Zalig hoe deze dame pop blijft mengen met druppels soul en alsnog ver weg weet te blijven van een plat-commerciëel geluid. Alternatief zou ik het niet direct noemen, maar het gaat wel lichtjes die richting uit. Emotioneel oprecht, fris, sterke teksten en dan natuurlijk die ronduit fantastische stem die me telkens weer weet te raken.
Luister ook naar: Falling Under
The Crowned verschijnt op 19 januari 2023 via Icons Creating Evil Art.
Lees
"Loveless is about giving your love over quickly and readily,” Ché says. “Loving without the expectation of having it returned. I think it’s honourable to give over love easily to anyone, even with the dangers that can come from that. Maybe it’s not even a choice, maybe you either acknowledge your love or you don’t, but it’s there either way. This song explores the feeling of being compelled to love a person who has nothing to give in return.”
Ché was raised in Vancouver by her mother, a plethora of hippie Aunts, punk rock Uncles and a colourful extended family. Think Little House on the Prairie meets the Lost Boys. Ché's childhood was one of constant creativity and adventure, instilling in her a strong sense of individualism that she took out into the world and onto the stages of local clubs in Vancouver. She lived the troubadour life and became embroiled in the Toronto indie music scene. As she grew and spread her wings, music took her around the world, both as a solo artist and with her critically acclaimed band 'Casualties of Cool', a joint venture with prog behemoth Devin Townsend, who she recently collaborated with again by featuring on his latest album ‘Lightwork’.
The nomadic lifestyle led to her working in LA with hitmakers Greg Wells, David Foster and Kara Dioguardi; performing with Michael Bublé, Kim Churchill and Dan Mangan and releasing music with industry heavyweights Andrew Loog Oldham (Rolling Stones) and Tom Sarig (Lou Reed).
As Ché gears up to release The Crowned, we find her at her most ambitious and gregarious. It shows a side to her seldom seen before. Confidence and determination pulses through the songs, signalling the birth of a new era for Ché. Inspired by her love of Trip Hop, Folktronica and Soul, The Crowned has Ché’s signature all over it whilst reaching out into new sonic environments.
Pre-pandemic, Ché was working with Bob Rock, who produced half of the album. When we emerged from lockdown, Ché had self-produced the rest. This album tells a story of an artist’s evolution and growth. Released on the UK label Icons Creating Evil Art, Ché is set to take 2023 by storm.
You are looking at a woman who still has the same sense of individualism instilled by her family, now combined with a drive and vision that is growing increasingly rare in this day and age. An artist in the truest sense of the word, a product of passion and not curation.
