Singing her way through her 20s is an extraordinary RnB vocalist and Barbadian island girl with a voice so unique that it leaves you in awe. Throughout the years, she has honed her craft and wowed sold-out audiences as the featured guest artist at Mahalia’s Corner and has opened for many international acts such as Jah Cure, Chrisette Michelle, Melanie Fiona, and even Tweet. We can definitely say that she is a favorite on the local scene as her voice commands attention and her bubbly personality makes her an absolute joy to be around. However, whether you have seen her amazing “Ch’An Covers” series or you are completely “Lost” as to who this spirited songstress is, it’s time to discover the unknown as we ask the award-winning Ch’An 7 intimate questions.

1) Where did the name Ch’An come from?

“Ch’An is actually a combo of my parents’ names. They got creative and took the ‘Chie’ from Archie and the ‘An’ from Shan, and tada… ‘Ch’An’ right there on my birth certificate! And I really am a combination of the two so it works really well.”

2) How do you react when someone tells you that your voice is incredibly unique?

“I never quite know what to say. It always makes me blush. Like most singers, I don’t care much for my voice. I think I sound pretty average but when I see how touched people are by it, I know it’s something larger than me and I’m entirely flattered and truthfully really honored to be the vessel for something so powerful.”

3) How much of your own life is reflected in your songs?

“Oh, most of them are my life. Whether that’s my own personal experience or the stories of people I love or meet casually. It’s always something I can verify by experience whether directly or on the periphery.”

4) If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask?

“This one is a tough question. I just lost another close friend and I suppose right now I’m considering her soul and all of ours so I’d ask about heaven. Is it real? Just so, you know, I can have a sense of peace through whatever pain I have to experience between here and there. But other times I’m concerned with happiness here. My own yes, but more importantly, the happiness of those I love. Will we be happy eventually? Not content but actually happy? Will our successes be actualized? Will we find satisfaction with them? I don’t know what I’d ask — I’d probably sit for a very long time with that question.”

5) How would you describe the man/partner of your dreams?

“I already did, a million times and a million different ways. Now, I’m just waiting for him to show up and I’m preparing myself. If you want the details you can listen to my work and hear all about him. Just head over to my website for easy access to the Lost EP and my other collected work.”

6) What would a world populated by clones of you be like?

“Ha! Probably a mess, though perhaps in a gentler direction. Banks wouldn’t be a thing, we’d be more peaceful under a barter system. Education & health care would be free (teachers and entertainers/artists of different mediums would be well housed and fed in exchange for their work). Libraries would never die — print would be eternal. It would be very noisy in some areas and then really peaceful. Global warming would probably be less of a worry because we’d be kinder to the environment from the jump. This list goes on and on.”

7) What words of encouragement would you give to upcoming vocalists?

1. “Be honest with yourself about what you want.”
2. “Never sacrifice authenticity for progress.”
3. “Not every opportunity is an opportunity; some are distractions, others are lessons.”
4. “No’s are actually great, redirecting you to your actual path.”
5. “Find a mentor, learn from their mistakes – you don’t have to test every fire.”
6. “Work on your craft, yes, but make sure you work on your heart/soul. So when you build it, the house has a solid foundation.”
7. “Perfect is BORING. My best performances have a thousand things that make me cringe technique-wise but the emotion is undeniable and something that cannot be delivered via perfection.”
8. “Surround yourself with love, it’s the blanket that keeps you while you do the hard work that this job requires.”

“Any or all of that is fine advice, and things I wish I knew.”

A little about “Ch’An”

Singing her way through her 20s is an extraordinary RnB vocalist and Barbadian island girl with a voice so unique that it leaves you in awe. Throughout the years, she has honed her craft and wowed sold-out audiences as the featured guest artist at Mahalia’s Corner and has opened for many international acts such as Jah Cure, Chrisette Michelle, Melanie Fiona, and even Tweet. We can definitely say that she is a favorite on the local scene as her voice commands attention and her bubbly personality makes her an absolute joy to be around. However, whether you have seen her amazing “Ch’An Covers” series or you are completely “Lost” as to who this spirited songstress is, it’s time to discover the unknown as we ask the award-winning Ch’An 7 intimate questions.

1) Where did the name Ch’An come from?

“Ch’An is actually a combo of my parents’ names. They got creative and took the ‘Chie’ from Archie and the ‘An’ from Shan, and tada… ‘Ch’An’ right there on my birth certificate! And I really am a combination of the two so it works really well.”

2) How do you react when someone tells you that your voice is incredibly unique?

“I never quite know what to say. It always makes me blush. Like most singers, I don’t care much for my voice. I think I sound pretty average but when I see how touched people are by it, I know it’s something larger than me and I’m entirely flattered and truthfully really honored to be the vessel for something so powerful.”

3) How much of your own life is reflected in your songs?

“Oh, most of them are my life. Whether that’s my own personal experience or the stories of people I love or meet casually. It’s always something I can verify by experience whether directly or on the periphery.”

4) If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask?

“This one is a tough question. I just lost another close friend and I suppose right now I’m considering her soul and all of ours so I’d ask about heaven. Is it real? Just so, you know, I can have a sense of peace through whatever pain I have to experience between here and there. But other times I’m concerned with happiness here. My own yes, but more importantly, the happiness of those I love. Will we be happy eventually? Not content but actually happy? Will our successes be actualized? Will we find satisfaction with them? I don’t know what I’d ask — I’d probably sit for a very long time with that question.”

5) How would you describe the man/partner of your dreams?

“I already did, a million times and a million different ways. Now, I’m just waiting for him to show up and I’m preparing myself. If you want the details you can listen to my work and hear all about him. Just head over to my website for easy access to the Lost EP and my other collected work.”

6) What would a world populated by clones of you be like?

“Ha! Probably a mess, though perhaps in a gentler direction. Banks wouldn’t be a thing, we’d be more peaceful under a barter system. Education & health care would be free (teachers and entertainers/artists of different mediums would be well housed and fed in exchange for their work). Libraries would never die — print would be eternal. It would be very noisy in some areas and then really peaceful. Global warming would probably be less of a worry because we’d be kinder to the environment from the jump. This list goes on and on.”

7) What words of encouragement would you give to upcoming vocalists?

1. “Be honest with yourself about what you want.”
2. “Never sacrifice authenticity for progress.”
3. “Not every opportunity is an opportunity; some are distractions, others are lessons.”
4. “No’s are actually great, redirecting you to your actual path.”
5. “Find a mentor, learn from their mistakes – you don’t have to test every fire.”
6. “Work on your craft, yes, but make sure you work on your heart/soul. So when you build it, the house has a solid foundation.”
7. “Perfect is BORING. My best performances have a thousand things that make me cringe technique-wise but the emotion is undeniable and something that cannot be delivered via perfection.”
8. “Surround yourself with love, it’s the blanket that keeps you while you do the hard work that this job requires.”

“Any or all of that is fine advice, and things I wish I knew.”