First Listen: Ivy Chanel lets us “Shine” with new single

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(April 4, 2022) I ran up on a live performance of Ivy Chanel, whose song “Let Your Light Shine” is featured in this First Listen, singing Phyllis Hyman’s “The Answer Is You.” That’s a tough one to do and there are a couple of points in that song where listeners are going to find out whether a vocalist has the chops. There’s nowhere to hide when doing a live cover or a song by an artist as beloved as Hyman, and Chanel did not need to hide. She was more than up for the challenge.

Chanel has been making music for more than a decade and one thing that comes through in listening to her music is that she’s found a way to put a distinct stamp on her sound. That comes through clearly on “Let Your Light Shine.” Vocally, she’s a multi-linguist who moves from soulful belter to chants in the Cherokee language of Tsalagi and then to jazz scatting.

The tune rests in the intersection between secular and sacred and is an upbeat and inspirational cut that fuses elements of funk, house and Indigenous music, while also drawing on the religious imagery drawn from the New Testament. While not overtly religious, “Let Your Light Shine” takes the title and worldview from the words Christ spoke in the book of Matthew and serves as a call people to be examples and be inspired by positive examples.

Chanel, who released the song on March 22, which was her birthday, wanted the tune to drop during International Women’s Month. “Let Your Light Shine” will be the lead single from Chanel’s upcoming project, Up In the Air, which is scheduled to be released in the summer. Check out “Let Your Light Shine” here.

By Howard Dukes

Ivy Chanel – “Let Your Light Shine”

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