“There’s so many variables to who Chioke is,” says the Philly singer-songwriter and future rockstar. “Because its hard for me to put my music in a genre, each song is definitely a subcategory of its own, and that’s how I feel about myself. Some days I wake up bubbly sunflower Chioke, some days I wake up ‘F the world’ asshole Chioke, kick a trash can over.”
The multitudes of her personality shine through in this charismatic performance and conversation with Abdur Rahman at WXPN Studios for the Key Studio Sessions. We hear how she started off as a middle school poet, going on to launch the Smokin’ And Spoken Word event series at her house with her best friend, producer and musician Jay Dreamer. Early on, she collaborated with photographer and videographer Regg B, who put in foundational work towards helping Chioke shape her look and visual identity. Both Jay and Regg have passed, and Chioke looks at her project as a way to honor their legacy. “They’re my two angels.”
We hear about her journey from poet to Soundcloud rapper to the vibrant and eclectic singer-songwriter she is today. We hear about the influence of her music-loving parents, too: her dad turned her on to Sly & Family Stone, Gil Scott-Heron, and Nina Simone, while her disco and pop loving mom gave her Cher and Donna Summer records.
In this studio session, Chioke is joined by Tommy Love aka @robotsarentreal on guitar and Marc Indoor Yves on bass, and they play a three-song set ahead of a busy season of concerts that includes a March 21st gig at World Cafe Live for Carla Gamble’s Voices of Philly Soul series, a March 23rd show at City Winery for the Chill Moody-curated series Moody’s Clubhouse, and a major appearance at June at the Roots Picnic. Information on all those concerts can be found at the WXPN Concert Calendar; watch Chioke’s Key Studio Session and check out photos from the taping below.