In Conversation: Chloe Bodur
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Music
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IN CONVERSATION: CHLOE BODUR
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Words by Nathan TuftArtwork by Tom Shotton
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Chloe Bodur is a London born singer/songwriter who since 2017, has released a string of successful releases and has been featured by the likes of BBC Introducing, Clash and Represent Radio. Her style blends sounds of jazz, neo-soul & pop and has seen her championed for her uniqueness. We sat down with her to discuss the journey into music, the impact of lockdown on her creative process and her responsibilities as an artist.
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NT: You actually studied music at University - what are the main things you took away from that and how have they benefited you on your musical journey so far?
CB: I think everything that you hear subconsciously influences everything that you write so I loved hearing music from all different genres, decades and cultures and learning how to appreciate it properly everyday.
I think if you’re going to dedicate your life to any profession then you should study the masters of it and their techniques first so you can then try and evolve from what they’ve done. I think anyone that wants to be a songwriter or musician should study some music first too. Not even in a classroom necessarily, just from YouTube or local workshops at least.
NT: It’s clear that you have been putting in the work over the past few years to get to where you currently are with regards to music - have there ever been times when you wanted to pack it all in and if so/if not, why?
CB: HUN! YES! WEEKLY! Lol. I’ve been putting music out for a few years but that was alongside my studying, before I had a team or anything behind me so I was limited in a lot of ways. Now that I can finally do music full time I feel like my journey is only just beginning.
NT: Can you describe the Chloe Bodur soundscape for us in 7 words?
CB: Caramel, chatty, golden soul for soft babes.
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"THE GIG AND FESTIVAL LOCKDOWN AFFECTED ME MENTALLY A BIT BECAUSE HAVING SO MANY THINGS YOU’VE WORKED SO HARD TO ACHIEVE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU LIKE THAT FEELS PRETTY SHIT."
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NT: How have you found the lockdown and what have you been doing to keep busy?
CB: Other than the general anxiety of it all, missing my nan and worrying about my Dad who’s still out working - my mental health hasn’t been this good in years tbh. I never take breaks when I need them because I feel guilty for being unproductive or letting people down. But this ‘break’ has been good for me personally and long overdue. I’ve had a nice lockdown experience spent mainly cooking and reading to keep busy, I’m lucky to have the privilege to do so. I’ll be glad when the virus is gone but sad when everyone returns to working their life away again.
NT: You have previously mentioned before that you prefer a DIY approach to making music - opting to make music outside of the studio. Do you think this lockdown has worked in your favour and has it affected your creative capacity in any way?
CB: If me and my band all lived together then this lockdown would be so productive. I’m the only member of my band that lives in London though so we’re having to record individually and bounce parts over email to each other which isn’t ideal and kinda takes the fun out of the recording process. It’s definitely slowing us down but we move. I can’t wait until we can safely be in a room together again. I miss hearing the instruments in front of me in real time, not over FaceTime.
NT: Back in 2019, your 2 track release, “Money is my Medicine” focussed on money (obviously) and the pros and cons of finances etc. As a creative, how do you think the current lockdown of gigs and festivals has affected you and how do you see the music world looking after all this has blown over?
CB: This summer I was booked to play a load of festivals (including Glastonbury) for the first time, which was such a huge milestone for me. My London headline show also had to be rescheduled. The gig and festival lockdown affected me mentally a bit because having so many things you’ve worked so hard to achieve taken away from you like that feels pretty shit. But I remind myself daily that in the grand scheme of things it’s not important. I’m alive and healthy so I’m grateful.
I would love to see a safe helmet/bodysuit kinda thing become standard uniform at parties. Like a daft punk or MF Doom sort of space suit/mask thing that everyone could wear so we could go back to the club and to festivals in big groups again. That’s my little pipe dream anyway. I don’t really like to think about what it will look like realistically though. The thought makes me sad.
NT: You have always been a fan of gigging and performed at venues across London and Brighton - why do you think performing live is so important and what do you want people to feel at your shows?
CB: I just love live music and how happy it makes people, as wet as that sounds. Most of my favourite artists I’ve discovered through live music events and I think seeing an artist live is the best way to understand them and form a connection with them and their music. So I like performing live and hoping people can experience that with me and my music too! I hope people at my shows feel some peace of mind for a while, just some nice escapism and calmness.
NT: A lot of your lyrics have had a very personal touch and tracks like “Lovely Lonely” and “Talking to the Walls” seem like cathartic releases. How much do you explore music as an emotional outlet and what would you do without music?
CB: Sometimes I write music based on other people’s stories or things I’ve seen in films (like ‘Billie’) but yeah most of the time writing is an emotional outlet for me. My songs basically document my life like a diary would. I can look back and see when I was feeling low, or in love etc and I always feel better after I’ve written something decent. Without music I’d probably be dancing, which was a massive emotional outlet for me as a teenager.
NT: You’ve always shown that you are open to collaborations - who would ideally like to work within music today and why?
CB: Almost all of my favourite songs are written or produced by the Neptunes. I’m literally a little bitch for The Neptunes. It’s my dream to have a tune with Pharrell and Chad. They are songwriting gods. Also Rosalía is best thing that’s happened to the industry in years I think. Would love to have a Turkish Flamenco tune with her one day. Also Solange. Solange is my messiah. Nick Hakim and BADBADNOTGOOD too.
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"I THINK BEING SILENT IN MOMENTS OF EXTREME SOCIAL AND POLITICAL UNREST SAYS A LOT ABOUT A PERSON AND SAYS IT LOUDLY."
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NT: One of your latest releases, ‘Run for President’ looks at navigating youth and life and tackles issues of racism and sexism - what made you want to focus on these issues and what do you hope others will take away from the song?
CB: Although I benefit from certain privileges (like not living with a disability, being cisgender, heterosexual, light skinned) being a woman of colour in this political climate means that racist and sexist issues are always playing on my mind. It’s exhausting imaging the hurdles in-front of you in comparison to your het, white, male counterparts when you’re a person who the system doesn’t allow much space for. I’m really proud of the lyric “I’ll grab her by the pussy and run…run for president” because it very simply sums up the world we’re living in.
Rich, white men like Trump can admit to sexual assault on camera, as well as a load of racist shit and still become the most powerful person in the world. The lyric “throw a milkshake on a fascist, its fashion” I wrote to make it obvious that racism isn’t just an issue in the US, but in the UK and globally too. I’m glad milkshakes got thrown over Tommy Robinson and Nigel Farage back when I wrote the song but more needs to be done to combat sexism and systemic racism here in the UK and all over the world. ‘Run For President’ was my first musical attempt at addressing some of the overwhelming things I think and feel everyday as a woc. I’m glad Ebi Soda let me talk about it openly on their album.
NT: While thinking about that, do you feel that you have a responsibility as an artist to shine on light and social and political issues in order to raise awareness?
CB: 100%. If you have an informed voice and a platform to use then I think everyone needs to help raise awareness on social and political issues. If you’re an ‘influencer’ then influence your followers to do the right thing. To be silent is to be complicit. I don’t think artists need to discuss politics in their art necessarily but I think they should on social media at least. I think being silent in moments of extreme social and political unrest says a lot about a person and says it loudly.
NT: With the rest of 2020 thrown into uncertainty with current events, what do you hope to have achieved by the end of the year?
CB: On a personal level, I’ve been working on my first full-length EP for a long time now and I’m hopeful that it will be perfect and ready to release this summer. It’s heavily Bossa inspired so it's romantic and sunny sounding. In dark times like these, music is needed to lift people's spirits. If the project is out by the end of 2020, with people loving it as much as I love it then I will be really proud of myself.
On an external level - I hope the recent BLM protests amount to radical change and that it becomes safer for even more people to protest once the virus numbers go down. I think now more than ever is the time to rebuild our social and economic systems because both the pandemic and the BLM movement have made clear that the old ‘normal’ is deadly. I don’t want to return to normal. I have no idea what 2021 will look like but I’m very ready to live it.
Listen to more of Chloe Bodur here and follow her on Instagram here
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CONTEMPORARY CONVERSATIONS
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