Interview: Jameson Connects Presents Denise Chaila – Join In, Wherever You Are

This St. Patrick's Day, Jameson Connects is aiming to bring together some of the most exciting names in hip-hop and R&B – including Denise Chaila, one of Ireland's most thrillingly creative artists. Denise will appear alongside Canadian artists Jessie Reyez, Junia-T and Savannah Ré, as well as her fellow Irish trailblazers Kojaque and Unorthodox Coolock. The unique celebration airs on March 17th – and the message is to join in, wherever you are!

Born in Zambia and raised in Ireland, Denise Chaila is being hailed as the voice of her generation – garnering praise for the way she uses poetry and hip-hop to help young Irish people connect with their own culture, while also encouraging them to reach further, and expand their perspectives.

"Performing, for me, is about working out a dream in real time," she tells Hot Press. "In another world, on St Patrick’s Day, we’d be dancing or laughing together too hard to think. This year we’re putting all our creativity towards finding different ways of community despite every obstacle, and there's fire and power and love in that. It doesn't replace going to a local parade or a live gig you've been looking forward to, but celebrating who we are and nurturing each other isn’t something we need to put on hold, and I’m glad we can affirm that together intentionally.

"Jameson Connects has put together a line-up of people who are finding and celebrating their freedom in different ways," she continues. "People rooted in themselves and their music enough to build bridges to other people that allow them to celebrate all the ways we can be. We’re Irish and we’re not giving up ourselves for anything. Sin é."

Her Choice Prize-winning debut mixtape Go Bravely fuses various genres – from Afrobeat to R&B to trap – with Chaila’s own idiosyncratic style, questioning everything from systemic racism to gender norms.

“When you recognise your duality, it just means you're embracing nuance and complexity,” she has said of her artistry. “I'm not going to bring myself to my lowest common denominator so that I'm accessible."

The project, like Jameson Connects' St. Patrick's Day global event, is a celebration of hometowns and communities – allowing Denise to put her local scene on the map.

"If you’re going to go to a city that’s called Limerick, you better expect to meet some amazing writers and people who love language," she said of her city, in conversation with Hot Press. "Not the colonised grammatical thing that people do, but playing with words and having the swag to pull it off. One I love and use a lot is ‘yurt’ instead of ‘yes’. It’s versatile, it’s simple, it’s quick. Limerick is a beautiful, creative, very historically important city. People here have a confidence that’s beautiful to see."

Which is evident in Denise Chaila's powerful work too. With the announcement of Go Bravely as the winner of the Choice Music Prize, it has been a busy and exciting month for Denise. No wonder people are looking forward to her St. Patrick's Day performance with such anticipation...

Jameson is about connection. Connecting you to your favourite artists. Local scenes to global communities. And everything in between. Join in wherever you are this St. Patrick's Day at Jameson Connects.

Register to Join In for this Global Live Stream of Jameson Connects Jessie Reyez and Friends on March 17 2021 at 8 PM GMT at Jameson Connects.

Please enjoy Jameson responsibly. Visit drinkaware.ie