Meet Chandra DeSantis | Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chandra DeSantis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chandra, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Honestly it wasn’t much of a thought process, I decided to stop thinking and just went for it. Music has always been a part of my life. I wasn’t doing anything else that filled me up like it did so I took the leap and took it one step at a time,

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
i think it’s all about authenticity and figuring out your brand before doing anything. for me, I’m all over the place. that was difficult. I thought I figured it out and then I realized I was doing what I thought other people wanted. As soon as I was aware of this I immediately changed the path I was on. I took a step back and regrouped. I think what a lot of musicians/artists don’t realize is how much of a business music actually is. I was lucky enough to have a lot of people tell me this from the start so I went into it with that mindset. That being said.. everyday is a challenge when your business is literally yourself. Your music. Your look. Your voice. That shit puts you in low lows and high highs. You’re unable to separate yourself from the music or the success or failure of shows/posts/music. You’re extremely hard on yourself. Luckily I have a lot of amazing people in my life that pull me back and help me snap out of it.

My brand is me. Whatever i’m feeling at the moment. Chaos. Everything i’m writing right now is more fun, sexy, playful. Whereas there was a time when all the music i was writing had more sad notes. It’s whatever i’m going through. All my songs come from moments in my life. You can see how i’m feeling by what i’m writing. I’m super proud of that.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I hate making plans. I love leaving the house with nothing in mind and having the day find me. Favorite areas would be Rino or Broadway. I love vintage stores and finding random places to get a drink or coffee.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Honestly there are so many individuals that have added so much life to my story. The studio musicians we used to make the two singles out right now were a huge influence to me and quickly became friends/ mentors.

Taylor Macres played guitar on both lies and warning label and now is playing with me live. On top of all of that, we have been writing a bunch together. he has jumped into a producer role seamlessly. He has helped me figure out my sound and taught me a lot about writing. He’s so talented and just knows what I want with little to no effort. He also knows how I perform and can see my vision so it’s incredible to have that person who understands every part of it for me when writing. We will write and write with the live show in mind. It’s really fun. I’m super fortunate to have found him so early in my career.

Website: chandradesantis.com

Instagram: chandradesantis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chandradesantis

Image Credits
trent bradley dallas garcia ben lohle