LATEST NEWS - AUG: The Lifted EP is out now!
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On Friday 30th August Bristol (UK) based pop-rock 4-piece Chandra launch their debut EP ‘Lifted’. Following the release of 5 press acclaimed singles between April 2023 and July 2024, fans and newcomers alike can now enjoy all 5 songs, as well as new song ‘Overload’, together in one collection of invigorating, uplifting guitar music. The final tracklisting is:
Smile (No Fox Gibbon) Pretty I’ll Be There Lifted Lighters To The Sky (EP Version) Overload Chandra explains the concept behind the EP: “From the very beginning we wanted this EP to be an overwhelmingly positive, feel-good collection of songs that belong together and tell an uplifting story of the human condition. The concept was simple: create a package of 6 songs that, when listened to at whatever time of day, or whatever your mood, will leave you buzzing, invigorated and ready to take on any challenge. It was especially important to start the EP by smiling and to end the EP by having faith in love.” |
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LATEST NEWS - JULY: Lifted single & music video is out now
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On Friday 19th July Bristol (UK) based pop-rock band Chandra released Lifted, a feel-good, singalong pop-rock track dripping with Summer vibes. Following March release I’ll Be There, Lifted once again combines infectiously catchy hooks with a positive, uplifting message.
Lifted is a celebration of that feeling you enjoy when you’re simply having the best day. When the train arrives on time and you get your favourite seat… when you’ve booked the day off and the sun is shining… when you’re out at a gig or festival watching your favourite artists with friends. When you’re having a great day you just want to shout at the top of your lungs and tell the whole world, and Lifted embodies, promotes and spreads that blissful feeling. “We wrote this song so that wherever you are, whatever kind of day you’ve had, you can sing along and feel awesome”, says frontman Chandra. The thing is, having a brilliant day isn’t an everyday occurrence but the vibe is infectious. And something I’ve personally struggled with are the highs and lows of life. Sometimes you wake up and it’s hard to have a positive outlook on the day…. But I’ve found that if you go into the day smiling and full of positivity, it affects everyone around you and you’re basically inviting good vibes… you’re setting yourself AND everybody else up to have a great day. There’s always going to be somebody around you who’s having a great day and those people have the power to make us all feel lifted. I challenge you to sing along to this song and not be beaming by the end of it.” Stream the single below! |
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LATEST NEWS - 01 MAR: I'll Be There is out now!
I'll Be There is the riff-heavy, feel-good new pop-rock single from Bristol (UK) based artist Chandra. Coming hot off the heels of 2023's critically acclaimed 'Pretty' and 'Smile (No Fox Gibbon)', Chandra returns once more with infectiously catchy hooks transporting a thought-provoking message.
I'll Be There is a rallying cry to all the people who want to do something good for the world but feel powerless to act… too small to make a difference. In a time when the news of the world seems to become worse with every passing day it's easy to become overwhelmed and despondent. I'll Be There reminds us that the solutions to many of our problems start at home, with simple acts of friendship, love and kindness. We CAN do this.
As with all of his music, Chandra has written the song based on his own hopes and fears:
"I used to despair at the fact that nothing I did would make a blind bit of difference against the swirling vortex of war, disease, corruption, political turmoil and environmental disasters. Waking up every day to a backdrop of relentless bad news, feeling helpless to do anything about it, really gets you down. But the truth is we CAN effect a change and it starts right here, at home, with how we treat one another. We can be the ones to turn this all around with simple but widespread acts of love, trust and empathy.
I wrote this song to help everyone realise that you can make small changes to the way you act… simply be there for someone, smile at someone and with every single positive move we dissipate more and more bad feeling. On a grand scale I think that represents the sea change that we all need. And I purposefully filled this song with little musical surprises (some bigger than others) to make everyone smile, snigger and beam while they think about what small thing they can do to make someone happy.”
“I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folks that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”
Gandalf, The Hobbit
The music video is out now and is a must-watch homage to 60s TV show intro 'The Bradey Bunch'.
Watch it here
I'll Be There is a rallying cry to all the people who want to do something good for the world but feel powerless to act… too small to make a difference. In a time when the news of the world seems to become worse with every passing day it's easy to become overwhelmed and despondent. I'll Be There reminds us that the solutions to many of our problems start at home, with simple acts of friendship, love and kindness. We CAN do this.
As with all of his music, Chandra has written the song based on his own hopes and fears:
"I used to despair at the fact that nothing I did would make a blind bit of difference against the swirling vortex of war, disease, corruption, political turmoil and environmental disasters. Waking up every day to a backdrop of relentless bad news, feeling helpless to do anything about it, really gets you down. But the truth is we CAN effect a change and it starts right here, at home, with how we treat one another. We can be the ones to turn this all around with simple but widespread acts of love, trust and empathy.
I wrote this song to help everyone realise that you can make small changes to the way you act… simply be there for someone, smile at someone and with every single positive move we dissipate more and more bad feeling. On a grand scale I think that represents the sea change that we all need. And I purposefully filled this song with little musical surprises (some bigger than others) to make everyone smile, snigger and beam while they think about what small thing they can do to make someone happy.”
“I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folks that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”
Gandalf, The Hobbit
The music video is out now and is a must-watch homage to 60s TV show intro 'The Bradey Bunch'.
Watch it here
LATEST NEWS - 24 JAN: Next single set for 1st March
We're very happy to announce that the next single, entitled I'll Be There, will launch on Friday 1st March.
I'll Be There is a rallying cry to all the people who want to do something good for the world but feel powerless to act… too small to make a difference. In a time when the news of the world seems to become worse with every passing day it's easy to become overwhelmed and despondent. I'll Be There reminds us that the solutions to many of our problems start at home, with simple acts of friendship, love and kindness.
The music video, which will launch alongside the single on 1st March, will be a parody of classic 60s TV series intro 'The Brady Bunch'.
You can pre-save the new single here
I'll Be There is a rallying cry to all the people who want to do something good for the world but feel powerless to act… too small to make a difference. In a time when the news of the world seems to become worse with every passing day it's easy to become overwhelmed and despondent. I'll Be There reminds us that the solutions to many of our problems start at home, with simple acts of friendship, love and kindness.
The music video, which will launch alongside the single on 1st March, will be a parody of classic 60s TV series intro 'The Brady Bunch'.
You can pre-save the new single here
LATEST NEWS - 10 JAN: New Live Videos!
This week represented the first time ever that the full band played together on a stage. It was a great little test for us to cram ourselves onto a tiny open-mix stage but it was a lot of fun. Thank you so much to those who came out to support us. There are 4 songs in the Playlist and you can get to those from the YouTube video below (click though).
LATEST NEWS - 01 DEC: Brand New Song!
Hey everyone. So I am always writing songs... ALWAYS. They just pop into my head at the most inopportune moments and I've learned that whatever I'm doing I have to stop and record it right there and then on my phone. In the past I've left it, thinking that I can leave it a few minutes until I'm not on the loo... or in the morning when it's not 2am and I've just been woken up by a tune in my head. But I now know that if I don't record it immediately it will be gone within a few minutes. This new song was no different... I woke up at 5:57 AM last week and had the whole song in my head so immediately jumped out of bed and sang it into my phone.
At this stage it has no lyrics (coming soon) and I've also recorded a quick snipper of the acoustic version and the full single version, because they are so different in terms of vibe. This will be the next single launching in February, so I guess I'd better get my skates on! See what you think.
At this stage it has no lyrics (coming soon) and I've also recorded a quick snipper of the acoustic version and the full single version, because they are so different in terms of vibe. This will be the next single launching in February, so I guess I'd better get my skates on! See what you think.
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Acoustic vibe version
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Full band vibe version
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LATEST NEWS: First Outing For New Line-Up
Exciting news today! You may have read via social or the newsletter that 'Chandra' is no longer an 'I'... it's a 'we'.
It's taken a long time to find the right people for the job but I'm happy to announce that we now have Chris on bass and Joe on Lead Guitar. They are both mega talented, and awesome people to boot, and it now means that I find myself to be the least talented musician in the room! Guess I'll have to get used to that.
Last night we headed out for the first time as a threesome (!!!) and tried out a few songs on the audience at The Oxford, Bristol. Thanks you so much to everyone who came to support us but also all the complete strangers who sang along, cheers and clapped. Here's a little clip of the acoustic version of Smile (No Fox Gibbon). More clips coming soon!
By the way, Chris is barely in this video... I think he fell down a hole but if you'd like to see what he looks like, he's the guy playing bass and getting a pie to the face in the Pretty music video!
Click here to see that
It's taken a long time to find the right people for the job but I'm happy to announce that we now have Chris on bass and Joe on Lead Guitar. They are both mega talented, and awesome people to boot, and it now means that I find myself to be the least talented musician in the room! Guess I'll have to get used to that.
Last night we headed out for the first time as a threesome (!!!) and tried out a few songs on the audience at The Oxford, Bristol. Thanks you so much to everyone who came to support us but also all the complete strangers who sang along, cheers and clapped. Here's a little clip of the acoustic version of Smile (No Fox Gibbon). More clips coming soon!
By the way, Chris is barely in this video... I think he fell down a hole but if you'd like to see what he looks like, he's the guy playing bass and getting a pie to the face in the Pretty music video!
Click here to see that
LATEST NEWS: Smile (No Fox Gibbon) Out 27th Oct
Chandra's latest single ‘Smile (No Fox Gibbon)’, is out now across all digital streaming platforms. It is the the follow-up single to August’s critically acclaimed ‘Pretty’. An uplifting, confidence-building, cheeky pop-rock smash, ‘Smile (No Fox Gibbon)’ challenges us all to put aside our fears of what other people think and simply smile and laugh as if nobody was watching.
True to form, Chandra once again writes from his own personal experience and battles:
“We all have moments in our day when we unashamedly beam or uncontrollably snigger at something we’ve seen, remembered or heard. If we’re in public then that joyous moment is quickly curbed as the self-conscious part of our brain realises we’re on a bus, in the office, in a queue for a coffee or walking down a street. I am the worst for it and it’s gone on for so long that I now find the self-tempering of joy is an autonomic reaction. I wrote this song because it’s something I actively want and need to improve on. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all gave a little bit less of a damn who is watching and really enjoyed those amazing moments in our day? Let’s all let go and smile like there are absolutely no f**ks given.”
The music video is out now and is an absolute riot of fun and laughter, designed to make you beam from ear to ear!
True to form, Chandra once again writes from his own personal experience and battles:
“We all have moments in our day when we unashamedly beam or uncontrollably snigger at something we’ve seen, remembered or heard. If we’re in public then that joyous moment is quickly curbed as the self-conscious part of our brain realises we’re on a bus, in the office, in a queue for a coffee or walking down a street. I am the worst for it and it’s gone on for so long that I now find the self-tempering of joy is an autonomic reaction. I wrote this song because it’s something I actively want and need to improve on. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all gave a little bit less of a damn who is watching and really enjoyed those amazing moments in our day? Let’s all let go and smile like there are absolutely no f**ks given.”
The music video is out now and is an absolute riot of fun and laughter, designed to make you beam from ear to ear!
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SEPTEMBER UPDATE: PRETTY Is Out Now!
The brand new single is available now across all major streaming platforms PLUS you can download it for free from the Freebies page.
The awesome Wonderland Magazine cite it as being "a must listen track" and that it "exudes emotion from start to finish". We has an awesome day shooting the music video on Friday 4th August. The music video is coming soon but in the meantime you can see what happened behind the scenes across Facebook, Instgram and TikTok (use the tabs at the top of the page). And last but by no means least, here are some quick links to the most popular streaming sites (Spotify player is below). If in doubt search for 'Chandra Pretty'
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JULY UPDATE: PRETTY Music Video & More!
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When life gives you lemons... suck 'em up and smile! We already announced that the next single 'Pretty' is out on 4th August. The plan was to launch the music video that same weekend but unfortunately the RMT announced London Underground tube strikes on the very same days that we were planning to film. This means that none of the cast can get to the film location so we've had to move the shoot day for the music video back by a week and it will now launch a week later than planned. It's all good though; I promise it will be worth the wait.
We put out a casting call across social media a few weeks ago in order to find people who identify with Pretty's message and who wanted to represent a specific minority in the video itself. We got an amazing response and now have a diverse cast of people lined-up to do their thing on 4th August in London. Yes, that's right, the video shoot will be on the same day as the single launch, so on launch day we'll be streaming live from London, showing you all sorts of behind the scenes clips from the shoot. And lastly but by no means leastly... here's a little clip of the new single (either on the right or below). I'm SO excited for you to hear it!!!! Advanced press previews went out this week and the press feedback has been phenomenal. Not long now; you'll start seeing all the coverage from 4th August. Don't forget, if you're a Spotify user you can pre-save 'Pretty' by clicking the link below. This just means that as soon as the single launches it will be served up to you on Spotify instead of you having to go and find it. It also tells Spotify that people are interested in the new song, therefore stroking their tiny algorhithmic slaves into submission. PRE-SAVE PRETTY HERE 
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JUNE UPDATE: Next single PRETTY is out 4th August!
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On 4th August 2023 Bristol (UK)-based pop-rock singer-songwriter Chandra releases ‘Pretty’, the follow-up single to April’s critically acclaimed ‘Lighters To The Sky’. A soaring, sing-along pop-rock belter, ‘Pretty’ drives a message of equality and tolerance, encouraging us all to find the courage to simply be ourselves but also challenge ourselves to re-evaluate what we find ‘pretty’.
Pretty is a euphoric protest song; a rally cry to every single person on the planet who feels a pang of insecurity because they aren’t pretty, or normal or acceptable... so much so that they hide a side of themselves away. We're all subjected to the pressures of the world from the moment we wake and experience a constant barrage of subliminal conditioning that creates a perception of what is ‘pretty’ and ‘normal’, whether that’s looks, identity, interests or opinions. Chandra has his own experiences of not fitting in: “We should all strive to create a world where we can simply be ourselves without prejudice. For me this stems all the way back to being a mixed race kid in school, being called a Paki on a daily basis, through to being a teenager in a band, wearing eyeliner and having colour in my spiky hair (I felt like Camden Town was the only place in the country I didn't get stared at in disgust). Certainly my particular experience shows that we've progressed but we've still got a very long way to go. It's not about accepting any one particular 'thing' (be that spiky hair, a disability or how you identify); it's about challenging yourself to be more accepting of anything at all that you don't find 'pretty' and that you deem to be 'different'... even if you find it uncomfortable. Otherwise we'll never grow as a society.” |
'Pretty' launches on Friday 4th August. Pre-Save now on Spotify
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MAY UPDATE: LIGHTERS TO THE SKY is out now; music video below!
Lighters To The Sky is out now across all major music download platforms! Plus, you can watch the music video right here, right now.
Lighters To The Sky is one of those songs that's just absolutely clicked for me; the meaning, the message, the energy, the vibe. I hope it makes you dance around but also makes you think about how you are in your everyday life; both towards yourself and others.
This song is all about the struggles of trying to achieve your dreams and goals. We're all hammered down at every step of the way... even as early on as the dreaming phase we're told not to dream big... and then every step of the way it's a battle and you have to summon so much energy and inner strength just to stay on course. It's human nature to to ere on the side of caution, of course, and we're almost hard-wired to act this way. So this is basically a love song to all the people who have a dream but are struggling... who know deep down inside what they want to do but can't find the support they need to follow it through.
And that's a really important part of this message; the support element. It's as much about people recognising that they can help someone in spades just by being a little bit supportive. We all understand what it feels like to come together at a gig and hold our lighters or phones up to the sky... imagine if you could give someone that kind of support... how much of a lasting boost that might give someone. A little lift goes a long way.
This song is all about the struggles of trying to achieve your dreams and goals. We're all hammered down at every step of the way... even as early on as the dreaming phase we're told not to dream big... and then every step of the way it's a battle and you have to summon so much energy and inner strength just to stay on course. It's human nature to to ere on the side of caution, of course, and we're almost hard-wired to act this way. So this is basically a love song to all the people who have a dream but are struggling... who know deep down inside what they want to do but can't find the support they need to follow it through.
And that's a really important part of this message; the support element. It's as much about people recognising that they can help someone in spades just by being a little bit supportive. We all understand what it feels like to come together at a gig and hold our lighters or phones up to the sky... imagine if you could give someone that kind of support... how much of a lasting boost that might give someone. A little lift goes a long way.
APRIL UPDATE: NEW MUSIC VIDEO IS FINISHED!
I'm buzzing at the moment because the music video for 'Lighters To The Sky' is finished!
It tells two emotional stories of people striving to achieve their dreams. It follows the stories of two protagonists; a young dancer who is desperately trying to pursue her dream to be a professional dancer, and a mum of 2 who is trying to get her well-being back on track by taking on a tough fitness challenge of running to a local monument.
It's been written, storyboarded, shot and edited by me, so as you might imagine it's a very emotional project for me personally.
You can see a sneak peak below showing the two protagonists. The full-length video launches on the same day as the single (Friday 28th April).
It tells two emotional stories of people striving to achieve their dreams. It follows the stories of two protagonists; a young dancer who is desperately trying to pursue her dream to be a professional dancer, and a mum of 2 who is trying to get her well-being back on track by taking on a tough fitness challenge of running to a local monument.
It's been written, storyboarded, shot and edited by me, so as you might imagine it's a very emotional project for me personally.
You can see a sneak peak below showing the two protagonists. The full-length video launches on the same day as the single (Friday 28th April).
FEBUARY UPDATE 1: NEW SONG 'LIGHTERS TO THE SKY'
Really happy to be able to share the final demo version of 'Lighters To The Sky'.
It's one of those songs that's just absolutely clicked for me; the meaning, the message, the energy, the vibe. I hope it makes you dance around but also makes you think about how you are in your everyday life; both towards yourself and others. This song is all about the struggles of trying to achieve your dreams and goals. We're all hammered down at every step of the way... even as early on as the dreaming phase we're told not to dream big... and then every step of the way it's a battle and you have to summon so much energy and inner strength just to stay on course. It's human nature to to ere on the side of caution, of course, and we're almost hard-wired to act this way.
So this is basically a love song to all the people who have a dream but are struggling... who know deep down inside what they want to do but can't find the support they need to follow it through. And that's a really important part of this message; the support element. It's as much about people recognising that they can help someone in spades just by being a little bit supportive. We all understand what it feels like to come together at a gig and hold our lighters or phones up to the sky... imagine if you could give someone that kind of support... how much of a lasting boost that might give someone.
A little lift goes a long way.
It's one of those songs that's just absolutely clicked for me; the meaning, the message, the energy, the vibe. I hope it makes you dance around but also makes you think about how you are in your everyday life; both towards yourself and others. This song is all about the struggles of trying to achieve your dreams and goals. We're all hammered down at every step of the way... even as early on as the dreaming phase we're told not to dream big... and then every step of the way it's a battle and you have to summon so much energy and inner strength just to stay on course. It's human nature to to ere on the side of caution, of course, and we're almost hard-wired to act this way.
So this is basically a love song to all the people who have a dream but are struggling... who know deep down inside what they want to do but can't find the support they need to follow it through. And that's a really important part of this message; the support element. It's as much about people recognising that they can help someone in spades just by being a little bit supportive. We all understand what it feels like to come together at a gig and hold our lighters or phones up to the sky... imagine if you could give someone that kind of support... how much of a lasting boost that might give someone.
A little lift goes a long way.
JANUARY UPDATE: NEW SONG 'PRETTY'
I'm really happy to be able to share with you the demo version of 'Pretty'. I've created a lyrics video, too. It was all done in one take and is just me having a bit of fun in order to put out something that's a bit more interesting than a standard lyrics video!
Pretty is about how we're all subjected to the pressures of the world from the moment we wake, and how we should all strive to create a world where we can simply be ourselves without prejudice. For me this stems all the way back to when I was a teenager in a band, wearing eyeliner and having colour in my spiky hair (I felt like Camden Town was the only place in the country I didn't get stared at in disgust), all the way through to the continued issues surrounding individual perception and gender identity vs cultural and social definitions in the modern day.
Certainly my particular experience shows that we've progressed but we've still got a very long way to go. It's not about accepting any one particular 'thing' (be that spiky hair, a disability or how you identify); it's about challenging yourself to be more accepting of anything at all that you don't find 'pretty' and that you deem to be 'different'... even if you find it uncomfortable. Otherwise we'll never grow as a society.
'Bar Stewards' is a phrase I used to use as a teenager, with my mates, in place of the obvious swear word. No offence intended to real bar stewards (I worked behind a bar for nearly a decade!!!); just a bit of fun. :)
This now means that I'm working on the final song for the demo EP, which will be used to speak to festivals, labels and potential band members!
Pretty is about how we're all subjected to the pressures of the world from the moment we wake, and how we should all strive to create a world where we can simply be ourselves without prejudice. For me this stems all the way back to when I was a teenager in a band, wearing eyeliner and having colour in my spiky hair (I felt like Camden Town was the only place in the country I didn't get stared at in disgust), all the way through to the continued issues surrounding individual perception and gender identity vs cultural and social definitions in the modern day.
Certainly my particular experience shows that we've progressed but we've still got a very long way to go. It's not about accepting any one particular 'thing' (be that spiky hair, a disability or how you identify); it's about challenging yourself to be more accepting of anything at all that you don't find 'pretty' and that you deem to be 'different'... even if you find it uncomfortable. Otherwise we'll never grow as a society.
'Bar Stewards' is a phrase I used to use as a teenager, with my mates, in place of the obvious swear word. No offence intended to real bar stewards (I worked behind a bar for nearly a decade!!!); just a bit of fun. :)
This now means that I'm working on the final song for the demo EP, which will be used to speak to festivals, labels and potential band members!
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2023!
Welcome to 2023 everyone; it’s the Chinese year of the rabbit and very apt it is too as I’ll be bounding around pastures new launching new music on a regular basis. Here's what's been happening over the past few weeks and as always, if you'd like to join the mailing list click the link below:
JOIN THE MAILING LIST
Big hugs,
Chandra
JOIN THE MAILING LIST
Big hugs,
Chandra
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INTRODUCING THE BAND
I’ve nearly finished writing and recording the tracks for the new ‘demo’ EP so now it’s time to find a motley crew of musicians crazy enough to join me on this rock-tastic adventure. It's really hard to find the right people, and even when you find those people they are quite often in demand due to thier awesome skills. Watch this space to find out who jumps on board the good ship Chandra-geddon. If you know any guitarists, bassists or drummers who you think might fit the bill then please send them this link: Band Recruitment Page |
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OVERLOAD ON LOVE
‘Overload’ is set to be the EP’s closing song. It’s all about maintaining your moral compass despite all the greed, cruelty and instability that surrounds us. If you take one message from the new EP, then it’s this. You can hear the song right here! |
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BOOM SHAKE THE ROOM
At the opposite end of the EP is ‘Boom!’, which is the EP opener. It’s all about love (isn’t everything?); but the raw energy of love’s formation and what it feels like when two people come together from opposite worlds. You can watch the lyrics video or just listen to the song below: |