Denise Chaila, one of Ireland’s most exciting musicians, discusses identity and creative freedom with Cillian Murphy in Issue 25
Cillian Murphy: You have described your music and poetry as “giving voice to a transatlantic odyssey, exploring identity, belonging and home – from the heart and mind of a diasporan dreamer”. Can you expand on that?
Denise Chaila: Growing up, I often found myself in liminal spaces. I was continually transitioning between cultures, countries, cities and social groups… languages that gave me more questions than answers. I struggled to find a sense of belonging or to understand how I fitted into the broader social narrative. It bred a feeling of intense isolation that has haunted me into adulthood. Eventually, I decided that that particular crisis had gone on for long enough. I had to try to throw away the shame of ‘not quite belonging’, or not being good enough, and reframe my way of thinking.
I do not belong to nations or countries or cultures. If anything, they belong to me: I began with that.
I have the agency to create myself. I am entitled to name myself. I am entitled to claim what I stand for, instead of waiting for someone else to christen me with an ill-fitting identity. This, for me, expresses itself through song, music, journal entries that become poetry. My music is nothing if not a celebration of a hard-won freedom.
CM: Which artists have been and are inspiring to you?
DC: I’m lucky enough that I never have to look too far from home. I’m from Limerick – among other places – so I guess an emphasis on lyricism and poetry is ‘on brand’ for us. MuRli and God Knows inspire me daily. MCs like Hazey Haze, Strange Boy Nature and Young Phantom keep me proud to stay repping the southwest. Further afield, Kano, Skepta and Wiley. Janelle Monáe and Lauryn Hill. Beyoncé. Beyoncé. Beyoncé. (She could be this whole list to be fair.)
Outside of music, I often find myself watching old Eartha Kitt interviews or fixating on Maya Angelou’s poetry. The way they communicated the truth of their lives has always moved me deeply.
CM: Have you any idea what might be fuelling this amazing moment in Irish music? There seems to be such energy and diversity in the artists and musicians making music in Ireland right now.
DC: It’s hard to pin it to any one thing. I might say it’s conviction; I think Irish artists are being empowered to add their voices and experiences to an international musical conversation and stand eye to eye with anyone on a global stage. Ireland has a distinct identity that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world. There are stories and sounds which are uniquely a product of this island.
These sounds do not respect stereotypes, and Irishness is not a monolith.
I believe empowered people naturally empower other people and enrich their communities. This is fertile ground. No more travelling overseas for opportunities to ‘make it’. We’re comfortable with the waves we’re making right here. This momentum will be felt wherever it needs to be felt.
CM: What are you working on at the moment?
DC: Things I’m excited about! I’m wrapping up work on the follow-up project to my Duel Citizenship EP. Every track on the new record will be produced by MuRli, the legend himself. He’s a genius – honestly.
Duel Citizenship barely scratched the surface of who I am. This project is a much more significant expansion on that, a deeper dive into myself as a person and as an artist. I still feel like I’ve barely begun. It’s a beautifully frustrating feeling. I took advantage of how fluidly you can wrap singing, rapping and poetry around each other, and found myself using my voice in unexpected ways. It’s really been a journey.
All of this has only been possible because of the community around me. My peers and mentors consistently stress that working on music ultimately means working on yourself; so, while I’m tackling that lifelong project, definitely stay on the lookout for this new record in the next few months.