Biography
Alejandro Chal (better known by his stage name A.CHAL) is a Peruvian R&B singer-songwriter and producer. He released his first EP, Ballroom Riots, in 2013. His debut studio album, Welcome to GAZI, was self-released in June 2016. Chal's single, "Round Whippin'," was premiered by Zane Lowe in 2015. Chal has performed at the Day N Nite Fest. Pigeons & Planes named him one of the best new artists in 2015.
Chal was born in Peru and lived there for 4 years before his family moved to Queens, New York. His mother was from rural northern Peru while his father grew up closer to large Peruvian cities. Chal began rapping at age 12 and started making beats with a friend at the Boys & Girls Club soon after. In 2010, Chal moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a songwriter and producer.
Chal released his debut EP, Ballroom Riots, in 2013. The album found some success, which Chal parlayed into a publishing deal with Sony ATV. Chal then spent two years out of the public spotlight before beginning to release a variety of singles in 2015. One of those singles, "Round Whippin'," was debuted online on The Fader and then followed up with a world premiere on Zane Lowe's Beats1 channel and supported on OVO Sound Radio. As a result of this publicity, Chal was named one of Pigeons & Planes best new artists of 2015. He also performed at the Interview Magazine event during Coachella that year.
In February 2015, he released the single, "GAZI," which he co-produced with Count Justice. In September 2015, Chal released another single, "Vibe W/U," which was first publicized by A$AP Rocky on Twitter. In 2016, Chal performed at the Day N Nite Fest. He also released a few more singles before self-releasing his debut studio album entitled, Welcome to GAZI, in June 2016. He has since premiered the official music video for "Round Whippin'" with Complex.com and been featured on tracks by Ro James, Stwo, and Tess.
A.CHAL's music generally fits into the hip hop and R&B genres. USA Today has described his music as falling somewhere "in the negative space between Hip-Hop, R&B, chillwave, and pop music." Chal himself has described his music's genre as "soul." His sound has been characterized as "sedated," "hazy," and "almost-psychedelic," as well. Remezcla has called Chal's voice "sultry, sparse, and desperate."
Lyrically, Chal largely discusses anecdotal experiences. Writing about his 2016 album Welcome to GAZI, Jules Muir of Pigeons & Planes noted that Chal attempts to cut "to the core of many of society's ills and triumphs by tapping into a deep well of personal experiences and anecdotes."
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