Seducing us in with her classy mindset and gorgeously clear vocals, we were lucky enough to speak with the lovely Australian singer-songwriter Chelsea Silva. She tells us all about her hot new single Illegal Eyes and also has some inspirational words for anyone who has struggled with anxiety and depression. A courageous young artist awaits, who isn’t ever going to give up on reaching her goals.
Hello there Chelsea Silva. Thank you for chatting with us today and we appreciate your time.
Chelsea: Thank you so much for having me! It’s so cool to be interviewed by A&R Factory!
First, do you recall your favorite memory about being on stage so far?
Chelsea: Oh absolutely! It’s the memory that keeps me going! I remember performing at the Native Rose Hotel on the 13th of November 2021. I was fresh out of university with a music bachelor’s degree, just escaped a mentally and emotionally abusive relationship, gaining new friends with my newfound freedom and figuring out how to make it in the music industry. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting the overwhelming amount of support. My whole family and friends from all over Sydney came! Even friends from the Blue Mountains drove over 2 hours to come see me perform! It was a breathtaking experience. The crowd was so interactive and enthusiastic about my performance. Even strangers came up to me, wishing me the best of luck in my career. It was the best experience I’ve had since starting my career.
Illegal Eyes is your latest single, and we love it. Please lead us into the vision for the sizzling track and what went behind the process?
Chelsea: Ah yes, the song that started it all. I’ve been writing songs since I was thirteen, but honestly, nothing prepared me for this song. The vision I had for Illegal Eyes was this. Sometimes we have to be the one to do the right thing, even if other people, especially the ones you love and admire, think it’s wrong. It’s about a person being put on blast and being ridiculed for trying to do right by people, and expressing one’s frustration when others try to make you feel ashamed for placing someone’s best intentions in their hearts. This can be said for any and all discriminated and marginalised groups in society.
As for the process, it was so random! There was an amazing Audio Engineering student I collaborated with at university, whose goal was to be a producer. I had a lyrical epiphany at around 11:30pm one night and he had a musical epiphany at the same time, that same night! I was in my university’s student lounge talking to my friends about my newly found epiphany when he overheard the conversation. He started playing his musical epiphany on his laptop and I started singing my lyrical epiphany from my notebook. Students from all over the room started to gather around us to listen! Everyone begged us to put both ideas together, so we produced the song that very week! We have been strangers turned friends since then. Thank you to the producer who gave me this song and made it all happen! A true legend!
Your vocals are crystal clear and so enchanting. Have you been singing since school days or when did everything begin creatively?
Chelsea: Thank you so much! That’s really sweet of you to say!
My mother said that when she was pregnant with me that as soon as music started playing, I would kick and dance in her belly without fail every single time. I was the sleeping, calm baby listening to the radio while all the others in the hospital’s nursery would cry and scream like there was no tomorrow. She knew before I did that I was brought into the world to do music. She has honestly been my number one supporter my whole life. I have been humming to myself without realizing it, singing in choirs, performing in musicals and signing up for school performances since I was five years old. I have never stopped since then! I even went straight from high school and into early acceptance into university. I knew music and singing were something that always gave me comfort during rough times and I knew I wanted to return the favour by writing songs to help others in their dark place.
If you could tour live in any country of your choosing, which one would it be and why?
Chelsea: It would have to be the United States. It’s the go-to place for upcoming artists and the music scene is absolutely massive there! If I’m allowed to dream big here for a second, my dream would be to tour all of their states! I’d absolutely love to meet my online fan family and see the US faces of those who have supported me since I started my journey. Of course, I’d love to tour all around Australia as well since I live in Sydney and I would just love to see more of the country I was born into.
What’s the best and worst thing about being a musician?
Chelsea: The best thing in the world is that feeling of finishing a song, coming off stage after a gig, seeing the faces of the people who comment and share your content with their friends, meeting new people and growing in your personal journey alongside the community you’ve built. Seeing the support of the people who genuinely believe in me has been the highlight of my life as a musician.
The worst thing would have to be the mental strain this career can give and the doubts that can be placed in one’s head. Will I ever make it? Is this work going to make something bigger in the future? What if I’m just kidding myself? My god, having these questions does not make them true in the slightest. But as someone who is diagnosed with an anxiety and depressive disorder outside of the music industry, it would be silly of me to think that these questions don’t add even a little to that strain. It’s definitely a growing improvement over the years! I have gotten so much better with it all, thanks to the overwhelming support I receive.
As you open your eyes in this strange world as a 22-year-old, what do you see and hope for humanity?
Chelsea: I truly hope for a wider acceptance and open-mindedness towards the LGBTQIA+ community, awareness and abolishment of violence against women and more mental health awareness. There is no doubt that there has been a massive improvement over the years, which is great! However, there is still more work to be done. My songs have, but are not limited to, these topics and I truly hope to spread more awareness. If not for me and our society in the now, but for the children in our tomorrow.
Last of all, do you have any upcoming live shows you’d like to tell us about or anything percolating in the kitchen for 2023?
Chelsea: Yes, of course! I have my official debut single coming out on the 30th of November 2022. I do have some new tricks up my sleeve to reveal in early January 2023. Please follow along on my social media to follow along on my music journey and to find out what this new project in January might be! If I could leave you with one thing, it’s this. It honestly doesn’t matter how long it will take, I’ll never stop trying to reach where I want to be in the music industry as it was my born passion and my life’s ambition.
Chelsea: Thank you so much to the A&R Factory for taking the time to get to know me! I truly appreciate it and I hope you all would love to join me on my journey on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and all available streaming services under Chelsea Silva Music!
See this wonderful video on YouTube and view more on her IG music page.
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Interview by Llewelyn Screen
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