CHANELLE DAVIS - RISING STAR

Chanelle Davis teaches music for a living so that she can pursue a career as a singer-songwriter. Recently she won the New Zealand Songwritersí Trust Award from 189 entries with her song ëDear Joní.
Story by Charles Martin(UNO Magazine-summer 07)

I caught up with our rising star just before she went into the studio to begin recording her second album. As we chatted, all sorts of old titles were rattling through my head, such as 'I Feel a Song Coming On'. That would have been a good title for a story about a young 24-year old who said that writing a song begins with a feeling - an emotion.

"Everything is real. I don't make it up. 'Dear Jon', which won a national songwriting award is a love song about moving on and yes, Jon is a real person".

While everyone has heard of a 'dear John letter' it's probably a sign of our age difference that Chanelle had never heard of the original popular song 'Dear John' which eventually featured in that famous and very successful television advertisement for BASF recording tape. The rationale for and sentiments of both songs are the same - unrequited love.

Continuing our chat about the actual process of writing a song, she said that after getting a feeling for a song, often based on some real life incident or experience, she then sits down at the piano. "I play around with chords and then start working notes into a melody that fits the mood I'm in and what I'm going to sing about. Lately I've been getting inspiration for songs while I'm driving because I have time to think and no interruptions. If you had a look you'd see lyrics scribbled on the steering wheel," she laughed.

"In the final outcome, a bad song is a bad song and no amount of French polish ñ orchestration, production and so on - will change any basic deficiencies. The recipe for all great songs is simple - strong lyrics, strong emotions and a good tune", she said.

Commercial Considerations

However Chanelle knows something about this recipe. At the time of our interview three of her songs were nominated for the Top Ten for the New Zealand Songwriters Trust Awards! That success is also a commentary on her understanding of commercial considerations, radio format in terms of both tempo and length, usually around three minutes. Technology also plays an important part in songs and songwriting - the overall technical production, the backing, and harnessing todayís remarkable technology to add strings or other instruments or special effects underneath the vocalist.

Chanelle's background is a combination of native talent and hard work. The 24-year old grew up in Tauranga and after finishing schooling at Tauranga Girls College, she graduated with a Bachelor of Media Arts (commercial music, majoring in songwriting) from Wintec in Hamilton. While her nana played the piano and her grandfather played the harmonica and sang, there is no sign of musical talent in her immediate family. Her Dad owns Colin Davis Panelbeaters, her Mum is a salesperson for L.J. Hooker Papamoa and her brother is head chef at De Bier House on the Strand.

She spent six months working for Dawn Raid Entertainment, an Auckland record label, before deciding on a career as a singer- songwriter. In 2006 she independently released a debut album 'Better Than Alone' which received a 5-star review in the Waikato Times, and was favourably reviewed in local newspapers. To celebrate the release, she undertook a mini-tour in Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga with Luke Thompson.

The Big Smoke

Since then, Chanelle has moved to Auckland to get her music out to more people and be a part of the New Zealand music scene. Obviously the bigger the population, the greater the action. She has also sung on television's 'Good Morning' show and on the local Classic Hits FM station with Brian Kelly. To keep body and soul together and bread on the table, she teaches piano, saxophone, clarinet and songwriting to 20 young people in Auckland "I don't think I'll be able to keep up teaching this many students if my solo career takes off, but I do love it- it doesn't feel like work" she laughs.

Chanelleís hobbies are mostly music, but takes after her father as a keen fisherman - her favourites being whitebaiting down the Kaituna river and live-baiting at Astrolabe Reef. When not teaching, she is writing or performing most evenings, but also likes going out and listening to other bands. No romance on the cards, but she has a cat called Dory for company. "Above all, I love coming home to Tauranga" she says somewhat wistfully.

I asked her if there were any tricks in grabbing an audience.

"I know I have grabbed an audience when they stop talking and you catch a few toes tapping under the tables", she laughs. I like to involve them in the show, and talk between songs so we build a relationship. I like humour, and so do most people. No one wants to go home feeling depressed after hearing ten different versions of 'Goodbye My Lover'. I have a few sad songs, but I think people want to be entertained, and that's how I see myself ñ as an entertainer and not just a singer.

It's a nice laugh, sincere and full of humour and giving every sign that Chanelle Davis is very comfortable with herself and where sheís heading ñ a combination of bright personality, humour and plenty of talent.