Accomplished singer/songwriter, Chandanie, describes her new EP, Intersections as a, “5 song conversation of Being that collides with Blackness, womyness & self-worth.” It perhaps seems like a far-reaching pursuit and weighty spectrum to explore in the space of five songs. However, it’s likely the purpose of this impressive collection is to not only be witness to a conversation in the moment, but to spawn further dialog or even more, to stoke your awareness. All is achieved by way of her artfully asserting you see the full picture in all of its complex simplicity. It’s an example of what she’s dubbed Soul Liberation Music where siblings, soul, jazz, R&B and more form the musical landscape for meaningful messages and societal commentary to thrive. It should be successful in garnering your attention with respect to the subject matter and to the very talented, thoughtful artist on the rise Chandanie surely is. Wonderfully backed by minimal instrumentation that centers you on her engaging voice and wisdom, she assuredly helms the discussion with a soulful vocal flow and tone that harnesses both nostalgia and newness – surrounded by supremely crafted harmonies.
Co-produced by the Maryland-born vocalist, who now calls Brooklyn, NY home, and frequent collaborator, guitarist/songwriter, Vo-Era, Intersections includes the first two, previously released singles, “I Win My Love” and “Make We Whole” featuring accomplished rap artist, JSWISS. Independently, the two served on their own as solidly fly offerings with ruminative statements. The first proclaims love of self as primary after someone proves no longer worthy of it. The second, she explains, explores and asks, “What are the possibilities when we’re not confined by a little box called gender?” But as part of Intersections the two fit winningly in Chandanie’s overall scope of conversation, joining three other stunning additions, “You Touch My Heart,” “Moonlight,” and “Miss Mary Mack,” the last track, which she describes as “exploring the experience of Being and Blackness.”
“During live shows, I’ve affectionately described the track as a shoutout to the colonizers,” says Chandanie of “Miss Mary Mack,” which recalls the title of a popular, old school clapping game and rhyme. “My intentional repetitions of Mary, Marie as pronounced in Spanish, English and French are an acknowledgement of the nations that colonized indigenous communities around the world.”
The lyrics poetically sound a call for deserved acknowledgement, change, and respect. “Black people show up to empower us all,” Chandanie maintains. “We show up to polling sites, we show up in the streets to protest, we show up with our wealth of creativity in society. The hope [is] that the world will show up for us too. A belief in an allyship that we can believe in.” That goes for being specifically a Black womyn as well, counting as a mantra of sorts for herself, “to live a life not based on exploiting my labor for profit and being able to own my beauty as a black womyn without being told otherwise.” It also speaks of true freedom with words like, I want to feel a real release/ been inhaling lies and exhaling grief/give me carefree, black feet carefree. “I’d like to think that Miss Mary Mack has hints of afrofuturism. It dreams of a future that we’re all striving for. A liberation that currently lives in our fantasies,”Chandanie admits.
For sure, Chandanie and Intersections will fetch high acclaim and encouraged the need for more spirited conversation, both from and about her.
Below is a live performance of the song, “Miss Mary Mack” at National Sawdust in NYC
Intersections is available on all major platforms including HERE on Spotify
For more about Chandanie visit her website at imchandanie.com
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