Meet Charis
Like most artists, my love for singing and performing started when I was a kid. My earliest memories are blasting Motown records in the living room and forcing my family to watch me perform. I’d make the coffee table my stage everyday. There are videos of me teaching my classmates dances that I created on the spot and everyone would follow me like a conga line. I had a lot of artistic interests growing up – dancing, singing, theater, photography. When my father passed, I turned to music as my main escape from the stress – I was around 16 at the time. It wasn’t until I was abroad in England my senior year of college that I started actually recording music. Since then it’s been nonstop. I moved to LA from the east coast in January 2018. I didn’t know anyone out here and just came with a carry-on bag. Definitely had no idea what I was doing and I’m still figuring out my artist direction. But since moving here I’ve been working more and more vigorously with music. This year I’m aiming to release at least 6 songs and visuals with the help of my producer and friend, Choice.
Far from easy. I’m an independent artist so I do EVERYTHING myself. Book shows, set up meetings, arrange song production, go over contracts, update social media, find dancers – I mean the list is never ending. Not to mention, artists in general have to constantly build themselves up mentally to keep their confidence up. It’s easy to compare myself to others and not see my full potential. Especially with the over-saturation of content these days. I have to remind myself pretty frequently of the extent of my talents.
Moving to LA, I didn’t realize how much I’d have to learn about marketing and the business in general. I was so excited to make music when I got here, that I dove into the industry before I knew what I was getting into. There’s a lot of crucial tips about the music industry that people just don’t tell you. It’s up to you to learn the ins and outs of the industry, whether it’s music contracts, royalties, split sheets, etc. It hasn’t been easy, but everyday is a learning experience. Luckily, there are a lot of people in this city that are willing to help if you know exactly what you’re looking for and how to ask for it. I’ve learned in the last two years of being in LA that a passion and love for what you do are the only things that will keep you hungry for insight on your end goal.
I’m a singer-songwriter primarily, and I rap as well for fun. My main sound is along the lines of contemporary R&B. I lean towards upbeat, “feel good”beats that I can dance to and have fun with on stage. I recently released my second single of the year – “Scarlet”. It has a mysterious, dark vibe similar to The Weeknd, but with femininely empowering lyrics. I’m also looking to release two hip-hop/rap mixtapes sometime this year. I have so much fun making music and I just want the listener to feel that.
Personally I define success as getting progressively better at whatever task or goals you’re fulfilling. As long as you’re putting your energy into something that you genuinely love, and really learning and growing with it, than you’re succeeding in my opinion. Success is very subjective, but you can’t go wrong if you’re putting your all into whatever thrills you.
