Lorine Chia is an up-and-coming songstress hailing from Cleveland by way of Cameroon. At just 20 years of age the young singer has hit the scene strongly, having just released a new album last month titled Naked Truths, coming at the best time to ride the coattails of the following she started to gain due to an erroneous listing as a contributing vocalist on none other than Kanye West’s “Blood On The Leaves” off Yeezus. Still, Chia has proved she’s worth the hype thanks to her brand of Jazzy and R&B-infused music and raspy vocals.
Chia will be performing at Chicago’s Reggie’s on January 24th so we had a talk with the singer to learn a little more of the sounds that she’s bringing with her next month. Buy tickets to her January show at Reggie’s.
Read our interview with Lorine Chia after the jump; hear Naked Truths at the bottom of the page.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us about yourself and your music.
You just came out with a new album, titled ‘Naked Truths.’ What can you tell us about the album? What compelled you to give it that title?
The album is filled with a lot of life lessons I’ve learned over the year. I really wanted to share them with people to see if they feel where I’m coming from and understand the things I’m going through. I thought of the title a while ago when I was in Chicago. At first I was going to call it The Naked Truth but Naked Truths sounded better which is what the album is. 14 tracks of the bare truth. I just found a catchy way to be honest.
What was your approach to the overall sound and vibe of this album, especially considering the choice to link with the likes of Nate Fox, D&D, and Gyvtid for production?
I pretty much would just go into the studio with them and whatever beat they played or made that attracted me I would hop into the booth and just start putting words and melodies together. It wasn’t even a planned thing I just chose production that could showcase the different things I can do with my voice.
What is the impact you’re hoping ‘Naked Truths’ will have?
I just hope it’ll wake people up. Promote personal growth and get people’s heads right. I also want them to see that good timeless music is still around.
In general, how would you describe your writing process? Do you typically write to a beat or do you write a song and have a producer work with what you bring them?
It all depends. When I heard a beat I like I’ll write to it or just get in the booth and freestyle until I find something that works. I make songs faster that way. Sometimes I’ll start some ideas on the keys and write to them then take it to a producer for them to do their thing.
You were born in Cameroon, and while your music isn’t distinctly West African, one can hear some influences of that background through your cadence in certain songs and even some of the beats. How much of your music and style is influenced by those roots? Is it something you actively channel or do you let it seep through whenever the occasion lends itself for it?
I’m definitely influenced by my roots. It comes out in things like my personality, my morals, the way I live, and my voice. When you hear the accent and the aggressive tone in my voice you can feel it. It’s not something that I forcefully try to portray. It just comes out of me because it’s a part of who I am. I eventually want to get with a producer that can blend that makossa sound with alternative R&B.
So, we all know by now that you’re not on Yeezus, but you do have some other connections to Chicago’s scene including tracks with Chance The Rapper and Lili K. Will you be linking with anyone in particular during your next stop in the city of wind?
As of now I’m not top sure but I’ll find out who wants to link up later I’m sure.
You’ll be performing at Reggie’s in Chicago in January, what can you tell us about what we can expect from a Lorine Chia live show?
Expect to hear incredible music! I want everyone to be super turnt up in the crowd! Dance, sing along, fist pump, hop on stage and all that. There will be slow songs and there will be fast songs. I’ll probably cover a few different genres so if you’re into electric soul, acid jazz, hip hop, pop, and alternative R&B you’ll have a great time!
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