While detours may take you down unexpected paths, you will always end up where you are meant to be. Ask Chelsea Gill. Surrounded with music since a young age, she took one of those detours for a career in concert lighting design, working with some of country music’s biggest names. Now, full-speed ahead with her singer-songwriter career, Chelsea has released a debut self-titled EP (2016) and recently her newest single “Ray-Bans,”, the first release off her upcoming sophomore album.
We caught up with Chelsea to talk about her journey from behind the scenes to the front and what’s to come.
CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where did you grow up?
CG: I grew up in a small farming town called Grand Ledge, Michigan. Most of my family had grown up there and is still there. It’s a very friendly and community focused place.
CN: At what age did you discover music? What was it about music that drew you in?
CG: I started singing at 2 years old and never really stopped. From a young age I loved singing along to my dad’s records, he was big into 80’s pop and singer songwriters, and I starred in church and school musicals. I think I just loved how people could tell a story in such a beautiful way.
CN: Which musicians, country or not, have influenced you both personally and as an artist?
CG: As I said, my father loved 70’s and 80’s pop and songwriters so I grew up listening to Sting, Phil Collins, Amy Grant, The Beach Boys, Kansas, James Taylor, and many others. I also pulled influence from my step mother’s love for Patsy Cline, Loretta, and Dolly. She introduced me to women in country music. More modern day influences are Sara Bareilles, whom I’ve had the pleasure of working for and she is a gem, Kelsea Ballerini, Cam, and many more, too many to count.
CN: You have a very interesting background in that you worked as concert lighting director for years – and for some big names such as Sara Evans and Cole Swindell – before breaking out for your own singing career. What lead you to that career path?
CG: Lighting was something I fell into accidentally. When I first was introduced to it, I was leading a band and playing at a venue that needed some help in their technical department. I wasn’t very interested in helping with the sound, but the lighting caught my interest and I fell in love with it. “Lighting is art in the sky” is something I like to say when people ask me about my love for it.
CN: Given that our readers are fans and lighting is such a big part in many concerts, do you mind sharing some of your knowledge of this field? It’s very interesting to hear what goes on behind the scenes in creating what the crowd sees from their seats.
CG: Oh wow, well it isn’t as easy as it looks! Not only do you have to prepare for a tour by programming hundreds of cues for the lighting during the show, but once the tour starts, there is a lot of manual labor that goes into lighting. When touring, most of the time you bring your own lighting equipment with you and it has to be set up each day before a show and torn down to load back on the truck at the end of the night. There is a lot of work that goes into every color change, every flash, every cue you see in the lighting on stage at your favorite concert.
CN: How much interaction did you have with artists regarding how they wanted things lit on stage? It could be assumed that there were some who were very into that aspect of the show, while others maybe not?
CG: Yes, you hit the nail on the head. Some artists are very involved and may even sit with you to go through every single cue. Other artists don’t have any idea that you exist or what you do. Thankfully I’ve had some really amazing artists I’ve worked with who know how valuable the lighting is to making a show great!
CN: Did you always have the performing bug itching at you to get on stage to perform? What made you make the switch from lighting the artists to being in the spotlight yourself?
CG: I definitely always expected to be the one onstage instead of the one behind the scenes, but I’ve learned a lot about performing from watching how other artists handle themselves. I used to get really bad stage fright, but after years of watching artists perform, I realized that the audience is on your side, they want you to succeed, they want to have fun, so you can relax and just be real on stage. Even during my years of working in lighting, I’ve been writing and performing my own music as well. As any musician will tell you, at the beginning you have to have a day job. My day job just happened to be Lighting other musicians.
CN: You are also a songwriter. Please take us through your songwriting process. Do you pull mostly from personal experiences, experiences of those around you, or elsewhere?
CG: Almost every song I’ve written comes from personal experience or from a story I’ve heard of a friend or loved one’s experience. I feel it’s easier to write from a genuine place. I know many writers who can create an entire story in their head and write a hit out of thin air. I tend to be more focused on things that I’ve been through and trying to find a way to express the genuine emotion in a beautiful way that people can relate to when they hear the song.
CN: On July 20th your newest single – the fun, crowd sing-along “Ray-Bans” – was released. Tell us about the story behind this song.
CG: I wrote the chorus of this song while driving actually, I write a lot of songs while driving. I can’t remember what sparked the idea initially, but I remember wanting to do a fun spin on a breakup where you have to box up your ex’s things. Sometimes there is good stuff in that box that you may want to keep! In the case of the song, I decided an ex’s Ray-Bans would be hard to give up and the songwriting spun from there. I brought in singer-songwriter Lexi Mackenzie to help me finish the song. She’s amazing at pop rhythm and melodies and I wanted the song to be fun and catchy. Together we finished the song and I’m really happy with what we came up with.
CN: Is there a music video in the works?
CG: Yes! The video will be releasing a couple weeks!
CN: Will it be instinctual to be involved in the lighting on set?
CG: Oh yes, it always is. It’s hard to even watch a concert without thinking about the lighting. But I try to not be overly critical while also helping to create the best lighting possible. I see my lighting experience as an extra tool in my toolbox as a performer.
CN: “Ray-Bans” is the first single from your sophomore project, which has a bit more of a pop sound to it when compared to your self-titled debut EP released in 2016. What caused the change in direction?
CG: The change in direction was natural. My producer and I decided at the beginning of this project that we were going to focus on the type of sound each song needed to best portray the message, and that ended up meaning some songs are much more pop! I think it had to do with new music I was listening to at the time of writing the songs. I LOVE that 80’s sounds are coming back into new music so we pulled some of our influence from that era while still trying to keep it modern.
CN: Is there a release date for the upcoming album?
CG: There isn’t a release date for the entire project, but I will be releasing a couple more singles over the next few months. Be keeping an eye out!
CN: Do you have a dream collaboration in mind?
CG: Doing anything with Sara Bareilles would be an honor. She is an incredible writer, an incredible performer, and a sweetheart of a person.
CN: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?
CG: Genuine, I just don’t have time to pretend. I want others to know that being real is safe and okay.
CN: What’s next on the agenda?
CG: Next is releasing the “Ray-Bans” music video, and I’m already in the process of getting the next single ready to release! Eeeek! I can’t wait!
“Ray-Bans” is available to stream on Spotify and for purchase/stream on iTunes/Apple Music.
For more information on Chelsea Gill, visit her website at: www.chelseagillmusic.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.