Lyricist Chaz French entered the public music sphere last summer when he debuted his first mixtape, and the D.C. native has continued to make waves with his latest release and recent tour.
The world first heard French in 2014 when he released “Happy Belated,” which created quite the buzz and was soon followed by his latest release “These Things Take Time” on Dec. 11, 2015.
French, who toured throughout several North American cities from Feb. 2 through Feb. 12 with colleague MC Pell, spent time sharing stories about his career with The Eagle. Chaz spent the duration of the interview bent over the phone in the front of a bus, in true touring fashion. His tour, “Only in Your Dreams” was his first true tour experience, he said, and he drove from city to city each day living out of a bus. When asked to speak briefly about the tour, Chaz responded simply, “I’m having a lot of fun.”
Chaz said he enjoys the opportunity to “touch people through the form of music,” which he said is what his music is all about. Chaz also described his tour experience as getting to “share what you love with the people you love.” After discussing the touring aspect of his career, Chaz expressed clearly that his music is made out of love and a deep passion for what he does.
Chaz’s love for music began young , but he said he only started to take his career seriously after facing struggling with homelessness because of what he describes as an“ignorant and childish” attitude.
“Everything happens for a reason,” he said.
The artist credits his support team for helping him through his adversity and, he emphasized that he would not be where he is today without the people around him who contributed to his music career. While his team has helped him find success, Chaz stated simply that the key to his success boils down to”making quality music.” Chaz also placed importance on having a plan and sticking to it as well as sticking to your roots.
Chaz also experienced his life flash before his eyes in a near-death car accident. “Everything was surreal,” he said, explaining how the things he saw during the crash impacted him more than the event of the crash itself.
Chaz emphasized how his music reflects his life in that he writes about anything and everything he does. When asked if his target audience was specific or general Chaz simply replied, “General.” In a very touching and passionate summary, Chaz said he makes music for those who have a dream and do not know how to make that dream come to life. Additionally, he added that “patience is a virtue” in crafting your dream and this value continues to guide him on his path to success. “I don’t need to change the world, but I would like to positively affect those people who can change the world,” Chaz said.
Chaz does not categorize his music as one type of theme, but rather explained that what connects all his music together is passion. His said his music is always heartfelt and meant to give people a sense of hope and positivity.
The artist said he chose to be a musician because he “decided to put his situations into music.” Chaz said understands that he is not the only one going through what he went through and that there are countless people out there who can relate to his situation.
“You never realize just how powerful music is,” Chaz said.
Distinctive tracks, which can be found on Chaz’s SoundCloud, include “No Shade” and “Remember.” Both have a smooth, relaxed, and slow-paced beat and yet still achieved that classic upbeat rap feel through the lyrics. The dichotomous relationship created between the melody and the lyrics works well together to create a catchy tune. Listening closely to his songs, it is clear to hear the reflection of his life dancing in the words, creating an overall powerful, passionate, and meaningful collection of songs.
