TD 1
ask you a question and you’ll give a great answer
which makes you wonder, ‘Where did that come from?’ When you understand that your anxiety is there to serve you and it’s not something to harm you, I think you can be kinder to yourself and not try to reject it. If you’re in a position where you’re doing something and you’re nervous, that means you care. Fundamentally, your anxiety shows you what you care about. If it matters to you, then you know that you’re in the right place at the right time. Like a week from that moment, you can probably imagine you’ll be proud of yourself, right? That’s the best feeling. I would be willing to work through any moment, as long as I know I’ll look back on that day and feel proud I made it through that particular moment and on to the next one because of what I accomplished, even though I was terrified.’ With the release of Go Bravely, Denise Chaila enters a new stage in her career. As she embarks on a new wave of uncertain waters off the back of her mixtape, what are her aspirations for the coming months and years? “I hope this project develops a life of its own. I hope it edifies and encourages people and inspires vulnerability and confidence,” she considers, thoughtfully. “My next step as an artist is to get better technically; I want to develop my pen more than most things, and my voice. I want to write stories in different ways because there are a lot of them to tell. For the next couple of months, I’m opening a door into exploring different parts of myself. Go Bravely is just the beginning of a journey. That’s how I intended it to be, it’s the first step into saying; ‘There’s really nothing to be ashamed of anymore. So what happens when you just have fun and make things for the joy of recording music and for the joy of being who you are?’ That means your relationships get better, your confidence develops and your vulnerability gets deeper. The intimacy between you, your music, your dreams and your people all become richer. At the end of the day, the dreams that I have stopped staying two-dimensional. At the heart of Go Bravely, I wanted to have faith in something, and usually, that’s yourself. Whenever I’m not able to move forward, I make a point to say, ‘Just go! Go bravely!’” The pace which Chaila delivers this sentiment ripples with the same fluidity as her unstoppable flow throughout her verses. Such is the unity between Denise Chaila, the undeniable star we see on TV and in magazines and the woman still full of dreams for her future, who continues to reach towards that velvet sky. Go Bravely is out now on narolane records. denisechaila.bandcamp.com With thanks to No. 1 Pery Square, Limerick 22