Get to Know Eclectic Irish Rapper Denise Chaila
A lot of people complain that female rap is manufactured to fit the male gaze. It’s true: mainstream success of many women in hip hop is based off how well they dance and their general appearance over subversive content and uniqueness. But with players like Princess Nokia, Chika, and other rappers carving out new niches of identity in rap, other rap queens are finding their voice and reveling in their differences, rather than trying to squeeze themselves into that box.
Denise Chaila is leading that charge in Ireland, and she’s hard to pinpoint even when giving a description. A quote from her interview with The FADER sums it up: “I'm always looking for the common denominator between Tolkien, Tupac and mo teaghlach - my home.” This Irish talent blends fantasy, gangster rap, and Irish culture in her tracks, making for a rich tapestry to write her songs on.
Denise recently released her 2020 album “Go Bravely” which is what put her on our radar. In her single “Anseo” she images herself as the “Black James Bond” with an Azealia Banks or Flo Milli style lilt and a melodic instrumental backbeat that even draws in classical music. Chaila’s other tracks feature minimalist but exotic sounding production as indicated in her title track “Go Bravely”. Her beats sometimes feel like ASMR in process- weird, unusual, and satisfying sounds bubble together with her addictive accent.
Her wild inspirations aren’t just a ploy for attention - they genuinely represent who she is, even though the combination stands out on paper. Along with dexterous lyrics and undeniable charisma, she finds a way to weave in themes of culture, racism, gender, and finding your place when you don’t fit into one easily. From panic attacks and depression, to frustration with misogyny in rap, Chaila raps about things that are both pressing and relatable to audiences.
In “Move” she tells us against a jazzy background, “I've been feeling different…/Need the serotonin quicker.” This debut album kind of feels like a coming of age process for Denise, a leader of new traditions reaching new heights. She puts it best herself on the track “Down”, where she “dances on the grave of dead traditions.”
For young Irish Black girls, Denise Chaila is a necessary role model for an underrepresented group. She admitted in an interview with The Independent that this lack of representation affected her self-esteem growing up, as well as pre-conceived notions of what she could achieve: “I think that the truth is, being a woman, and being Black, in a country where I didn't always see reflections of myself, impacted a lot on my confidence, and my expectations of what success meant.”
In 2021, it’s safe to say that Denise has gone a long way in finding herself. She's called confidence a “political statement” and in a world where artists are taught to seek validation, we think that’s pretty powerful. She’s bringing light and levity to a time when things are dark - a reminder that second chances are possible.