Filipino-Australian electronic-pop artist Chela (Chelsea Wheatley) moves to the rhythm of her own infectious, unconventional beat. Chela began playing punk clubs at just 15-years-old and first came to prominence with her 2013 breakout single “Romanticise.” Possessing a knack for penning meaningful pop songs with a bracing twist, it’s no surprise her catalogue of singles have accumulated 20 mil+ Spotify streams.
Today, Chela unleashes her “Delivery” EP, a 4-track collection of songs that snapshot a time of struggle and deep personal introspection about herself and her artistry, and was written between Los Angeles and Australia.
Delivery EP kicks off with its title track. The song originated when Chela was visiting family in Perth. While looking over the vast ocean, with its rhythmic ease and wondrous beauty, she recalled wanting to find someone to tend to her tender heart. “Delivery” is about being able to love again and be open to all its vulnerability and uncertainty. Chela navigates her catchy opener with 80s retro-ness, punchy synths, and outcry of passionate vocals allowing “Delivery” to be a smooth transport from start to finish.
“Heart O’ Hearts” is an eccentric pop gem swimmingly that shifts through rapid currents of hook-laden electro-pop and polished electronica. “Heart O’ Hearts” is a classic tale of good vs. evil; tapping into the wages of war we experience internally and externally. Picking a fight with ourselves and believing some kind of victory can come out of this, “Heart O’ Hearts” plays as a cautious reminder to silence the mind when the weight of the world becomes too loud to bear. The single’s release had arrived with an accompanying music video, which was directed, edited, styled, and choreographed by Chela herself. Shot in LA, the DIY clip shows Chela dancing with her evil twin.
“Spirit Rich” was inspired by a friendship she had with a physically gifted, successful individual, who seemed to have everything on the surface, but was spiritually vacant. It’s a song about the spiritual wealth one must find within and it starts with taking a hard look at oneself in different ways than ever before. Chela notes that the creative epiphany behind “Spirit Rich” occurred while she was walking down the gay district on Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood listening to Bloc Party. “Spirit Rich” is high-spirited, synth-filled dance endeavor meeting at the rhythmic crossroads of menacing and bizarre.
The closing track, “Losing Belief,” was the first single off Delivery. The song stems from the despair that comes with a loss of hope in one’s passions. Conversely, the end of the song offers hope for the future, which Chela explains as “a mantra for those who lose belief in anything and need to be reminded that their own power is all they really need.” The song hinges on the lyrics, “I don’t need validation, I’m the one with the muscle, I’m good.” Emotions like this are endured only by beings who pour their heart and soul into their work; music is Chela’s lifeblood. “Losing Belief” was accompanied by a music video that was directed and choreographed by Chela herself. It highlighted her distinctive aesthetic as she invited fans into her funny, unique, and wonderfully eccentric world.
Chela says this of the EP as a whole:These songs have seen me over many places in the world, and in a sense, as I travelled solo over country borders, they were my only companions, changing in sound as I changed too. I feel even now as I release them, that I continue to change sonically from this time, however these songs remain precious to my heart like a diary that I now must read out aloud, willingly and peacefully.
Recorded and written in Melbourne, NYC, LA and Perth in collaboration with Styalz Fuego, LeBruce, Andrew Lappin and produced by Chris Zane (Passion Pit, Bat for Lashes) in the UK, Delivery is a neatly wrapped, powerful glittery pop package.
Delivery is out now via Goldroom and RAC’s label, Minerva Music.
