Adrian Chalifour's New Album Will Bring you Joy. [Q&A]
Interviewed by: Sarah Evangelista
From being one of the thirty contestants on Canadian TV show, The Launch, B.C. based artist Adrian Chalifour impresses people by his raw voice, and catchy tunes. In March, Chalifour announced his departure from his band Towers And Trees to focus on his solo project, and has now released his album; JOY, to debut what he's all about. I had the chance to chat with him about music - read below.
You recently transitioned from Towers And Trees, to your solo project, what prompted you to make that switch?
Well I could write an essay to answer this question, but the simplest way to say it is that Towers and Trees never fully found its feet as a proper band or a proper solo project. It was always caught somewhere in the middle. While that tension produced some beautiful music it also created an enormous amount of tension that was burning me and the guys out. After 6 years, it felt easier to just let it go than to keep redefining it. I'll always love that name though...
Most people discovered your music from Canadian TV series ‘The Launch’, what was that experience like?
It was SO MUCH FUN. My goal was 100% to win, but I also told myself to remember to enjoy the ride because it's the only thing I'm guaranteed in the end. I'm glad I did that because even though I wasn't launched, being a reality TV star for a day was really rad! Plus I think that attitude translated on-camera and helped strengthen my performance.
How do you think that opportunity has helped you now?
More than anything it gave me the chance to demonstrate for my daughter that it's always worth betting on your dreams, and that's something I hope will pay dividends for years. I also have FOUR shows with other Launch artists on my upcoming tour. The chance to connect and collaborate with 29 insanely talented artists has been a gift for sure!
Your first album as your solo act JOY will be released in about two weeks, how pumped are you feeling?
Honestly the artist in me is pumped, but if I'm being real this is the moment I also feel the most anxiety and pressure. Not so much about whether people will like it, but more whether they'll FIND it; whether it'll actually reach people and have an impact, or if it'll just disappear into the online ether with hardly a blip. It takes so much energy - blood, sweat, tears, money - to make a record like this, you really hope its impact feels equal or greater to what you put into it. I hope this album introduces my music to new people in new places and opens new doors for me to keep doing this in bigger and better ways. But there's no guarantees, so it's easy for me to fret and worry... but I AM pumped, I swear! ;)
You worked with Ryan Worsley on the project, what was it like to work with him?
It was a dream. Ryan is one of the best producers Canada has to offer right now. I just count myself lucky that he even wanted to work with me, that he was available and that I could afford him (quick shout-out to FACTOR and Creative BC for that ;). My favourite thing about working with Ryan and Matt (the lead engineer) at Echoplant is that they made the room feel so chill while still drawing exceptional performances out of every musician and creating such high-caliber tracks. It's the opposite of my vibe (as a perfectionist and over-thinker) so it was exactly what I needed!
How would you describe the album in 3 words?
Return to Joy.
You’re also going on tour across Canada, celebrating the release, in the fall, what are you most excited for?
I'm excited to get back to places I haven't been in years - like Ottawa, London and MONTREAL (WOOOOOT!). I'm excited to get to that point where my talking voice sounds husky because it's tired from singing the night before. I'm excited to create and share a new moment every night in every room that will only happen that one time with those people. I'm excited to have this tour inspire new songs and next chapters. I'm excited to feel both the highs AND the lows - the self-doubt, the panic, the financial and physical stress - because they're both part of the ride and they're both better than feeling nothing. I'm excited to be able to say I'm still doing this.
Adrian Chalifour will be touring across Ontario and Quebec in late September and early October. You don't want to miss his show, it will rock the venue's socks off.
Stream JOY (starting on October 4th), here.
Connect with Adrian Chalifour:
Catch Adrian Chalifour on his headline tour, get tickets here.
Sept. 27 - Guelph, ON
Sept. 28 - London, ON
Oct. 2 - Mississauga, ON
Oct. 3 - Toronto, ON
Oct. 4 - Ottawa, ON
Oct. 5 - Orillia, ON
Oct. 6 - Perth, ON
Oct. 8 - Waterloo, ON
Oct. 10 - Toronto, ON
Oct. 11 - Montreal, QC