Chiki

Newcomer Chiki's New Single '1 U Luv', October 19, 2008

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Boston, MA. (Top40 Charts/ Razzmastic Entertainment) - Rising Star Chiki has just placed a sample track of her debut single '1 U Luv' on her Myspace page www.myspace.com/chikidollmusic. After listening, I found myself singing this song in the shower and have visited Chiki's Myspace at least twenty times since wishing I could listen to the entire track. People, I have heard many a pop song in my lifetime and I do smell a dance/pop/top40 crossover here!
If you haven't heard of Chiki, let me try to describe her to you. Chiki (her childhood nickname) is a pop singer/songwriter whose affinity for experimentation and the theatrical has raised some eyebrows everywhere she has been.

Her music, produced by Multi-Platinum credited producers Marcus Rap and Anthony J. Resta, gives her a unique sound that blends pop, hip-hop, funk and those yummy electro-futuristic synth effects that are popular right now. Her look has varied since I first heard of her in 2006. I've seen her as a space goddess; much like current stars Christina Aguilera 'Keeps Gettin' Better' and newcomer Lady Gaga 'Just Dance'. Chiki also has even been a little 'Goth' in the past. For her new single, '1 U Luv', she looks like a sly and stylish doll with colorful socks that may conjure up images of Punky Bruester and Cyndi Lauper. '1 U Luv' is a feel good song that will make you want to dance. '1 U Luv' also brings up good feelings and memories about being with friends and family or the 'the one you love'.

She is a classically trained and well-rounded performer with multi-talent that is rare to find in any era. Twenty-seven year old Chiki first made a name for herself writing and directing her original musicals combining her musical theater background with Pop music and culture. Since 2006, Chiki began starring in her own innovative Pop-Space-Theatrical shows in Boston and NYC venues where most Pop artists wouldn't dare enter. Eager to prove herself, she relentlessly performed and promoted herself. After earning many positive press reviews and a fanbase, the burgeoning star was invited to share the stage with the likes of Natasha Beddingfield, Metro Station, The Jonas Brothers, Jesse McCartney, Sarah Bareilles and many more. Very unlikely for most artists only out for a year, but consider that Chiki has been building her working resume since she was five; always taking every free offer for shows, auditions, classes and even writing, directing and sometimes producing her own shows.

Her music and show inspires creativity, imagination and at the same time is motivational. Kristine Walsh, a reviewer from Pulse Magazine who caught her show commented on her performance, describing her as 'rocket fuel for the soul.' She is not a reality TV star, she is not from a privileged family or hand picked from a talent agency. Chiki who has recently signed with independent record label, Razzmastic Entertainment, has worked for every bit of experience she gained; even graduating from college on the Dean's List. Talent, beauty and brains, Chiki is dedicated to bringing to the plate great pop music, fun colorful imagery and with her solid pop personality she stands out amongst cookie-cutter popstars. Chiki's E-Single '1 U Luv' will be available on Itunes and Amazon on Sunday, October 19, 2008.

- Christine Smith, Music Reviewer

Link to one of the great reviews Chiki is getting on her single '1 U Luv'-calling it a 'Winter Heater' and a radio crossover.

http://www.starfleetmusic.com/record_pool/new-music-reviews/chiki---1-u-luv.html

- Starfleet Record Pool

Something different, but familiar
Written by Charlene Arsenault
Thursday, 17 January 2008
Chiki's like a national pop icon trapped on a local stage

By Charlene Arsenault

In the land of pop radio, with deep treads laid by Britneys, the genre has agreeably become homogenized, robotic and repetitive. (At 101 Water St., approximately two radio stations come in clearly, and there is trouble with Internet radio here. These stations play the same 20 songs every day. You can almost set your watch by the playlist. If "Apologize," "Big Girls Don't Cry (personal)" or any song by Maroon 5 or Daughtry comes on one more time, a radio may hurl from the third floor window onto the sidewalk of Harrison. And who actually enjoys that guy in Nickelback's voice ... besides strippers?)

Since the dawn of the boy band, the acts that are eventually turned into dolls and kids' cereals are often concocted, based more on looks and stage presence than musical ability. There are exceptions, but it's hard to decipher that on records. Everything is fixed up nice, pretty and polished, writers are in the background creating the hits, and real musicians supply the backing tracks.

Chiki's a pop singer and songwriter from Sturbridge who wants to buck that concept. Looking to idols such as Blondie, but also drawing inspiration from icons such as Madonna and (yup, she dared to say it) Britney Spears, Chiki envelops a larger-than-life/over-the-top persona with elements of dance, stage presence and honest-to-goodness fun pop songs, with real singing. Think Cyndi Lauper, Missing Persons and Gwen Stefani.

"I've always been really into pop," says Chiki. "If I was into rock, it was on the pop side, but I listen to everything. I think pop in general has gotten a bad rap in a way. It's just become so automated, almost. It's gotten to be a science, like marketing. It has to be fun and quirky."

She's new — to us. Growing up in Somerville, Chiki's been singing, writing and dancing most of her life, and highly encouraged by her family to do so. Moving to Sturbridge five years ago, she wanted to put an act together to showcase the music she and co-writer Marcus Rapagnola came up with. At first, she sang to backing tracks (playing shows such as Relay for Life, where she had a line of young fans asking for autographs, and the Abbey Lounge), but for the first time this weekend, Chiki's got a real band backing her up, an idea encouraged by her manager.

"The band's very talented," says Chiki. "They're all Berklee graduates. It came together because Marcus was at Starbucks, and the bass player [Matt Levine] was singing in line. Marcus said, ‘Hey, are you in a band?' It worked from there. When we started writing these songs, we were listening to what was going on and we thought, ‘what is so great is when you have real music that is really played, but has a dance ability to it.'"

The concept, and music, is something more conducive to scenes going on in N.Y.C. or L.A., but Chiki has faith it can work here (though she travels for shows, too). Months ago, Chiki opened for L.A. act Tattooed Millionaires at The Lucky Dog, and owner Erick Godin promptly asked her to come back to headline.

"This is such a rock town," says Chiki. "It has been hard to establish myself. It's either that you go to a techno club or a hip-hop club or you see rock bands. In Worcester, it's either heavy or there is the lighter, college rock thing. I said, ‘Let's do something different.'" o - Worcester Magazine

Talent and Extra-Terrestrial Girl Power
By Christine R. Walsh

Chiki is sexy, talented, and claims to be from outer space. She is a founder of the musical genre EclectroSonic. She wears outrageously hot and high shoes upon which most women can only dream of teetering. At 26, this singer/performer/dancer diva has numerous credits to her name and works her energetic butt off to wow each crowd ~ as she did, sweating deliciously, at a recent show at the Lucky Dog here in Worcester, Planet Earth.

But no one ever said that being an alien was all fun and games.

Chiki (who landed on Earth and grew up in Somerville, MA) now calls Central MA home, and loves nothing more than rocking out for her beloved earthling fans.

“Through my music, I hope I express that nothing is so bad in life that it can’t be overcome,” said Chiki in our recent interview. “I hope people can feel the joy I have in making the music and then carry some of that joy in their lives, and if there are any messages, it’s just to enjoy the music, and accept and love themselves just as who they are.”

The genre EclectroSonic, as Chiki describes it, is a mix of pop/electro/rock and fuses elements of jazz too. The space senorita and her co-writer/producer Marcus Rap took a brief creative break before giving birth to a unique pop sound that keeps listeners happily bopping to the beat. Chiki’s songs inspire imagination, creation, and sheer joy amongst the crowds that pack into MA and New York venues to see her.

“It’s exciting because I always wanted to be part of something that has never been done before!” Chiki says of the genre. “I’m happy with the way it turned out and I can’t wait to keep building on it.”

Now let’s be honest, earthlings. We’ve seen many talented singers take the stage with an acoustic guitar, grab a stool, sit, strum and croon for about 90 minutes or so. But Chiki is more than just a singer ~ way more, in fact…she is a performance artist extraordinaire. With her outrageous costumes that must be from the sexiest shoppe on Mars, her crazily-colored hair extensions and sensational makeup, Chiki bounces around the stage performing intricately choreographed dances that can only be described as candy for soul. Her dancer troupe, EclectroBOTT, shake and step in perfect time and look sassy with every twist and turn.

Chiki, the sushi-lovin’ Libra, has always been a performer at heart, dancing herself dizzy at family parties. She has fond memories of cutting a rug with her aunt and organizing street theatrics with her young friends. Even as a young spacegirl, she had big dreams and high hopes. “In kindergarten, I was a Munchkin in the Wizard of Oz,” mused Chiki. “I remember watching the girl playing Dorothy who was older than me and saying to myself ‘I want to do that part next time!’”

But Chiki set her heights higher than a rendition of L. Frank Baum’s fiction. At 17, she wrote and directed a full-length musical, “Chill On Broadway.” She wanted to make the idea of “Broadway” more accessible to young people by giving it a cool comprehensive edge and using hip hop as a guiding light. It was a feat for any person, but according to Chiki, some parents were not supportive.

“At the time [of the show], I was in a hip-hop girl group and wanted to incorporate both of my ‘loves’ into one show,” said Chiki. “I think the parents and teachers were ‘unsure’ of the direction until they saw the final product. Some parents still didn’t get it though, and thought that the cute little hip hop/pop act was really ‘a gang.’. Too funny!”

Chiki has overcome a number of obstacles during her journey to the top, but she continues to keep an open mind and an accepting heart. Vivacious, curious and always awaiting the next musical adventure, the humble space homegirl has big plans for the future.

“I hope to someday do something for children and the arts,” said Chiki. “The arts are so important to society because you can express anger, frustration, sadness as well as positive feelings like happiness and excitement in a way that brings people closer.”

Connect with Chiki at www.chikimusic.com and myspace/officialchikimusic.com
- Pulse Magazine, Christine R. Walsh

From ESCS to ElectroSonic, CHIKI gains fame
CHIKI
Photo by Courtesy
Somerville girl CHIKI is a pop sensation gearing up for an MTV TRL stage show in New York this month with her unique ElectroSonic sound.
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By Auditi Guha
Somerville Journal
Thu Sep 06, 2007, 10:58 AM EDT
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Have you heard about the EclectroSonic Invasion? If you have, you are probably one of many fans stung by the CHIKI sensation, especially on the online community MySpace.

Formerly of West Somerville and a graduate of Somerville High, this native woman’s alter ego CHIKI is now rocking the world of pop music, soon to share the stage with MTV’s “Total Request Live” charting artist Kat Deluna at the Staten Island Mall’s Fashion Jam on Sept. 15.

“It’s very exciting,” said the budding star who only goes by the name CHIKI. “We’ve played at a lot of smaller venues, and it’s great seeing all that work pay off with this opportunity.”

With the world of pop music one big melting pot, CHIKI likes her music to stand out. “We try to be more quirky and do something different, stretch the boundaries,” she said.

For instance, one of her songs, “Never Look Down,” was originally written as a jazz song and then produced as an electro-dance number. “Instead of writing pop music, we just try to write good music and put it in a popular mode,” she said.

No wonder that her new ElectroSonic sound has been cited as something unique and boasts thousands of MySpace fans. Coupled with her funky space-age getup and blue lips, she portrays a girl who is not afraid, with music that is quirky and fun.

CHIKI comes from a musical West Somerville family and began writing her own original songs when she was 8. “I’ve been singing and dancing since I was born,” said the recording artist and songwriter who also trained in dance locally.

With performance being her first love since she was a child, CHIKI participated in every talent show, play and musical available to her, usually landing one of the leading roles — from being a Munchkin at an East Somerville Community School play to playing Adelaide at a high school performance of “Guys and Dolls.”

CHIKI has always experimented with connecting great art forms together seamlessly. She wrote and directed her first original musical at the age of 17. Called “Chill on Broadway,” it combined Broadway music and concepts with hip-hop music and dance.

She went on to found a citywide, youth theater program and was honored by the mayor with a prestigious Youth Hall of Fame Award.

She believes that growing up in Somerville and going to Fisher College helped nurture her talent and gave her a wider perspective. “I think the city is extremely cultural and everyone was very supportive,” she said. Among her school inspirations were Vicki Mahoney at the East Somerville Community School, Peg Buckman in the After Schools Program and Ken Lonergan at the high school.

Rehearsing three days a week and plugging away at her music is the secret of her success, she feels. “It’s nice that we are finally getting better performance opportunities because of our hard work,” she said. “Hopefully someone in Somerville will read this and be inspired to go for it.”

Her new sound, EclectroSonic, fuses pop, electro-dance, rock and even some “trip-hop” into a funky and eclectic sound that has been described as infectious. She has created a show that is at once pop, rock and theatrical and has been compared with “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Her EclectroBOTT dancers are not typical pop backup dancers, and the show’s choreography backs CHIKI’s own energy and dance moves.

Her album EclectroSonic Invasion has not yet been released to the public, but already boasts presales. But you can get a taste of her music at www.myspace.com/officialchikimusic or www.purevolume.com/chiki.
- Somerville Journal

Chiki Looks Forward To "HOTT Music With HOTT Fashions" At Fashion Jam '07

Email: jerry@lemboentertainment.com
Url: http://www.lemboentertainment.com/
Staten Island, NY – September 5, 2007 – Chiki and The Staten Island Mall are gearing up for Fashion Jam '07 at the Staten Island Mall, 2655 Richmond Avenue, Staten Island, NY on Saturday, September 15, 2007.

Chiki is excited to make her Fashion Jam debut. "Anytime Music and Fashion join up, it's an amazing collaboration," she enthuses. "Fashion Jam is something I definitely needed to be a part of!"

Featuring stars who are staples on New York area Rhythmic and Top 40 radio stations and one of New Jersey's brightest up and coming singer-songwriters, Fashion Jam '07 promises to be the biggest and best event in the series' history. The diverse lineup satisfies fans, as well as Fashion Jam's performers, many of whom are fans of one another's tunes. . "I've visited all of their MySpace urls, and I'm looking forward to seeing and meeting all of the artists," says Chiki. "Everyone is uniquely different and enjoys what they do. I think it's going to be a really fun show!"

Chiki is excited about recent developments on the dance music scene. "There's a lot of fun music now," she says. "Everyone is mixing lots of beats, retro flavors, and cultural influences." In addition to her love for dance music, Chiki enjoys other styles as well. "I can't remember [everything that's in my iPod] but I've been listening to Maroon 5, Dinah Washington and Lilly Allen the past couple of days," she confides.

Chiki keeps her fans updated on her appearance at Fashion Jam and other news via MySpace, which she says has been "been great". "I can reach a lot of my fans and that's very important to me," she explains. "I have fans all over the world now and I can pop emails, say happy birthday and wish people a good week and they can email me too." Chiki says her goals for the future "are to continue to grow and keep stretching my boundaries through my writing and performances. I also hope to do more in the fashion world and some acting."

Known for her distinctive style and keen fashion sense, Chiki is a perfect match for Fashion Jam and is more than happy to share fashion tips with fans. "Don't be afraid to use color, and always remember that your own personal style shines through the details and accessories. Give everyone something to look at from every angle," she advises. Chiki creates all her own fashions using piping, wires and other unusual items to build a look both singular and sexy. Her debut CD Electrosonic Invasion features songs co-written by this alluring and interesting young artist.

Staten Island Mall's Fashion Jam is a much-anticipated annual event. "We're outdoing ourselves from last year's show with more music, more fashions, and more giveaways," reveals David Albertson, Staten Island Mall Marketing Manager. "Shoppers will be in fashion heaven as they spend a stylish afternoon seeing our stores' latest trends and soaking up the sounds of the best musical entertainment available." DJ James Anthony will be mixing for the two shows, which are scheduled to begin at 1:00PM.

The Staten Island Mall, your guide to style, is excited to welcome Chiki, Lucas Prata, Byron Zanos, Reina, Revi, Danielle Bollinger, Amuka, Jaylyn Ducati, Danielle Simeone and Kat DeLuna to Fashion Jam '07. Visit www.statenisland-mall.com for the latest information.

Please contact the Jerry Lembo Entertainment Group to receive your special VIP PRESS laminate. - Music Industry Today News

Recording Artist CHIKI Chosen by Boston Music Scene
IMMEDIATE RELEASE! Today is June 20, 2007


This week, Boston based recording artist Chiki’s music is chosen by Boston Music Scene as the featured song of the week. Her song “Never Look Down” fuses jazz and rock with latin beats and infectious lyrics. In fact her album brings us a new genre of music called “EclectroSonic.” Chiki’s Album EclectroSonic Invasion is expected to be available to the public in the next few months. Catch her live all summer. Visit her on myspace at www.myspace.com/officialchikimusic and www.chikimusic.com. On myspace you can listen for free without an account and view her many amazing photos on www.chikimusic.com!
- Lisa Fire/Freelance

BREATH OF FRESH POP!!!
Pop is edgy and exciting! Break out artist “Chiki,” straight out of central Massachusetts, has reinvented the idea of your “typical” pop artist. Her EclectroSonic sound has been gaining attention from all demographics. With thousands of views of Chiki’s Myspace page, and hundreds of plays each day of her hit songs like “Too Much Fun” and “Never Look Down,” she is rapidly climbing up the charts.
Chiki is no stranger to the arts. Born into a musical family, she began writing and singing her own songs at the age of eight, and completed ten years of dance training. She also made a name for herself at only 17, when she wrote and directed an original full-length music called “Chill On Broadway.” The show uniquely combined Broadway music with hip-hop dance concepts to create a new experience that had not been seen before. Here she is again, introducing the public to a new art form. She teamed up with producer/ writer Marcus Rap and producer Anthony J. Resta, two well-known producers in the industry, to create “Eclectrosonic.” The fusion of Rock, Pop, New-Wave, and Electro-dance, is a new and edgy sound catching the ears of all demographics all throughout New England and the world.
Chiki is doing a regional tour in the Northeast making point stops in Boston, New York City and Maine. Chiki alongside her EclectroBOTT dancers, bring all her supporters to their feet and sing along with her sonic hits.
Not only is she giving our ears a new and exciting experience, but fans are also finding interest in her unique fashion appearance. Her industrial and spacey ensemble is creating a desirable alter-ego for all ages. Children want to dress up like her and perform for all, but the average “middle-aged housewife” is also feeling those same urges. Chiki has been approached by women who want her outfits for themselves. The pleather outfit in “Chiki” blue is certainly drawing eyes. However, it is her ability to rock out in a style are her own that is making her an inspiration to all generations.
Chiki has also been doing a lot to give back to her community who means so much to her. She has performed at many benefit shows for the American Cancer Society in the local area. Chiki has also included many of her friends and family in her career throughout her journey and hopes to include them all in her amazing journey. They are all behind her 200%, joined by her ever-growing fan base. Chiki is gaining many new friends on myspace everyday with more and more joining the bandwagon and “Getting Stung.” To see what Chiki is all about and join in on those that have had the EclectroSonic Experience and go to www.myspace.com/officialchikimusic or her website chikimusic.com.
- Kelly Soule-Freelance