Chantay Savage: Renaissance Woman
Where have you been? And, what all exactly have / had you been up to, both personally and professionally speaking, during this lengthy musical hiatus?
I’ve been living life — Got married, raised my son. I never stopped writing and recording, as well as being on the road internationally; performing live with my band is my forte’, so that’s always been there. So, there’s never been a “musical hiatus,” I’ve just been off the mainstream scene. Major labels have dwindled to maybe three, and Hip Hop took over the airwaves. But I’m still doing my thing.
As a songwriter though, when you sit down to pen your lyrics where do you draw your inspiration from?
It varies, but it’s usually an experience; be it mine or someone else’s, but also it can be an inanimate object that might catch rny eye while I’m in my car and spark a concept to write about. I’11 pull out my phone and record a scratch hook to work on later. And sometimes as far as inspiration, a beat that a producer will send me in a certain direction or a melody may pop in my head, and I start jotting and build around that.
Reflecting, tell me your whole inception into music — When did you first become interested in it? And, how did it all begin for Chantay Savage?
I grew up in a musical household. My dad was a Jazz m:usician and DJ, and always listened to blues on weekends…but it was church where I got the bug. I was in the Sunshine Choir, and sang my first solo at three-years-old. Fast forward ten years, and my choir director, who told me early on I was gifted, appointed me Minister of Music at 13 in charge of my mom’s choir. It was there where I was able to find my voice and fell in love with singing. I knew that’s what I wanted to do.
Now you’re a native of Chicago, Il, correct? So growing up in the ‘Windy City,’ who all did / do you consider to be your strongest musical influences?
Off the top of my head, my influences artist-wise were Chaka Khan, Marvin Gaye, Prince, Anita Baker, Whitney Houston…and as far as being from Chicago, along with R&B, I was also influenced by House music because it was the birthplace, and grew up listening, dancing and partying to it as a teenager…so I was part of that scene as well. So, my style is soulful and jazzy, whether R&8, house, disco, pop, etcetera.
What particular string of events actually led up to your initial inking to / with RCA Records?
I wanted to make records, and a friend of mine had a connection to this production company who was looking for songwriters…and he asked if I’d come and check it out. Right away I started writing songs, and in a short span started placing songs for other artists. It was after I wrote and demoed “We Got a Love Thang” for CeCe Peniston, which became a big hit, that the demand increased. So, eventually RCA got a hold of my demos and asked who the girl was on the demos…one thing led to another, and I got signed.
Switching gears here…
Longevity, what do you attribute yours to?
That’s easy. The fact that I write, arrange and can sing live.
What do you want people to get from your music?
To be relatable, and evoke emotion; want ’em to feel something.
On a more serious note, are you happy with the current state of R&B?
To be honest, no. There’s no variety vocally or in subject matter, and talent is an afterthought.
Do you have any other outside / additional aspirations, maybe even completely away from music?
Creating a lifestyle brand centered around black women.
To date, what has been your greatest career moment(s), at least thus far anyway?
Going platinum, and headlining a music festival in South Africa. It was beautiful, and the reception was overwhelming.
What’s an average day like for you?
Wake up, hit the gym with my husband, eat breakfast, get myself together and check emails and start tending to my schedule. It could be a studio day, rehearsal day or a chill day, where I try to hang with friends and family before it’s time to hit the road again.
Please discuss how you interact with and respond to fans…
I love my fans. I’m cool and approachable, but also very perceptive on energy, so if your energy ain’t right I respectfully keep it moving.
What is your favorite part about this line of work? Your least favorite? And, why?
My favorite part is connecting on stage with the people. Least favorite are the non-creative, behind-the-scenes gatekeepers and the fickleness of the music business…and in today’s landscape, the saturation of so-called artists.
What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
You better love it, because all that glitters ain’t gold…and overnight success doesn’t happen overnight, as they say.
Your stirring rendition of the Gloria Gaynor classic, “I Will Survive,” is a definite fan fave — How did this particular song idea even come about? And, please describe for me the overall studio vibe on that fateful day?
“I Will Survive” came about because I was approached for the soundtrack to a movie called The Perez Family. The only thing is they wanted an exact dance cover, and knowing that Gloria Gaynor’s is a classic I figured I’d leave well enough alone and turned it down. Then my producer, Steve Hurley, and I came up with the idea to slow it down and make it an R&B record. And once I wrote all the lyrics out, I knew it would resonate. I played keys and sang the intro, and Steve worked his magic. After we cut the record, we knew we had a hit; the whole studio could feel it. And that same month, I was performing for a Mother’s Day Brunch hosted by the biggest station in Chicago, WGCI, so I had to do an interview at the station to promote it and my manager at the time brought the song with us, and when they asked what’d we’d been working on, they popped it in and the phone lines started lighting up, and it was put in heavy rotation immediately. It played for a year in Chicago before the rest of the country got a chance to hear it, because we were nowhere near having an album ready. The song never made it on the soundtrack, but it went on to go platinum.
Lastly, what’s next for you, Chantay?
I’m excited about my EP that we’re putting the finishing touches on; it’s a mixture of R&B and Disco, very soulful. My producer and partner, Terry Hunter, one of four producers who offrcially made it on Beyonce’s “Break My Soul” Remixes release, and I are dropping my EP, as well as producing and writing songs for other artists. The demand has exploded since that record…and that’s a good thing.
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