Hannah Montana proved that superstars walk among us every day, and Chenayder still finds a way to go to class while her streams rack up into the millions on her Spotify. She even uses her bathroom pass to make TikToks in the bathroom of her Florida high school, dancing along to her viral hits before 3 PM.
Since 2022, Chenayder achieved success via TikTok for her viral hit "Fall," which sounds like the soundtrack to a fever dream falling into Wonderland or discovering a dusty old record in your attic. Despite being so young, she gets wide-eyed when she listens to '50s and '60s jazz and girl groups. Blending together a modern indie-pop sensibility with a deep appreciation for songs of yesteryear, Chenayder is introducing a new generation to the foundation of modern-day pop music.
Today, Chenayder premieres "My My." Her sickeningly sweet vocals are reminiscent of the Golden Age of pop, layered into hypnotic harmony. The minimalist palette of bass guitar and drums juxtaposes against her vintage melodies, blending old with new, familiar with unfamiliar. Its accompanying lo-fi video captures the pure, childlike joy of being with friends, playing hand games and frolicking on the playground, documented lovingly on an old camcorder.
Below, watch the PAPER premiere of Chenayder's "My My" and keep scrolling to read a conversation Chenayder and fellow Gen Z artist redveil.
Who did you grow up listening to? Do you get inspiration for your music nowadays from them?
redveil: I grew up on random songs from skate videos that I can’t even find the name of, Odd Future instrumentals, go-go music, gospel music, Chiddy Bang and a bunch of other random stuff. I 100% get inspiration from all these different places today and my goal as an artist is to blend everything I grew up on and have love for as seamlessly as possible. I’ve been trying it more in my new music especially.
Chenayder: That sounds cool! I grew up mostly listening to what my brother listened to which was people like Kanye West, Bruno Mars, Adele and many more. Once I got my own YouTube account and started looking into new music to listen to, I found artists like Melanie Martinez and Billie Eilish. They inspired me a lot with my sound when I first started out.
Who is your dream collaboration?
redveil: This is a super hard question, but I feel it would be Robert Glasper or Tyler, the Creator. I have so much respect for Glasper as a pianist and musician in general and I think if we made something together it would be the most satisfying thing that I could ever hear. For Tyler, I'm a student of his work in every aspect. I think it would be really interesting to see how the different details of our sound could potentially blend and how I could blend influences that he may not have (like DMV music) with the stuff that he grew up on and respects the most. It would just make me super happy to hear whatever we would come up with.
Chenayder: For me, it would be Tyler, the Creator too! I really like his music and I feel like our styles really can blend together to make something beautiful. I also would like to make a song with Billie Eilish. I have been listening to her since I was in 6th grade and I think we can make something great.
How would you describe the music you make?
redveil: I would describe it as music that helps you get out of bed. It’s triumphant but will always acknowledge how hard it is to be triumphant sometimes. Being able to make it happen nonetheless is what I feel like it represents, and I want people to feel like they can make it happen when they hear my music. On the production side, it’s super sunny and soulful but it’s also really fucking loud. Basically, if you like smiling and being happy, just give it a try.
Chenayder: I would describe my music as vintage and sorrowful because even my happiest-sounding songs have a sad meaning to them that most people don’t notice. I like making songs that people and I can relate to.
What’s your favorite song to perform?
redveil: Probably "Weight." It’s my biggest song so that’s interesting because I feel like usually artists don’t like performing their biggest song. But for me, that one is so special because of the lyrics. Hearing a crowd of people say, “Tell myself I ain’t feeling the weight” fills my heart up with a warmth that’s hotter than 10 million suns. It makes me feel like I made the right decision to talk about what I choose to talk about in my music. Also, the beat just slaps so it always gets people hype. I'm gonna have a lot of fun performing that one for a long time.
Chenayder: I haven’t got to do live performances yet but I would love to perform “My My” because I already have fun singing it now and I feel like I see a lot of people singing the chorus and vibing to it. Plus it’s very catchy.
Have you ever felt that you had to change your sound or aesthetic for a mainstream audience?
redveil: Definitely. That's how I was making music for a while and I got absolutely nowhere doing it. One day I decided to just let that go and wear my quirks on my sleeve and that’s when stuff started to look up for me. It's crazy because I still have a lot of mainstream or less “alternative” sounding music. And I think my own spin or interpretation on a blend of both worlds is where I fit the best.
Chenayder: I have definitely felt that way myself because I didn’t think people would like my “vintage sound” because it’s something of the past and it’s not something that popular with people today. That's why I used to just stick to indie guitar beats, but then one day I was just like, Why shouldn’t I make music that I think is good?
What was the most special moment in your career?
redveil: The most special moment in my career was definitely October 2020 when I woke up to a Tyler cosign. I can’t wrap my head around it still, mainly because it happened so early in my career. Someone who was so instrumental in lighting the spark for me musically validating my artistry has been one of the most satisfying moments of my career.
Chenayder: The most special moment in my career was definitely seeing that my song “Fall” went viral and there were so many nice comments. I felt like I was moving in the right direction. I got to be noticed by a lot of people that I looked up to like Clairo and Overpade.
Photo courtesy of the artist