"Thief" : A Conversation with Chai Sully

Interview by Imani Dominique Busby

Photography by Jojo Ojofeitimi (@jojoojofeitimi) and Pushpa Saha (@_pushpa.s_)

From her early days immersed in the sounds of hip hop, R&B, rock, and reggae, thanks to her DJ parents, to her breakthrough in the Toronto music scene, Chai Sully has always had a deep connection to the music that moves her. Whether performing at intimate venues or preparing for major stages, Chai Sully is an artist whose journey is only just beginning, and her music is a reflection of her evolution as both a creator and an individual. We caught up with Chai Sully after her performance at Summer’s Haüs.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your introduction to making music.

Absolutely. I was really into musicals when I was a kid. Then, my mom and my stepdad were both DJs, so they were always bringing me to raves and stuff. They never judged me when I said, “I want to be Beyoncé.” I feel like Beyoncé is who made me want to do it. After that, I was a struggling artist until some songwriters from Toronto found me online. That’s what brought me here. Since then, I’ve been taking things more seriously.

Would you say that your upbringing and being around so much music through your family has influenced your sound?

Definitely, for sure. My stepdad mostly spun hip hop and definitely R&B, while my mom spun a lot of old rock and reggae. They definitely influenced my sound. I also went through a rebellious phase where I was like, “I only like Justin Bieber.” But I came back around.

How did you feel today about playing Summer’s Haüs?

Really good. It was so warm and relaxed, and I just felt completely chill in the best way. I was really impressed with the sound and also the variety of different people. Watching everyone else, I was excited because I know I bring something different, but I’m also always so impressed with Toronto in general. I thought when I moved here, it would just be a bunch of PartyNextDoor wannabes, but I quickly realized, “No, Toronto doesn’t play.” There’s everything here, and it’s done well. I just enjoy that every time.

My first time seeing you perform was at Departure at Supermarket. It was incredible and such a great performance. You also performed “Thief,” a song you’ve recently released. Is there anything you can share about that song or the collaboration and how it came to be? It's so beautiful.

For sure. I wrote that song with Deelo Avery, who's one of my favorite Toronto artists. We were talking about how it feels almost like a threat when someone starts really messing with you and spending time around you. When it's real, it feels so scary that it's almost like someone pointing a gun at you, like we’re getting our house robbed. That’s where the concept came from. It was a rainy day, and we were just sitting on my living room floor. He played guitar, and we wrote on each other's verses until it felt like a full moment. Yeah, we were really scared to release it because it's so gushy and emotional. But I’m really glad we did. I think our true friendship and care for each other really come through in the song as well.

That’s really beautiful. If there’s one song in your catalog that you’d recommend a listener to check out, what would it be?

I’d probably tell them to listen to “Lips,” to be honest. I’m often shy about that song because it’s so in-your-face and pretty provocative, but it bangs.

Is there a message you hope to share through your music?

Say the thing nobody's saying. Say the thing nobody's saying every time, whether it's the funny thing, the scary truth, the stupid thing, or the awkward thing.

Are there any drops, songs, videos—anything we should keep an eye out for?

I’m in the Remix program right now. Shout out Remix! I have my graduation performance at History coming up this December, so I’d definitely say anyone who pulls up will get a taste of what my version of a VMA performance will be.

Congratulations! Thank you for speaking with me.

Thank you so much.

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