Denise Chaila is featured in the ‘Courage’ live-stream concert series presented by Other Voices in Ireland.
Denise Chaila, a Zambian-born Limerick-based rapper, performed live on Thursday, May 14 as part of the ‘Courage’ live-stream concert series presented by Other Voices.
You can watch back on Chaila’s performance right here on IrishCentral as part of our ongoing IrishCentral Happy Hour live stream series:
You can get a taste of Denise Chaila’s work here:
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About Denise Chaila
Denise Chaila is described as “an Afro-Diasporan rapper, singer and poet. She hails from Chikankata, Zambia, and is now based in Limerick, Ireland. Her music blends spoken word and rap to give voice to a transatlantic odyssey exploring identity, belonging, and home from the heart and mind of a diasporan dreamer. She uses her hyphenated identities to weave a narrative spanning continents, cultures, and genres to “make space for what doesn’t yet ‘make sense’.”
In her breakthrough track Copper Bullet, Denise Chaila succinctly described the thriving hip-hop scene in Ireland. The fact that Chaila was able to convey the sentiment of a nation in one perfect line displays both the depth and skill of the Zambian-born, Irish-bred rapper and MC.
It perhaps partially explains why, following the release of her debut EP Dual Citizenship in February 2019, Denise has become one of the most in-demand MCs in Ireland and beyond. She spent the next year writing, performing, and making music with some of her closest friends from collectives like Sim Simma Soundsystem (Dublin), PX Music (Limerick), and the two people who have been with her since day one: Rusangano Family’s God Knows and MuRli Bo. This period saw her lend her skills to seminal hip-hop tracks such as Sim Simma Soundsystem Man Like Me, God Knows’ Who’s Asking (Southwest Allstars Remix) and the Chaila-written, MuRli-produced spoken word track, The Enlightenment.
On the live-front, during the past year Denise has performed at the Barbican Centre in London, the National Concert Hall in Dublin and the Black Box Theatre, Galway - all three as part of the critically-acclaimed Imagining Ireland series, also featuring some of Denise’s cultural contemporaries such as musicians Imelda May, Radie Peat (Lankum), Soak, Lisa O’Neill. She performed at the opening of the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) and the National Concert Hall’s ‘Make your own Markievicz’ event for International Women’s Day 2020, attended by President Michael D. Higgins and hosted by NCH Chairwoman Maura McGrath. She also played the 2019 Red Bull Free Gaff weekend festival in Dublin and made a number of summer festival appearances last year at the likes of Body & Soul, All Together Now, Electric Picnic, and Other Voices Dingle.
In February 2020, she headlined St. Michael’s Church for Other Voices Mayo in a televised performance for RTÉ 2. Perhaps the most exciting news to come from camp Chaila this year, though, is that a full-length musical project will be released later in 2020 on narolane records. Denise Chaila has been tipped as one to watch worldwide by the likes of NPR (USA), BBC (UK), and RTÉ (Ireland).
You can learn more about Denise Chaila on her Facebook page.
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About 'Courage'
‘Courage’ is a new project in Ireland that delivers uplifting, inspiring performances from brilliant artists to the public during the COVID-19 crisis. 'Courage' will beam these performances directly into homes across the nation, from a number of iconic cultural locations.
'Courage' has been curated by the team that produce Other Voices and is funded by Ireland's Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and by Intel.
‘Courage’ live streams have featured performances from Ye Vagabonds, Sorcha Richardson, Caoimhín Ó’Raghallaigh, Rhiannon Giddens, Francesco Turrisi, Lisa Hannigan and Iarla Ó Lionáird and Steve Cooney. The project has gone from strength to strength, with over 500,000 tuning in worldwide to date.
Organizers say: "Our goal is to provide essential cultural output during this period. Music collapses distance in this time of isolation, it gives us courage, consolation, and brings us together. Performances will take place on Tuesday and Thursday nights and will be made available worldwide, free of charge, thanks to the support of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Intel, and RTÉ.”
Speaking of the project Minister Madigan said: “We know culture plays a hugely positive role in our collective wellbeing. The performances that will take place during the Courage program are sure to raise plenty of spirits and can be enjoyed as people stay at home. It is in addition to the support that the Government is already providing to artists and those working in the arts and cultural sectors.”
The performances will be filmed in strictly controlled locations. Because of public health regulations, there can be no live audience in the locations where we film the artists, and the only people in the locations will be artists and strictly essential crew.
For the duration of the series, artists will be asking the viewer to donate what they can to a charity of their choice.
You can learn more about Other Voices on their website and Facebook.
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