The C2C Sit Down with Chanel Yates
Having already received support from BBC Radio 1 and over ten million global streams, Chanel Yates is the country-pop princess that is rapidly on the rise to the top as she is one of the most exciting and creative homegrown talents to appear in a long time. If you are new to the music of the songstress from Sheffield, then her infectious toe-tapping new release “Big Girl Boots” is a great place to start and is out now via Platoon.
The single has already received over one hundred thousand streams in the first week on Spotify, with listener numbers on Apple Music not far behind and became the showpiece for her first appearances at C2C: Country to Country. Ahead of the festival in London, Jamie sat down with Chanel to talk about her journey to her debut at Europe’s largest country music festival from developing a love for country music, catching the attention of Anne-Marie and her songwriting process.
So, we're looking forward to this weekend then I take it.
“I'm so looking forward to this weekend, it's literally been my dream festival for so long. I mean, C2C is this like the best thing in the world.”
I take it you've been before as a fan and you know what you’re letting yourself in for.
“My friend Gwen Sebastian, do you know Gwen?”
Yeah, of course. She’s one of Miranda’s gang.
“She’s the best and yes she is in Miranda’s crew. I used to listen to her songs on repeat when I was grown up with my best friend and then I reached out to her saying like do you want do a writing session. She replied and I was like, oh my God, so we did and then she invited me to C2C where Miranda played which was like the coolest thing ever where I thought I want to be on that stage one day and then we're here.”
That’s epic. Well, I’m going to come clean and tell you that I actually didn't know who you were when the lineup poster got announced and then I kind of had to Google you. In fact, I obviously checked Instagram first, saw your numbers, what stages you were playing and thought oh, she must be American because the Brits that play the circuit here, I either know or at least see the name all the time. Then the internet leads people to The Voice, then I heard you talk on your stories and almost had to resort to ChatGPT to check you were who I thought you were because there is no way I heard a Sheffield accent.
“Haha imagine. No, I am from Sheffield originally and I live in London now because it's the best city ever and I love it. I’ve only lived down here for two years, it was two years on Valentine's Day, but I've never really had a strong accent I still think it's quite northern.”
I would have placed it as a home counties feel from down here.
“That’s kind of cool. No, I think my accent is just weird. It's always been a bit weird, especially grown up in school, people are like she's putting on her accent and I was like, I'm not, I genuinely just don't sound like you haha.”
How did you fall into country music? Looking at what you've got on Spotify, YouTube and things kind of pre The Voice and stuff, a lot of your early stuff is more in the pop or the electropop type thing, so what helped you find your way here?
“It is. As corny as it sounds, I think it found me because I was really trying to find my place in music. I was like, this pop stuff that I'm doing didn't fit super well with me, I wanted to find my real identity, I wanted to express myself and my vision in my songs in the best way I could. The first inkling of it, I think, was with “House Party”. It kind of entered the like Americana vibe, it was very fun and then “Studio Apartment” really was the release, which was the most country I'd gone. Then I just thought, wow, this really feels authentic to me, it feels like something that I'd been trying to do for so long and not really get into a place where I was happy with it but now I'm like super happy with my vision.”
The single has already received over one hundred thousand streams in the first week on Spotify, with listener numbers on Apple Music not far behind and became the showpiece for her first appearances at C2C: Country to Country. Ahead of the festival in London, Jamie sat down with Chanel to talk about her journey to her debut at Europe’s largest country music festival from developing a love for country music, catching the attention of Anne-Marie and her songwriting process.
So, we're looking forward to this weekend then I take it.
“I'm so looking forward to this weekend, it's literally been my dream festival for so long. I mean, C2C is this like the best thing in the world.”
I take it you've been before as a fan and you know what you’re letting yourself in for.
“My friend Gwen Sebastian, do you know Gwen?”
Yeah, of course. She’s one of Miranda’s gang.
“She’s the best and yes she is in Miranda’s crew. I used to listen to her songs on repeat when I was grown up with my best friend and then I reached out to her saying like do you want do a writing session. She replied and I was like, oh my God, so we did and then she invited me to C2C where Miranda played which was like the coolest thing ever where I thought I want to be on that stage one day and then we're here.”
That’s epic. Well, I’m going to come clean and tell you that I actually didn't know who you were when the lineup poster got announced and then I kind of had to Google you. In fact, I obviously checked Instagram first, saw your numbers, what stages you were playing and thought oh, she must be American because the Brits that play the circuit here, I either know or at least see the name all the time. Then the internet leads people to The Voice, then I heard you talk on your stories and almost had to resort to ChatGPT to check you were who I thought you were because there is no way I heard a Sheffield accent.
“Haha imagine. No, I am from Sheffield originally and I live in London now because it's the best city ever and I love it. I’ve only lived down here for two years, it was two years on Valentine's Day, but I've never really had a strong accent I still think it's quite northern.”
I would have placed it as a home counties feel from down here.
“That’s kind of cool. No, I think my accent is just weird. It's always been a bit weird, especially grown up in school, people are like she's putting on her accent and I was like, I'm not, I genuinely just don't sound like you haha.”
How did you fall into country music? Looking at what you've got on Spotify, YouTube and things kind of pre The Voice and stuff, a lot of your early stuff is more in the pop or the electropop type thing, so what helped you find your way here?
“It is. As corny as it sounds, I think it found me because I was really trying to find my place in music. I was like, this pop stuff that I'm doing didn't fit super well with me, I wanted to find my real identity, I wanted to express myself and my vision in my songs in the best way I could. The first inkling of it, I think, was with “House Party”. It kind of entered the like Americana vibe, it was very fun and then “Studio Apartment” really was the release, which was the most country I'd gone. Then I just thought, wow, this really feels authentic to me, it feels like something that I'd been trying to do for so long and not really get into a place where I was happy with it but now I'm like super happy with my vision.”
“My country playlist’s were the only things I would listen to. It would be Hot Country or New Boots on Spotify, like all of these cool playlists were all country. If anyone gave me the aux it would be country, it would be Shania, it would be me Megan Moroney, Kelsea Ballerini or Kacey Musgraves, like all of these artists, so they'd be like give me the aux back, I don't want to listen to country. Then I'll be like, no country's the best and so I started making it because I just felt like it was much more authentic to me. You know, Sheffield's not the biggest city in the world and it's it still feels quite cutesy and countrified even though you're in a city, so I think I've just grown up around it and I love it so, so much.”
I think in terms of a sound, Kelsea would be the way I would point people towards if I was describing what you do just in terms you do still have that pop element sonically and you’re not ashamed of it for what it is, which I really like because I think a lot of British based artists try too hard to fit in to or try to create something they think they should. I like that from what I have heard and from talking to you that you seem to have the viewpoint of this is what I like, this is what I do, this is my sound and it works so you just roll with it.
“Thank you for saying that I really appreciate it.”
I like people that do things do things different and are genuinely being creative. Like I said, you haven’t been on my radar for very long, I’ve seen a lot of posts about the new song which we will come on to in a bit and your publicist was right when where she said that she thought we would really get on. Normally when people say that to me about someone, I can gauge that you would either talk a lot, drink too much or are very clumsy.
“Haha I’m Definitely two of those.”
Then I saw the videos from Phantom Peak of you falling off the stage and I’m like yep, that’s what she meant.
“Haha I’ve still got the most ginormous bruise on my leg from that, it was tragic so definitely the clumsy and being a yapper. It was the most cowgirls and cowboys that I’ve seen in a room at one time in the UK.”
Oh yes and we’ll see even more of them at the O2. Obviously everyone will want to see you play but who are you really excited about seeing at C2C?
“Oh my God, Avery Anna. I think she’s incredible.”
She was good in Berlin.
“I think she is so cool and Shaboozey of course. I’ve been following Avery on TikTok for a little while and she is so incredible.”
So, you’re well into that sad girl aesthetic then.”
“Yeah, sad girl aesthetic, for real. I’m like the complete opposite with my little country-pop hype girl anthems but I think her songwriting is really great and she is so cool.”
Talking about songwriting, looking at the credits on Spotify, you generally write a lot of songs by yourself. Are you a proper sit down with your guitar type girl, or a constant ideas across hundreds of voice notes?
“Dude, my voice notes are crazy! I think I've got like 20,000 voice notes. I've got little bits of me humming in the street when I think of a lyric, a melody or something and my notes app is crazy. I do I think it's so important for me to write my own music as it's my story. It's my journey and I love working with other artists too to help me bring those visions to life. For example, “Big Girl Boots” I wrote with Mikey Gormley in a Platoon writing session which was so much fun. He really helped me, we can talk about it later, but he came up with the “Big Girl Boots” thing because I was like let's put on my big boy pants and write the song then he said, what about big girl boots? So, then we sat down and I wrote what I wanted to feel, how I was feeling and what it meant to me, then he really like brought the rest out of me as well. It’s sometimes really nice to collaborate on things like that with somebody who's super talented.”
I think in terms of a sound, Kelsea would be the way I would point people towards if I was describing what you do just in terms you do still have that pop element sonically and you’re not ashamed of it for what it is, which I really like because I think a lot of British based artists try too hard to fit in to or try to create something they think they should. I like that from what I have heard and from talking to you that you seem to have the viewpoint of this is what I like, this is what I do, this is my sound and it works so you just roll with it.
“Thank you for saying that I really appreciate it.”
I like people that do things do things different and are genuinely being creative. Like I said, you haven’t been on my radar for very long, I’ve seen a lot of posts about the new song which we will come on to in a bit and your publicist was right when where she said that she thought we would really get on. Normally when people say that to me about someone, I can gauge that you would either talk a lot, drink too much or are very clumsy.
“Haha I’m Definitely two of those.”
Then I saw the videos from Phantom Peak of you falling off the stage and I’m like yep, that’s what she meant.
“Haha I’ve still got the most ginormous bruise on my leg from that, it was tragic so definitely the clumsy and being a yapper. It was the most cowgirls and cowboys that I’ve seen in a room at one time in the UK.”
Oh yes and we’ll see even more of them at the O2. Obviously everyone will want to see you play but who are you really excited about seeing at C2C?
“Oh my God, Avery Anna. I think she’s incredible.”
She was good in Berlin.
“I think she is so cool and Shaboozey of course. I’ve been following Avery on TikTok for a little while and she is so incredible.”
So, you’re well into that sad girl aesthetic then.”
“Yeah, sad girl aesthetic, for real. I’m like the complete opposite with my little country-pop hype girl anthems but I think her songwriting is really great and she is so cool.”
Talking about songwriting, looking at the credits on Spotify, you generally write a lot of songs by yourself. Are you a proper sit down with your guitar type girl, or a constant ideas across hundreds of voice notes?
“Dude, my voice notes are crazy! I think I've got like 20,000 voice notes. I've got little bits of me humming in the street when I think of a lyric, a melody or something and my notes app is crazy. I do I think it's so important for me to write my own music as it's my story. It's my journey and I love working with other artists too to help me bring those visions to life. For example, “Big Girl Boots” I wrote with Mikey Gormley in a Platoon writing session which was so much fun. He really helped me, we can talk about it later, but he came up with the “Big Girl Boots” thing because I was like let's put on my big boy pants and write the song then he said, what about big girl boots? So, then we sat down and I wrote what I wanted to feel, how I was feeling and what it meant to me, then he really like brought the rest out of me as well. It’s sometimes really nice to collaborate on things like that with somebody who's super talented.”
So that's where the song came from, just basically throwing out a line, Mikey twisting it round and then a sort of vision board type of thing after.
“It was so rogue. It was like, let me go and put on my big boy pants and write this song then he goes, what if it's big girl boots? I said, that's genius, that's the song, we have to use that now. Nothing else! Then in three hours we had the entire thing.”
Oh, that's cool. Let’s touch upon The Voice and something I ask a lot of people that come through a process like that and even people that make their break on a platform like TikTok is that because there is a certain stigma or label attached, whilst the TV show is an incredible opportunity, is it something that you consciously feel you have to move on from where you are not just talked about as “Chanel Yates from The Voice”?
“Yeah, I think you kind of hit the nail on the head. I mean, it's a great experience and I loved doing it. It was so much fun but then once you break out, like I was a totally different person like then to now even, like just in a couple of years. I've changed, my sounds changed and I've really found my identity in terms of where I fit and want to be. I think then, when I watch myself on stage, I was like, Awh, you're so like confused. But it was it was such a fun experience, I wouldn't change anything for the world because I got to work with Anne-Marie, who at the time was my pop idol, my icon and she’s really cool. She's a really cool artist, a great songwriter, great performer and yeah, she was my coach and I think it's so fun. I got to meet some incredible people and make friends, you know, I met some of my really good friends there.”
Looking back through the whole process, what would you say you learned most from the experience, more from an industry standpoint in terms of if you could go back in time and tell your younger self before going on The Voice.
“Awh, little baby me. I would probably tell her to just be herself, because at that time, I think I really learned that you just need to be authentic and tell your truth, to tell your story because people see through bullshit, right? People see the lies and I just tried to be as authentic as possible, so I would probably tell her to not worry, just be yourself and have fun because I think that I put so much pressure on myself being on that stage to go out and be somebody that I clearly wasn't. I just needed to chill a little bit and take my time, so I think that's an important lesson I learnt where I just had to be myself and try to get people to see what I actually feel.”
Then now, we’re working with the guys here at Platoon, tell us about what you’re doing with these guys and how they are to collaborate with.
“They're the nicest people in the world. It's been such an incredible experience to work with a team because I'm independent. I'm an independent artist, I'm still an independent artist and to not ever have had a team, to now have people around you that go oh, we can help with that, I’m like really are you sure? Like, is that a burden to you? You kind of forget, because I've worked on it for so long on my own, but I feel like they've been so helpful, they've been super great, so supportive of the new songs and they're just so excited about country music, which I am super excited about too. To be able to be in a space where I can be myself and make country-pop in a way that I want to make country-pop, they've really allowed me to do that, work with them on “Big Girl Boots” and other things do.”
So, I guess to finish off, it’s what’s next? We’re starting to get more songs out there and you have said you’ve been writing a lot so are we looking to build to something a bit bigger where an EP or an album which ties things together to let people know who you really are rather than just a little snapshot like singles do. This comes back to the point where until people really know who you are NOW, some people will still see you as the Chanel who was part of Team Anne-Marie on The Voice, so what are you planning through 2025?
“Yeah, for sure, to tell a story. I think there's definitely new music on the way for sure and it's 100% going to be more authentically me and it's all the country pop stuff, which everyone's loving and it's what I love to make. So, yeah, I would say 100% more music, more music is definitely coming and it will be really fun to me make.”
We can’t wait to hear it and thank you for the hang this afternoon.
The new single “Big Girl Boots” from Chanel Yates is out now and is available HERE. To find out all of Chanel’s upcoming tour plans for the rest of the year you can check out her WEBSITE and you can keep up to date with her socially on INSTAGRAM TIKTOK FACEBOOK & X.
C2C: Country to Country will return to Berlin in 2026 across the weekend of March 6th to 8th where you will be able to find more details on their WEBSITE and keep in the loop regarding lineups and ticket information on INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK. Then we will see you again in London (or maybe even Belfast/Glasgow) a week later across March 13th to 15th with early bird tickets set to go on sale at 10am on Friday 21st March where you can find more details on the WEBSITE and socials (FACEBOOK X and INSTAGRAM)
“It was so rogue. It was like, let me go and put on my big boy pants and write this song then he goes, what if it's big girl boots? I said, that's genius, that's the song, we have to use that now. Nothing else! Then in three hours we had the entire thing.”
Oh, that's cool. Let’s touch upon The Voice and something I ask a lot of people that come through a process like that and even people that make their break on a platform like TikTok is that because there is a certain stigma or label attached, whilst the TV show is an incredible opportunity, is it something that you consciously feel you have to move on from where you are not just talked about as “Chanel Yates from The Voice”?
“Yeah, I think you kind of hit the nail on the head. I mean, it's a great experience and I loved doing it. It was so much fun but then once you break out, like I was a totally different person like then to now even, like just in a couple of years. I've changed, my sounds changed and I've really found my identity in terms of where I fit and want to be. I think then, when I watch myself on stage, I was like, Awh, you're so like confused. But it was it was such a fun experience, I wouldn't change anything for the world because I got to work with Anne-Marie, who at the time was my pop idol, my icon and she’s really cool. She's a really cool artist, a great songwriter, great performer and yeah, she was my coach and I think it's so fun. I got to meet some incredible people and make friends, you know, I met some of my really good friends there.”
Looking back through the whole process, what would you say you learned most from the experience, more from an industry standpoint in terms of if you could go back in time and tell your younger self before going on The Voice.
“Awh, little baby me. I would probably tell her to just be herself, because at that time, I think I really learned that you just need to be authentic and tell your truth, to tell your story because people see through bullshit, right? People see the lies and I just tried to be as authentic as possible, so I would probably tell her to not worry, just be yourself and have fun because I think that I put so much pressure on myself being on that stage to go out and be somebody that I clearly wasn't. I just needed to chill a little bit and take my time, so I think that's an important lesson I learnt where I just had to be myself and try to get people to see what I actually feel.”
Then now, we’re working with the guys here at Platoon, tell us about what you’re doing with these guys and how they are to collaborate with.
“They're the nicest people in the world. It's been such an incredible experience to work with a team because I'm independent. I'm an independent artist, I'm still an independent artist and to not ever have had a team, to now have people around you that go oh, we can help with that, I’m like really are you sure? Like, is that a burden to you? You kind of forget, because I've worked on it for so long on my own, but I feel like they've been so helpful, they've been super great, so supportive of the new songs and they're just so excited about country music, which I am super excited about too. To be able to be in a space where I can be myself and make country-pop in a way that I want to make country-pop, they've really allowed me to do that, work with them on “Big Girl Boots” and other things do.”
So, I guess to finish off, it’s what’s next? We’re starting to get more songs out there and you have said you’ve been writing a lot so are we looking to build to something a bit bigger where an EP or an album which ties things together to let people know who you really are rather than just a little snapshot like singles do. This comes back to the point where until people really know who you are NOW, some people will still see you as the Chanel who was part of Team Anne-Marie on The Voice, so what are you planning through 2025?
“Yeah, for sure, to tell a story. I think there's definitely new music on the way for sure and it's 100% going to be more authentically me and it's all the country pop stuff, which everyone's loving and it's what I love to make. So, yeah, I would say 100% more music, more music is definitely coming and it will be really fun to me make.”
We can’t wait to hear it and thank you for the hang this afternoon.
The new single “Big Girl Boots” from Chanel Yates is out now and is available HERE. To find out all of Chanel’s upcoming tour plans for the rest of the year you can check out her WEBSITE and you can keep up to date with her socially on INSTAGRAM TIKTOK FACEBOOK & X.
C2C: Country to Country will return to Berlin in 2026 across the weekend of March 6th to 8th where you will be able to find more details on their WEBSITE and keep in the loop regarding lineups and ticket information on INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK. Then we will see you again in London (or maybe even Belfast/Glasgow) a week later across March 13th to 15th with early bird tickets set to go on sale at 10am on Friday 21st March where you can find more details on the WEBSITE and socials (FACEBOOK X and INSTAGRAM)
