MIDDLETOWN - Chelsea Chris is a singer’s singer. Her powerful, rich, and very soulful voice has been compared to Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey and, even at times, Whitney Houston. Chris has the power and range to move an audience with a showstopper ballad, then captivate them with an intimate acoustic set delivered from behind a piano.

       She has performed for audiences ranging from 40 to 40,000. In concert, she delivers her urban/dance originals with the energy of Princ and has the ability and training to execute full on dance choreography like Beyonce or Janet Jackson. In all, Chris is compelling to both watch and listen to.

       Taking her musicianship seriously at 16, her parents drove her to NYC where she met and auditioned for John Poppo, a producer/engineer and songwriter. Poppo has worked with some of the best artists in the business including Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson and is currently sitting as the vice chair of the Board for The Recording Academy. Today, at only 24 years old, Chris has well over two albums worth of original material recorded, an awesome live band in place and an impressively choreographed and staged show. I chatted with Chris via telephone from her recording studio in New York, where she was preparing for a writing session. Get ready, world. You’re about to fall in love with Chelsea Chris!

      

       Good morning, Chelsea. Thanks for taking the time to â€�"Face the Music.”

       Hey Joby, how are you?

      

       Fine, Chelsea. How are you?

       Thanks for wanting to interview me. I’m so excited.

      

       My pleasure. I caught some of your rehearsal as I was leaving the Wolcott Festival and thought â€�"wow, what a powerful voice.” Did a little ‘Googling’ and here we are. Where is your hometown?

      

       My home town is Wolcott, Conn. It was so awesome to come full circle at the Wolcott Fair where I performed my very first show when I was 12. To go back there 12 years later and perform for my hometown with my own full band and original music was such a cool experience.

      

       What did you do before becoming a musician? I know you’re still young, so I’m not sure this is a plausible question.

       (Laughs) I really didn’t do anything. I knew I could sing when I was young and that’s all I wanted to do. I was definitely the starving artist for a while, waitressing and trying to make ends meet while pursuing my music.

      

       Did you plan on college or furthering your education?

       No I didn’t. It was a very tough decision for me. I went to Holy Cross High School and graduated with top honors. I loved school and I really wanted to go to college but I had the opportunity of a lifetime to work with my producer and manager, John Poppo, who’s a chair of the Board for The Recording Academy. He believed in me. I got my own unique college experience in the field that I really wanted to be in. While I didn’t go to a traditional college like my parents would have preferred, I definitely got the best education I could ask for doing what I love.

      

       What was your family’s initial reaction to you when you decided to enter show business and be a professional musician?

       They’ve always been very supportive and they’ve always helped me do whatever it was I wanted to do. They wanted to have their beliefs in me confirmed, so when I was 12 I really was pushing to record and I wanted to learn to write my own songs, so my dad did a whole bunch of cold calls to studios. He was a Wolcott police officer and my mom was a nurse. They were clueless to the music business and had no idea what they were doing (laughs) but they tried really hard to help me and, by chance and luck, they got in touch with John, set up a meeting with him and I think they were secretly hoping he would tell me forget it, go to college and become a doctor or something but he said your daughter has a lot of talent and it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be a lot of hard work and sacrifice with no guarantees but I’d be lying if I said I told you she didn’t have talent and a clear passion for this. My parents took that as confirmation that I have a shot and I’m so grateful in how supportive they’ve been.

      

       What was it about music that wanted to make you reach beyond someone just listening or dancing to it--to be an actual performer in the music business?

       It just wasn’t enough to just listen to music. It’s just in me. I loved singing since I was very young. It’s a passion of mine. I’m a very emotional and intuitive kind of person so writing is also a huge part of my artistry and something that I don’t think I can do without. I wanted to express my own feelings and experiences through music and listening to music alone just wasn’t enough.

      

       Do you have a formal music education?

       No, but I did study with William Riley (Whitney Houston, Celine Dion) and Mama Jan Smith (Usher, Justin Bieber).

      

       What was the first song you ever performed in public?

       I was seven years old and someone propped me up on a table at a wedding and gave me a microphone and I sang â€�"My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic.

      

       Who would you collaborate with if you had the chance?

       There’s so many that I would want to collaborate with but I have to say, hands down, Beyonce. That would be a dream come true.

      

       In my opinion, after listening to some of your tracks, you have that â€�"Black Velvet,” Alannah Myles vibe. How would you define your music?

       This is always hard to answer. It’s hard to pigeon-hole myself. I would definitely say I have a soulful voice with a little bit of an edge to my songs and my voice. It’s â€�"Black Velvet”-esque, you hit the nail on the head with that. I also have more pop songs and more dance-driven songs. I would classify it as pop, but definitely soulful.

      

       How do you approach songwriting?

       In a variety of ways. Sometimes I’ll be woken up the middle of the night with an idea that I’ll put in my phone. I’ve learned that you have to walk around with an open mind, ears and eyes and be perceptive to things that happen around you. Ideas kind of come and flow more easily. I’ve written so many songs based on everyday, ordinary situations that come from the oddest places. The other day I was at an event in a loud bar and I walked past a group of people and I hear someone say â€�"For me, I prefer, blah blah blah,” it was a heated conversation but for some reason those two words, â€�"for me,” popped in my head and I thought that could be a really cool love song. â€�"All these people thinking you’re great, handsome, you’re this and that but ‘for me’ it’s the way you say my name.”

      

       Is there a song you have written that seemed to come out of nowhere already complete?

       Yeah, that’s happened a few times. When I’m feeling a certain way or I’m in a certain mood, I’ll sit down at the piano and I’ll key out a few chords and it just kind of flows through me and I’ll have a song written in half an hour.

      

       The artists in the music business are thoroughly diversified with more artists than ever crossing over genres. What is your general feeling about race relations outside of the music business? And what can artists do to help the situation?

       I think that music is universal and that it brings everyone together, regardless of their political views or race. I’m a music lover and I love music from many artists and cultures. One of my proudest moments was doing a one-off in the village and playing open mics at every club I could. I really didn’t know what most of the clubs were like and my manager shielded me from a couple of the clubs. We went to The Village Underground in NYC, which is a serious R&B gospel club. The audience is very discerning, tough and critical. So I get up there in this tight little dress, high heels, this little white girl and everyone’s expecting me to sing Britney Spears. I yelled to the band â€�"Aretha Franklin, ‘Natural Woman,’ in Aretha’s key.” I look around and I get the dirtiest looks and everyone’s like ‘Oh God, here we go, block your ears.’ The minute I start singing all my ‘enemies’ became friends and people were just going nuts and they were so supportive and they pass out mic’s to the audience and they started singing backgrounds for me. It meant a lot to me to be accepted in those communities and respected as an artist regardless of race.

      

       What do you think of the theory that great art or songwriting comes from hunger and pain?

       It’s very true. Much like Taylor Swift, I’ve written a lot of songs about bad break-ups and bad boyfriends. I think that hunger and pain can definitely create a great song.

      

       Which song is your favorite to perform on stage and why?

       â€�"Purple Rain.” I sing it very different and I actually wrote in a little chant of my own.

      

       In today’s world of instant social media, with everyone having a camera and instant global access, having control of the quality of content that gets out there is nearly impossible. How important is it to maintain a positive image?

       I have to be on my game one hundred percent of the time. I’m living in the gym, living in the voice studio. Making sure my chops are good. I have the bright lights set in the rehearsal studio shining on my dress to make sure nothing’s see through (laughs). You have to prepare as much as you can but know at the end of the day that nothing is going to be perfect. It’s sad when you see a performer like Beyonce pouring her heart out on stage and one bad photo in the middle of a dance move of her making this strange face because she’s singing and squatting down and that one picture out of the millions of beautiful pictures of her goes viral. You just got to not take yourself too seriously. Artists are perceived as being these over confident people with thick skin made of steel.

      

       What is your â€�"go-to” karaoke song?

       (Laughs) You mentioned it earlier. â€�"Black Velvet,” especially in a smoky bar. It has that vibe to it.

      

       What is the greatest opening lyric of all time?

       Wow! If it wasn’t an opening lyric I would say â€�"Man in the Mirror.”

       I would have to go with Whitney, (starts singing) â€�"I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way…”

      

       What other passions do you have besides music?

       I love spending time with my family and friends because I don’t get that many chances. I love reading, running and walks in the autumn season.

      

       Chelsea, thank you very much for taking the time to talk with me.

       Thank you so much, Joby. It was a pleasure.

      

       For more info on Chelsea Chris, visit www.chelseachris.com