Collective Sounds: CHANDNI’s Path in Alternative R&B
‘We also want more people, who love music, to be able to connect with our music.‘
-How’d you all meet?
We all met at university (BIMM Birmingham). At the start of our second year, we were assorted into a group for one of the live performance modules. From there on, we discovered that we all had similar influences and tastes in music. Naturally, we collaborated on some songs together, deciding to officially form a band.
-Why did you guys decide to rebrand and how has it been since then?
We all got along well and played some great shows. However, some of us had our projects outside the band and decided that it was best for us to focus on who wanted to remain in the group. From then CHANDNI, consisting of Djeny (vocalist), Harrison (guitarist) and Lewis (drummer), deduced it would be beneficial for us to rebrand as a collective, rather than a band, that way we could still collaborate with others musicians while keeping our brand the same. Today, complete with our two other members Eden Sam (bassist) and Toby Marriot (pianist), we all compose music together, and individually. It’s been a rollercoaster since the changes, but it has certainly been the best decision for our rebranding, even in terms of our sound!
-A full year and then some since your debut single, how has it been then and now?
Since our debut single, we have released 2 more songs, including our second single “Set Free”, which has over 10k streams! We’ve been working on new music, and we have played many more shows, including a show in London, which was certainly the highlight of last year. We have understood how to promote our music, since the release of our debut single, utilising social media, and learning the algorithms of streaming services, such as Spotify and Apple Music. We have had to navigate certain band members not being free for rehearsals, and writing sessions, as we all have work and other commitments. However, that is the nature of the music industry. Overall, the vibes have been good, and the music has been flowing.
-Who’s the creative director and how does that work?
At the moment, we work independently as a collective. We are our manager, social media assistant and directors. We find this works for us very well, as we can all share our ideas. However, we do feel having someone else to help us with these elements would be beneficial for us. We try to balance things out by distributing the tasks between us. Usually, Djeny and Harrison will take the lead on social media promotions. Lewis handles the admin side of things. However, we collectively all look at these elements. When it comes to creative direction we all brainstorm, create ideas and work with other friends/creatives to make our vision come to life.
-What do you hope for the future of Chandni?
Our goal for the future is to continue to deliver music that we feel expresses our creative visions, which portrays our creative output. We also want more people, who love music, to be able to connect with our music. Furthermore, we want to be able to share our music with curators and play with festivals, whilst also collaborating with some of our favourite artists. We also want to play more gigs, and write some certified bangers!
– How does the band manage to make new music that is reminiscent of your older tracks? And how do you see that trajectory going?
Generally, we try to stay within the Alternative R&B space. However, we will be looking to explore other genres, whilst also taking inspiration from other like-minded musicians that we were influenced by, and who we hope to be able to work with someday. We want to explore the Neo-soul, New Jazz, and Pop spaces, as we are trying to push our sound in a new direction.
-In terms of the band’s writing process, how does it all work?
It differs from time to time, sometimes we get together and come up with chord progressions, and melodies and will vibe off of that. Sometimes, Djeny will have a melodic idea, and she will try to write some lyrics around that specific idea. We then try to pair that idea with a chord progression, or groove, and work from there. More recently, we have collaborated with longtime friend & producer, Zaq Sawyer Coffey, to compose a song from scratch. He has an array of super ‘hip’ drum beats, and patch sounds, that we used to create a higher-energy Alternative R&B song. We like to discuss things personal to ourselves and see if it’s appropriate to include them in the song.
Ultimately, our writing process is heavily influenced by whatever we’re feeling ‘in the moment’, as we feel this is where we write our best songs.
-How much of your sound is influenced by your environment and how much of it is purely based on musical influences?
We feel that our lyrics are solely based on personal experiences. However, sometimes we may create a fictional story that is influenced by our own experiences, to give an element of ‘authenticity’. When it comes to our ‘sound’, there is a unique blend of our ideas, that are informed by our musical influences. We all regularly go to ‘jam sessions’ and concerts, where we can ‘soak up’ many different genres and stylistic elements of music. This has played a part in forming our sound.
-Last but not least, if all the nations of the world got rid of borders, what do you think people would follow? Art, music or food? And where would they go?
In a way, art, music and food are all connected, they are ways of expressing ourselves. Even if we are separated by language barriers, we all can feel music, we all can taste food, and we all can see and connect with art. Music has always been the international ‘language’, wherever you are from, we can all connect with good music. We feel the same applies to art and food. The UK has been blessed with food, music and art from other cultures, from all around the world. We have been able to enjoy these cultural elements, as they have contributed to our style, taste and influences, and have allowed us to create the music we love and enjoy.
Join the Newsletter
Connect with Chandni
To follow Chandi, you can find social media profiles here:
Listen to their music
Read other articles in the issue
- A Dream of Time and Lawrence Crane
- Art Beyond Limits: A Journey Through Wood, Texture, and Mike
- Harmony of Lenses: How Music Shapes Jade’s work
- On the Fast Track: Good Time Locomotive is Blending Genres
- Peeling Back the Layers: Kate’s Creative Process
- Ungrounded and Illuminated: The Artistic Visions of Ezana Girma
ManicWorld Magazine 