Interview: From The Lumineers to 50 Cent, Chesle Talks Influences, Bravery, and New Single “lose control”

Atwood sits down with Nashville-based artist and producer Chesle to discuss his new single “lose control” and how a genuine love of different genres led to his unique sound.

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Stream: “lose control” – Chesle

There is nothing quite like the feeling of hearing a new song and being surprised.

Whether it’s by the lyrics or the melodic style, coming across a song that stops you in your tracks and forces you to sit for another listen is a rarity. The artists who are able to accomplish this are the ones that stay true to who they are; the ones who listen to their gut. It’s so easy to get caught up in what you think you should do, but when an artist stays true to what they want to do – magic happens.

This magic happened in Chesle’s new single, “lose control.” Honing his sound from “batshit” and “sunsets & cigerettes” to the success of “charlie!,” “lose control” feels like the culmination of the artful singles Chesle has put out up to this point.

With harmonious and peaceful acoustic guitars guiding us into a melodic first verse and chorus juxtaposed by a second verse that picks up with a rap, Chesle keeps our attention in its entirety for the just shy of 3-minutes track.

Atwood Magazine sat down with Chesle to talk about his single “lose control,” his unique influences, his choice to become an artist and, of course, what is to come.

Stream “lose control” and Chesle’s new single “don’t forget” out now!

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:: connect with Chesle here ::

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A CONVERSATION WITH CHESLE

Atwood Magazine: This song is so good! I love it so much. It’s so unique. How did you hone in on the sound and is it what we can expect to hear moving forward?

Chesle: It’s very DIY, which is cool I think, you know? I am such a fan of music and different genres. I never really grew up doing one specific thing except for songwriting itself. I would rap or write songs with my friends, you know what I mean? I never really dove in head first on one genre. Everything you hear is a culmination of what I love and what I grew up listening to. I love artists like The Fray and The Lumineers, but also 50 cent. My instincts lean towards rap, but my taste goes towards more guitar driven singer-songwriter stuff. “Lose Control” is like a Polaroid snapshot of both of them together.

Going off of that, let's talk about the lyrics. I love how there's not really a resolve to the song. It makes it so relatable. I’d love to hear about writing it.

Chesle: Absolutely. I wrote and recorded it in September of 2023 (writer note: fitting as this article comes out one year later, in September of 2024). 95% of the time I write and record myself in front of the computer. I’ll get a loop going and then for five minutes I’ll just riff and see what happens. Melodically things start to come to me from the subconscious. That song is a snapshot of where I was and kind of still where I am.

Being true to yourself can be hard and cause a lot of isolation. This song is about realizing that even though I can’t see the finish line now, I know there is one. But it still stings right now. Being able to really come into my own and say I’m a creative and I’m a musician can be isolating when so many people see you as one way. Your whole life you almost dress up as that character, you know what I mean? Being able to stand on my own feet and announce who I am and what I want to do has caused a lot of reflection with close ones and that’s kind of what I was thinking when I was writing the song.

I love hearing that. You can't control how people react to your truth. I think that's something that a lot of people will be able to relate to when listening to this song.

Chesle: Thank you.

When you say you let a loop run for 5-minutes and just go - what part of that loop stuck that made you want to make this song?

Chesle: Yeah, that was the Where’d you go, which is the first line of the chorus. I sang that and thought – that is something right there. It just felt good. After that I just thought how can I build on that, get that message across and then build backwards. I wrote the pre-chorus next then the verses linearly. But yeah, I felt like the chorus was insanely simple and it got to the point to it right away.

It hits. That’s so interesting. I always love to hear people's process and the parts of creating a song that made them make it a full song. You said you lean into your instincts. Please never stop doing this. I’m guessing this is what led to the second verse being a rap? Tell me about that.

Chesle: If I had a songwriter tool for myself, it’s my background of rapping. I always love the second verse that’s rapping because it picks up the pace. It’s my way of thanking the listener for sticking around to this part of the song. I’ll pick up the pace for you, you know what I mean? I try to lean into instincts, but recently have realized how much self-sabotage I do. I really have to like to reflect because it’s all about perspective. For some reason being yourself from the start is so much harder to do. I’m trying to do that now.

Everyone has this in them, but especially in this industry, you feel you have to people, please, please. The practice of stepping back and being intentional with what you say and do is hard. It’s so great you’re able to do that.

Chesle: Thank you. Absolutely.

Of course. So, you have a ton of singles out, are we gonna get an EP, an album anytime soon?

Chesle: Absolutely. Next year I am thinking of putting out a body of work to define who I am and to get the message I’m trying to get across. I’m working a lot and I’m feeling my way through it by making a lot of music. It’s crazy, when I was younger I was like why does it take artists like five years to make an album? But now I get it because it’s just like so much of it is just volume, volume, volume – make so much and then narrow it down.

Chesle: Exactly. I used to be more precious with it. Now, it’s like, okay, I made three songs this month. These are the ones that are sick and I’ll put them out. I’ve been dropping a ton of singles. I got a ton of music, but just want to keep building that building that building that building that library. And then just, you know, put it all together.

I'd be curious to know if there is less pressure putting out music now than there was at the very beginning of your career?

Chesle: I would say yes and no. I definitely have felt less pressure of just realizing that I identify as a creator. This is who I am so there’s less pressure than that. But then being in Nashville and LA where there are so many creators who take it just as seriously as me, the comparison starts, you know what I mean? So it’s a different battle, but a battle nonetheless. I’m happy with how far I’ve come. I’m happy for who I can finally I am. Now, I think it’s just all gas, no brakes.

I love that. It's a different kind of pressure because you're at a higher level. So, you say all gas, no breaks. Does that mean you’ll be going on tour sometime soon?

Chesle: The last shows I did were before COVID. I haven’t done any live shows in a while. It’s crazy. Have you heard of the Dunning-Kruger effect?

No, I haven’t!

Chesle: So it’s this thing that I feel like anybody who wants to get good at one thing goes all in on it. At the beginning you’re naive, so you think you’re the best, right? And then you get more knowledge about it the more you realize you have a lot of work to do. You have to work to realize where you are and what you can do with the skills you have. That’s where I’m at now. I used to do shows that were fun, but they were kind of just like a rage. Now, I want to make an experience.

That is so interesting.

Chesle: I am just trying to iron out all the things I want to get perfect before I tour. Hopefully next year – I’d love to be on the road and just create a beautiful sonic and visual experience.

That’s amazing. We can’t wait to come see a show, and we can’t wait for what’s next from you!

Chesle: Thank you!

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