Chenayder, the 17-year-old singer from Orlando, Fla., shares her new single “Colors” featuring North Carolina’s MAVI.
Her music first caught my attention when I came across it on TikTok after she posted the original version of this song — sans the guest verse — and the UK drum & bass-inspired “For One Last Time.”
She first found success when her song “Fall” went viral on TikTok back in 2022. Like most of her music, “Fall,” sounds like the soundtrack to a dreamscape, with its lush instrumentation and delightful harmonies. The video she made to accompany it perfectly matches the “Alice in Wonderland” feel of the track.
Chenayder’s sound is a mix of hip-hop, R&B, old-school soul, pop — basically, an amalgamation of all things beautiful and wavy. The song is produced by Padass and the video, directed by Jackie Radinsky, is inspired by French new wave cinema. And while the version of “Colors” without MAVI has become a fan favorite on SoundCloud and YouTube, I’m glad she released this new version because I didn’t want to go through all the drama of converting links to an mp3 because I wanted to support. The North Carolina rapper ended up on the track by chance because he just so happened to be in the studio with Smino and Chenayder at the same time and everything clicked.
Her love of surreal sounds and visuals should come as no surprise, as the Haitian-American’s favorite artist is Tyler, the Creator, who has commented on her Instagram telling her “love this keep running.” Another fave of hers is SZA, who also showed love on social media by reposting her music in her IG Stories. That’s pretty crazy for a high schooler who has to sometimes dip off to the bathroom in order to promote her songs on TikTok.
Chenayder dropped her debut EP Blue Oblivion last May, so definitely go check that out after you watch this wonderful video.
