Keshia Chante at Bayshore

It was a pleasant surprise for Ottawa to see Keshia Chanté perform in Bayshore’s E-Style lounge as a part of the Candlelighters event, a non-profit organization that provides support to young cancer patients and their families. From the performance, it is clear that Chanté has been in the spotlight for a long time and loves what she does.

While most teenagers spend their down time hanging out with friends, Chanté had big dreams and was making a name of herself in the music industry. Chanté has been a Canadian pop icon since her single “Bad Boy” when she juggled finishing high school and her music career. Her success comes from always believing in hard work and being true to herself: “You have to balance life and fun. I finished school for me and for my fans, and I never preach about things that I don’t follow myself. I believe in the responsibility of owning up to your actions.”

After a departure from Sony BMG Canada, Chanté is back with a released her third album, Night & Day. Similarly to her previous album, Chanté is very involved in the production process: “I handle some legal and paper work, organizing meetings and discussions. I’m very hands-on as it’s important to have pride in your work and you want it to reflect yourself”. Night & Day features familiar dance beats similar to Chanté’s previous singles and signature style, but it also offers melodic tracks: “I love dancing, R&B and hip hop, I love how dance tracks put people in good mood, but there are two sides of me”. Table Dancer, a single from Night & Day, is a reflection of Chanté’s recent trip to Vegas: “I get inspirations everywhere. Sometimes I wake up in the morning, have a great idea and spend the day just writing”.

Even though Chanté has grown musically since “Bad Boy”, in her track “Edit, Cut & Delete” from Night & Day she’s still singing about, uh hem, a bad boy: “I definitely have a type, I love guys with an edge. Obviously every girl loves a funny and charismatic guy and so do I, but I also like one that keeps me off my toes and often take control”. Hey, what girl doesn’t?