Melbourne songstress Chevalier shows she’s got the goods with her new single “Scarlet Skies.” She might be an up-and-coming artist, but this dynamic track is brimming with confidence. It features some of the most accomplished vocals and intricate sounds that I’ve heard in some time.
Chevalier has spent the last five years touring locally and abroad as a back-up singer and vocal coach to her pal Ruel.
“I first met Ruel and his family when he was 12 and remember thinking he had the most incredible voice,” she explained. “I started working with him on his vocals, then soon after when the touring began, I started doing BVs for him and tutored him for his schoolwork also. I’ve felt like part of the VanDijk family ever since! It’s been a crazy and incredibly rewarding five years watching everything grow so exponentially.”
However, with songs like “Scarlet Skies” in her repertoire, I can’t imagine Chevalier will stay in the background for too much longer.
“My producer Allan McConnell sent through a rough idea of what ended up being the song and I just vibed with it straight away,” she recalled. “I remember first listening to it on my balcony in Fitzroy and the sky was a vibrant array of pink and red. I had just got back from a big tour with Ruel so I popped open a bottle of red, sat back in my egg chair and put the beat on loop. All the lyrics and melodies came out within about 30 minutes; it kind of felt like I was dreaming.”
While you can hear the influence of Jazmine Sullivan and Solange in this track, Chevalier says her biggest influence was her nana, Bette Chevalier. Her nana attended every ballet concert, singing performance, and piano recital with flowers for her beloved granddaughter. Sadly, she passed away while Chevalier was touring Europe with Ruel, but her last wish was for her daughter to continue the tour and keep performing. I think she’d be pretty proud of this special new single, don’t you?
Image used with permission from Ditto Music Australia