It’s been less than a month since Chillz’ debut project, “Good Vibes Vol. 1” began stirring conversations. Until now, very little was known about Chillz, except that he used to be an A&R maven at Chocolate City before he landed a feature on M.I’s Rendezvous: Playlist Album. The rest, as they say, is history.
His new project is a neatly-packed 9-track collection of lushly produced mid-tempo Afropop featuring a minimal additional cast and crew of Falz, Mayorkun, Sir Dauda and producer, TMXO. When “Good Vibes Vol 1” works best, it’s a smooth blend of all Afropop nuances that births sleeper-hits married with themes about positivity and living a life of ease.
Over the weekend, Lagos-based new media collective, ARTISH hosted Chillz, his friends and family, and a few lucky fans to a private Q&A listening on the project. While speaking on the album and his process, Chillz made a few interesting revelations
- He Used To Be A Teacher
Music has long been a passion for Chillz, but he didn’t start out behind a microphone or behind the boards. Before moving to Lagos, the man was an ICT tutor for “rich PH kids”, as he puts it. The gig paid well, but there were limits to his fulfilment working this job. He eventually decided to begin crafting his artistry, after years of making music as a hobbyist.
- “Down” Is A Tribute To A Rape Survivor’s Story
While speaking on some of the themes that surfaced on the project, Chillz gave an insightful personal backstory to “Down”. “Down” listens like a love song by a man promising to always be there for his partner, but Chillz revealed he actually made the song for a friend. According to the singer and producer, “Down” was recorded as a tribute to his friend who was suffering from the trauma of rape. He went further to speak on to handling cases of rape and abuse with sensitivity while imploring the public to provide safe spaces that encourage victims to speak up and get justice.
- “Start Again” Is His Least Favourite Song On ‘Good Vibes’
While discussing “Start Again”, the 7th track off “Good Vibes”, Chillz admitted this dauntingly positive number was his least favourite song on the project, because according to him “it feels a bit corny after some replays”. However, the backstory for “Start Again” also provides more context for Chillz sentiments about the track. “This (‘Good Vibes Vol. 1’) was not the project I was supposed to drop,” Chillz said, “But after I realised what I wanted to do with that unreleased project was not feasible right now, “Start Again” was the song I recorded to push myself”.
- He Recorded “Smile” Five Years Ago
With loose drums purposefully tingling like a church praise and worship song, “Smile” is easily the most commercial track on ‘Good Vibes Vol. 1’. In an era where Afropop continues to lean towards the fusion of elements, “Smile” has a jingle feel that makes the track thrive as the most recognisably “Nigerian’ track on the project. And there is no surprise there, after all, Chillz was kind enough to reveal he recorded the track nearly five years ago.
