The Playground Meets: Gem Chantelle
By: Brianna Nestor
“I feel like I'm a transparent person. With my music, I feel like whoever listens to it, they're hanging out one-on-one with me. That’s how I think about it and that's how I want it to feel. I want them to feel like they know me and like we're friends.”
Gem Chantelle is the friend everyone would love to have. Her warming presence is something that you don’t need to be in person with her to feel, it shines through her music. Created in the span of a year that was spent almost entirely at home, Gem’s music makes listeners forget the void and feel a sense of intimacy.
The 20-year-old native New Yorker is a songwriter and professionally trained vocalist. Although she is now in the pop realm, her early beginnings as an opera singer shaped her abilities today. “I definitely think that having that technique has helped me as a singer because I know how to use my voice as an instrument, which is essential for when I'll be touring since I'll know how to take care of my voice properly,” she said. “Also as much as opera it is different from pop, it did help me because it taught me rhythm, how to control myself on stage, and how to perform.”
Gem has applied the same mantra that she did with opera to all aspects of her life: she doesn’t try to be anything she’s not. She’s had a strong sense of where she’d like to go with her sound from a young age. “I always knew that I wanted my music to make people feel good. I don't want to write songs that are heavy. I want to make music that's fun to listen to with a positive takeaway.” This past year, she has dropped three singles all showcasing the nostalgic yet overwhelming feelings of being young and in love.
She is currently in the space of exploring her creative abilities. She co-wrote and sang alongside Perry Bancs in her first single of the year, “Alone Tonight.” The vulnerable track is filled with airy harmonies and runs, with sounds similar to the likes of Ariana Grande. In this song, Gem discusses her struggle with knowing that a relationship is unhealthy, but still wanting to go forward with it, which is something that resonates with many listeners. Her second single of the year, “Not Worried,” reflects on the next chapter where you’ve gone through the motions and finally feel free. She tells The Playground, “It's easy to get caught up in the moment and not really think long term, but once you realize there's so much of the world out there and there's so many people I'm going to meet, so many things I'm going to do, there's really no reason to stress over one person or one instance.” The finale of the threefold is her single “Falling,” which came out of a quick, 20-minute piano brainstorm and became one of her personal favorites.
We can expect a visual album from Gem Chantelle in the fall. In the meantime, you can check out her latest performance in the Z100 Duncan Latte Lounge here. Also, she will be dropping another single "Temporary" that will be released on June 4th. With her tenacious work ethic, sincere artistry, and comforting energy, it is hard not to be mesmerized by Gem Chantelle.