EC.1/ Who is Chelina?

Okay so, I'm Chelina. I'm a musician, a singer and songwriter. I've been performing for a while, seven years to be exact. I'm a very happy person when it comes to music. I like having intimate moments and communicating with people. If I talk about myself, it will mostly be about music. I'm a Mom and a wifey too, I hope I'm a good one. *giggles*

I just released my debut album titled “Chelina Vol. 1”. It has been crazy this past couple of months and I'm so grateful for the reception and the love.

EC.2/ Tell us about your switch from the world of academics to music. How did that come about and how did your family and friends viewed it?

Ahm, I graduated high school and my Mom knew some people in the music industry and she advised me to give it a try for the summer and she introduced me to some musicians so I started performing. At that time I was supposed to go to Dilla University to study law. But my friends and families advised me to stay here and study music and perform. So, I decided to stay here and went to Yared Music school and started my journey as a musician. My family and friends helped me to get to where I am in a way if you think about it.

EC.3/ You’ve been in the music scene for a while now, especially performing live. And now you just released an album. Which one do you prefer, performing live or studio sessions? Why?

So the thing about performing live and performing in a studio is that they both have their own thing for me. When I'm performing live it’s the moment that matters. Every experience is created in the moment. All the emotion and the connection with the musicians and audience is amazing and I just love that. When we’re talking about studio work, its just another world, it definitely is a hard work but its also very exciting, thrilling and narrating with so many new ideas and it pushes you to come up with something special. It’s exciting. They both have some sort of magic and I love doing both to be honest.

EC. 4/ Let’s talk about your album. How long did it take to come about and any particular challenges you experienced during the making of the album, Chelina Vol. 1?

I've been working on my Album for four years, well I took a break for 2 years in between, I completed my album three years ago but some new ideas came and we experienced some challenges regarding sponsorships so I started doing it all over again and it took one year to finalize it to where it is now. I love the song “Black Bird/ Ti- kur Wef. It has a lot of meaning for me. It’s a message to God. It’s very deep.

EC. 5/ Name three essential things to be a professional singer/musician. Your music incorporates many genre. Which one do you feel is more close to your heart?

So let me tell you from my experience. first, I do a lot of research, listen to a lot of music and train my ears by listening to songs very carefully. The second one is I want to figure out what kind of song interests me and how does it sound with my style. Last but not the list is connecting with my self and writing my truth. I think if musicians follow these three essential things it would be easier for them to discover themselves and to start their own career in the music industry. And I believe I'm more comfortable when I'm doing Jazz. I feel completely free when I'm doing Jazz.

Chelena Vol.1 is out now.

CHELINA - FaceBook

Thanks to Vintage for giving us the space for this interview.