NEW YORK (Top40 Charts/ Seth Cohen PR) - Gospel Churches, Spanish Harlem and a Gypsy's Life in Zaragoza, Sevilla, Asia, Africa, Cuba and Elsewhere Infuse the Soulful Debut of Chlo? Temtchine
Engaging Pop/Soul Melodies Belie Confessions of Brutal Truths, Regret, Shame, Incremental Change and Ultimately, Quiet Hope
Singer Chlo? Temtchine has lived a life beyond her young years, traveling the world and searching for solace amid countless exotic lands and cultures. Each experience has brought her one step closer to her emergence as a soulful new voice on the music scene. Her debut CD 'Between Day & Dream' is an instantly accessible mix of pop, soul and R&B, with upbeat melodies that camouflage unrest within the lyrics.
Equally comfortable with R&B/soul production as she is playing her acoustic guitar, Temtchine has delivered a rich collection of original songs that manages to evoke the vocal stylings of Beyonc? even as it suggests the quiet storytelling of John Mayer or Paula Cole. Building on standout tracks including 'Unspoken,' 'Sleepwalking Awake' and 'Girlfriend,' her dramatic tales convey the hard truths of shame, masochism, the process of getting to know oneself, and the hope that tomorrow can be a better day.
'Between Day & Dream' was co-produced by Temtchine and David Margolis, and mixed by Kevin Killen. The album will be released nationwide on September 15th. Check out a multi-song sampler here: https://www.sethcohenpr.com/player/chloe/
Temtchine, a natural talent, is at home on a stage, and will tour the U.S. in the months ahead. She plays guitar and piano/keyboards, and is fluent in English, French and Spanish (her album includes 'Ilusisn,' a bonus track sung in Spanish).
More About Chlo?:
She grew up in New York to parents with diverse cultural backgrounds, got mixed up with the wrong crowd, and left home in her early teens to see if the world had a better path to offer. From her escapades on the streets of Spanish Harlem to singing in cafes on the sidewalks of Barcelona, Chlo?'s gypsy road was paved with real-life experiences that resonate with all of us, and she set those events and those feelings to music.
Upon her return to America, she gained a deep appreciation of 70's soul, R&B, hip-hop and world music at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, then set off to pursue her musical career and hone her sound, which blends classic soul music with timeless pop.
Along the way, in addition to writing her own material, Chlo? collaborated with an illustrious group of top songwriters/producers, including Guy Roche (Christina Aguilera), Toby Gad (Fergie), Duncan Sheik, Marc Nelkin (Corinne Bailey Rae), Brian Lapin (Black Eyed Peas), David Gamson (Meshell Ndegeocello), Andy Marvel (Jessica Simpson), Dave Wilder and Jeremy Ruzumna (Macy Gray).
For a young artist who has already had such a fearless and unique journey, perhaps it's best to hear about it in her own words:
Influences/upbringing, and how they have inspired my songwriting:
Gospel churches: At about the age of 7, my father introduced me to gospel music. A hairdresser at the time, he would bring me up to Harlem on Sundays and sit me down with a group of people he either knew (or didn't know,) but with whom he felt comfortable leaving me while he would take off to cut someone's hair. Sometimes I would sit through an entire service. I remember loving every minute. After a while, I began memorizing songs. One day, an older lady saw me mouthing the words to a song and asked me to come up on stage and sing. That was my first time performing in front of an audience. I'll never forget it. Both 'Sleepwalking Awake' and 'Let it Burn' have a very soulful feel, probably influenced in part by the gospel music that I listened to as a child. Gospel is the style of music that continues to touch me the most and that I feel the most connected to.
Left home at 13. Got into a bit of trouble in New York and decided that the only way out of it was to focus on music. Met Crystal Johnson (producer, r&b singer, songwriter) whom I pretty much moved in with. She became my musical mentor. Since then, my goal has consistently been to be completely self-sufficient. Crystal was the first person to teach me how to sing, write, produce, and engineer.
Languages: I grew up speaking both French and English. I learned Spanish both in school and from spending the majority of my time in the streets of Spanish Harlem. Most of my friends were Dominican and Puerto Rican. By the age of 13, I was fluent in all three languages. I lived with a family in Zaragoza, Spain, for a year, when I was a teenager. My goal was to understand another culture and to enlarge my Spanish vocabulary. 'Ilusisn' is a song in Spanish on the album. During the bridge, there are claps which remind me of my time in Sevilla listening to Flamenco music.
Travels: I have had the good fortune of traveling to Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America.... Traveling has helped to broaden my understanding of different cultures and has inspired many of the themes I write about in my songs. During my travels to very poor countries such as the Philippines (where my mother was born) and Cuba, I was able to see firsthand how much people are in need of help. I wanted so badly to make a difference in the lives of those who were struggling that I overwhelmed myself with the thought that I had to change the entire world in order to make any sort of difference. In my mind, and having the extreme nature that I do, I felt that in order to make a change of any kind, I had to do something drastic. I soon realized that this mentality would get me nowhere. I began to understand that small changes are what lead to the bigger changes and that if we overwhelm ourselves with how much there is to do, we end up not doing anything at all. This principle inspired the song 'Stand Tall' which is specifically about the importance of small changes.
Eye-Opening Experiences: I've taught children who were less fortunate, volunteered in homes for the elderly, and played music for cancer patients in a hospital in New York City. From about the age of 6, I would accompany my parents to the Hale House in Harlem and donate whatever we could to the children who lived there. They were children who, after having been abandoned by their parents, were taken in by Mother Hale and cared for. They were either sick or dying, and that we were never allowed to get too close had an impact on me.
Inspirations: I listen to and enjoy good songs in every style of music. I am most drawn to gospel (Kim Burrell, Smokey Norful), am inspired by a lot of 70's soul (Donnie Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, Al Green), and I like Tom Waits, Ray LaMontagne.... My favorite song is 'Hold Me Now' by Kirk Franklin.
Ethnicity/ Heritage: French, Russian, Australian. Cuban too? (See story below about fortuneteller in Cuba.) Mother: Born in the Philippines of an American father and Australian mother. She lived in the Philippines for 15 years. Her father lived there for over 50 years, from WWII until his death in 1996. We have extended family out there that we go visit. My mother also lived in Hong Kong, London, and Paris before coming to New York where she has lived for 35 years. Father: Born in France of a Russian father and Polish mother. He lived in Paris until he came to New York in 1965. They struggled to survive as Jews during the holocaust. I never knew much about my grandfather's side of the family because he did not survive the war. Because that side of my family has not been talked about much, ever since the lady in Cuba suggested that I have Cuban blood on my father's side, I have believed it to be true.
Cuban fortuneteller: During my trip to Cuba, I met a Cuban woman who claimed to be able to reveal hidden truths. She grabbed me by the hand while I walking through the streets and pulled me into what looked like an underground cave. She said that she needed to reveal something to me that would help me understand myself better. I was extremely skeptical but figured I had nothing to lose based on the fact that she wasn't going to charge me for the experience. She sat me down and recounted to me very specific events that had occurred in my life, some that no one knew about. I was shocked, moved and intrigued. She then revealed to me that in my lineage, on my father's side, I had Cuban in my blood, something I had always innately felt. Everything else she said was 100 percent true, and I therefore believed her.
Song Notes by Chlo? Temtchine:
1. Sleepwalking Awake: Regret and pain can lead a person to want to numb themselves. This song is about meeting someone who inspires you to want to live again and gives you a reason to take another chance at feeling.
2. Unspoken: I learned the power of words from being in a relationship. At times, in relationships, we make excuses for the other person and 'defend their mistakes' at the cost of our own self-respect. Anger and cruelty are very real parts of human nature and if left unmanaged, have the power to severely hurt both the person who feels them and anyone who comes into contact with that person. I hope to remind both men and women to think before they speak because there is no going back once you've gone too far. Some things are better left unsaid.
3. Stand Tall: The value of small changes. Every big change begins with a little one. The domino effect. If we overwhelm ourselves with the thought that in order to make a change it has to be a drastic one, we end up talking ourselves out of making any sort of change at all.
4. Me Against Myself: An unhealthy relationship with someone managed to turn me against myself. The relationship ended, leaving me hurt, angry, regretful and resentful. These emotions can become very detrimental when they're held inside. My inability to express the feelings literally made me sick. I hope to remind people about the importance and the value of expression, of talking about the things that, left unaddressed, have the power to eat us up inside.
5. Hotter Than Sunshine: Wanting someone only because you can't have them.
6. Girlfriend: Jealousy. Being in a relationship with a guy whose ex-girlfriend comes to town. He obviously still has feelings for her. She's giving him the option to choose.
7. Break Over Me: In a relationship, I learned the impact that one person's actions can have on the other. Selfishly, we give ourselves the excuse that the things we do only affect us. This twisted mentality gives us permission to keep doing them. Once we realize that the things we do are not only affecting us but are either directly or indirectly affecting others, we are forced to take responsibility for our actions.
8. Coming Undone: This person makes you feel completely naked in front of them. They can see right through you. You're reluctant to give yourself completely to this person for fear that they may not be feeling what you are. The fact that they're so cool and calm while your overwhelming emotion is making you act completely ridiculous drives you crazy.
9. Where Wild Horses Run: I believe that we live our lives again and are reunited with our loved ones in lives to come.
10. Let it Burn: Karma directed at the person who's done you wrong.
Listen to music here: https://www.sethcohenpr.com/player/chloe/
https://www.myspace.com/chloetemtchine
