A.CHAL

A.CHAL
Background information
Birth name Alejandro Salazar
Also known as Alejandro Chal
Born Peru
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • producer
Years active 1994–present
Labels Gazi World, Epic
Website Official website

Alejandro Chal (better known by his stage name A.CHAL)[1][2] is a Peruvian singer-songwriter and producer.[3][4] He released his first EP, Ballroom Riots, in 2013.[4][5] His debut studio album, Welcome to GAZI, was self-released in June 2016.[4][6] His single, "Round Whippin'", was premiered by Zane Lowe in 2015.[5][6] He has performed at the Day N Nite Fest.[1][2][4] Pigeons & Planes named him one of the best new artists in 2015.[7]

Early life

A.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.[3] He began rapping at age 12 and started making beats with a friend at the Boys & Girls Club soon after.[5] In 2010, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a songwriter and producer.[1]

Career

A.CHAL released his debut EP, Ballroom Riots, in 2013. The album found some success, which he parlayed into a publishing deal with Sony ATV.[1][3] He then spent two years out of the public spotlight before beginning to release a variety of singles in 2015.[1][5] 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.[5][6][8] As a result of this publicity, A.CHAL was named one of Pigeons & Planes best new artists of 2015.[7] He also performed at the Interview Magazine event during Coachella that year.[1][2]

In February 2015, he released the single "GAZI", which he co-produced with Count Justice.[1] In September 2015, A.CHAL released another a single, "Vibe W/U", which was first publicized by A$AP Rocky on Twitter.[5][6][8] In 2016, A.CHAL performed at the Day N Nite Fest.[4] He also released a few more singles before self-releasing his debut studio album, Welcome to GAZI, in June 2016.[3][6] He has since premiered the official music video for "Round Whippin'" with Complex.com[9] and been featured on tracks by Ro James,[10] Stwo,[11] and Tess.[12]

In March, 2018, A.CHAL signed with Epic Records.[13]

Musical style

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."[8] A.CHAL himself has described his music's genre as soul.[3] His sound has also been characterized as "sedated", "hazy", and "almost-psychedelic".[1][7][14] Remezcla has called his voice "sultry, sparse, and desperate".[1]

Lyrically, he largely discusses anecdotal experiences. Writing about his 2016 album Welcome to GAZI, Jules Muir of Pigeons & Planes noted that A.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."[5]

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US US
R&B/HH		 US Rap
Welcome to Gazi ———
On Gaz
  • Release: June 2, 2017
  • Label: GAZI World/Empire
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
 ———

EPs

  • Ballroom Riots (2013)

Singles

As lead artist

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
R&B
Airplay
[15]		 US
Rap
Airplay
[16]		 US
Rhythm.
[17]
"Round Whippin'" 2016 ——— Welcome to Gazi
"To the Light'" 2017 ——— On Gaz
"Matrix" ———
"Love N Hennessy"
(solo or featuring 2 Chainz and Nicky Jam)		 502420
"Perdóname" ———
"Cuánto"
(featuring A$AP Nast)		 ———
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
ARG
[18]		 ECU
[19]		 MEX
[20]		 URU
[21]
"No Promises"
(Youth Is Dead featuring A.Chal)		 2014 ———— Non-album single
"Out at Night"
(Stwo featuring A.Chal)		 2016 ———— D.T.S.N.T.
"Endlessly"
(Tess featuring A.Chal)		 ———— Tess
"Primavera"
(Soso and Hansaa featuring A.Chal)		 2017 ———— Non-album single
"No Te Pegas"
(C.Tangana featuring A.Chal)		 2018 ———— TBA
"100 Grados"
(Lali featuring A.Chal)		 1953388 Brava
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Montano, Zoe (10 July 2015). "Meet A.Chal, the Sultry R&B Singer You Won't Be Able to Get Out of Your Head". Remezcla. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Williams, Megan (3 June 2015). "Meet A.CHAL: LA's Rising Star". Idol Magazine. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Krastz, Roger (28 September 2016). "A.Chal Has His Sights Set on World Domination". XXL. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Seabrook III, Robby (13 September 2016). "Welcome to A.CHAL's Changing World". Noisey. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Muir, Jules (17 August 2016). "A.CHAL on the Afterlife, Equality, and Reaching GAZI Level". Pigeons & Planes. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "A.CHAL Drops Regretful but Cathartic "Far From Home"". Noisey. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 "Best New Artists of 2015". Pigeons & Planes. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 Peters, Micah; Scott, Nate (16 October 2015). "The 10 best songs of the week". USA Today. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  9. ↑ Mench, Chris (10 August 2016). "Premiere: A.CHAL Shares the Dreamy Video for "Round Whippin'"". Complex. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  10. ↑ Kellman, Andy (2016). "Eldorado - Ro James - AllMusic Review by Andy Kellman". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  11. ↑ Wilson, Zanda (21 June 2016). "Hear A.CHAL Vibin On Stwo's New Cut 'Out At Night'". The Interns. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "Tess – Endlessly (Ft. A. CHAL)". Fashionably Early. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  13. ↑ Estavez, Marjua (5 March 2018). "A.CHAL Signs Deal With Epic Records". Vibe Magazine. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  14. ↑ Montes, Patrick (23 June 2015). "A.Chal - Round Whippin". HypeBeast. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  15. ↑ "A.CHAL Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  16. ↑ "A.CHAL Chart History: Rap Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  17. ↑ "A.CHAL Chart History: Rhhythmic Songs". Billboard. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Top 20 Argentina – Del 21 al 27 de Mayo, 2018" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Top 100 Ecuador – Semana 26 del 2018 – Del 22/06/2018 al 28/06/2018". National-Report. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Mexico Airplay : Jun 09, 2018". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 5, 2018. (Subscription required (help)).
  21. ↑ "Top 20 Uruguay – Del 25 de Junio al 1 de Julio, 2018" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
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