Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, ChloA Watson is an up and coming singer and songwriter who brings heart and soul to her music. ChloA has had a deep passion for music from a very young age; at age 10 she recorded her first original song with Thomas Barsoe at the OC Hit Factory. At 12 years old, ChloA’s cover of “What a Difference a Day Makes” was recognized by America’s Got Talent producers. She then sang in front of the judges and received a “yes” from Simon Cowel, who loved her original sound. On top of these successes, two of ChloA’s original tracks earned semi-final spots in the International Songwriting Contest. She has been maintaining her success rates as an artist by performing around Las Vegas and being featured in local publications.
Her most recent release “Reality” has just been released on Spotify, and will surely have her audience wanting more. Paired with an elegant piano, ChloA shows off her natural vocal abilities in her song “Reality.” The modest background music leaves room for her angelic voice to be put on display; her strong, throaty voice is what gives the song its personality. Lyrically, ChloA normalizes common emotions and feelings, making “Reality” a relatable song for her audience. ChloA’s raw vocals combined with the gentle piano background make “Reality” an authentic, heartfelt song.
Listen to "Reality" here.
Can you elaborate on the message behind this song? It’s how we all feel about life from time to time. I took the small concept of when life gets to be too overwhelming, or you just feel like you’re trapped in a situation whether it be at work, school, or just anything in general and dramatized it to the words “I feel like I’m drowning”. But, most importantly when I write songs I never really like to tell exactly my message behind it or how I came to wrote it, I would rather have the people listening to it interpret it the way they think that song is speaking to them. This way my song, Reality, or any future song for that matter will have indefinite meanings to it based on what the listener gets out of it.Q: You started writing original songs at a very young age, recording your first original at age 10!
What inspired you to start writing your own songs at such a young age? ChloA: I started in a piano program called Simply Music based in Australia that puts an emphasis on freestyle piano composition with vocal accompaniment. This got me started and I would write and sing all kinds of songs. I took some of these songs and entered them into my local PTA “Reflections program” where music could be entered to win recognition and that kind of got me started into entering my music in contests and encouraged me to write more. Songwriting to me has always been me fooling around on the piano or guitar and just having words spill out of my mouth. I’ve never been able to sit down and write the lyrics out, so when they just come out, I think it becomes more personal because in some way it’s subconsciously how I’m feeling to an extent
You dedicated your first month of sales from “Reality” to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of a close relative. Clearly this experience has been very impactful in your life, could you elaborate on how it has influenced your musical style and songwriting? ChloA: My dad was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when I was 10 years old. I don’t think I realized the severity, as my parents kept most of it from me. Yet, the idea of my song Reality comes from a place of knowing this, but we have learned to live with it as it’s been almost seven years after his diagnosis. So, I think the most it impacted musically was my song, “Reality,” coming from a subconscious state of mind and from the perspective my dad possibly felt during all of this. But, because of this I was asked by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Southern Nevada to help raise money for them through their Student of the Year program, which is a seven-week philanthropic leadership development program designed for exemplary high school students. I performed at a fundraising event where we raised over $25,000 for the organization. I plan to perform at their gala as well on March 12 where results of how much we raised total will be announced.Q: You draw music inspiration from your background cultures which include Sicilian, Greek, Irish, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
Can you elaborate on how you incorporate aspects of these cultures into your music? I think my background of cultures is a fact of just knowing what I am made of and being able to make that connection within myself that opens me up to so many different possible experiences, as the basic art of songwriting comes from a place of someone’s experiences. The experiences I’m talking about is making new connections with all these different cultures that can open your mind to so many different concepts and just make you more knowledgeable and humbler as a person. As these cultures are a part of me in a way, it will be a whole different experience altogether because it’s on a personal level. So, the idea of learning and knowing about my background impacts my music with the idea of gaining perspective and knowledge for the future of not only songwriting but knowing how to approach certain songs.
What can fans anticipate next from you ChloA? I currently have three more originals I am planning to record in the very near future. All are more guitar-based verses Reality was more piano. I go back and forth between the two. I tend to write more ballads and slow songs on the piano and more upbeat ones on the guitar. I thought after how heavy Reality was, I could switch it up a little. But, not only are my new songs more upbeat, but they are all so completely different from Reality. One is jazzier with the compliment of the electric guitar, another is more intact with modern music with hopefully lots of bass and authentic music effects, and the last is very coffeehouse but with a modern touch. So, I hope the listeners that like my music now are also a fan of a little diversity in their music! I’m so excited to explore at only 16 years old what I’m capable of as I journey through these songs, and I’m even more excited to release these songs too. I can only hope for the same luck Reality has had in terms of getting a great response from listeners.