.”
He concluded about his new music, “My debut album ‘Belated Suffocation’ is out and it’s a very specific vibe, better to listen at night and alone, took me years to finish this one and I’m personally really happy with it, hope y’all can enjoy it as well.”
To learn more about Chace, follow him on Instagram.
