Live Review: Chela returns with fresh moves and a feisty new single in 'Bad Habit'

Los Angeles-based Australian pop artist CHELA has released a magnetic new single in ‘Bad Habit’, accompanied by a zealous visual offering.

Australian-Filipino artist, producer, and filmmaker Chela (Chelsea Wheatley) originally bounced out of Fremantle before moving to Melbourne during her teens, where she developed her musical interests through numerous projects and a pretty feisty punk band.

After the release of her early singles, ‘Plastic Gun’ and ‘Romanticise’, Chela captured the attention of Australian and international audiences and soon scored herself performances at SXSW and Coachella, in addition to supporting Classixx and The Presets on their North American tours. This sparked the fierce young lass’ move to LA a few years back, where we now see a fresh-faced Chela laying down some new vibes and sounds.

‘Bad Habit’ opens with a dynamic fusion of intricate percussive rhythms overladen with soft, commanding vocals and driving bass line. An assortment of organic and electronic instrument layers hustles this tune through its elementary introductions as we lead into an intoxicating amalgamation of dance breaks and pop sensibilities.

In this self-directed and choreographed video, we see Chela play host to the track’s initial stanzas with a more candid shot of her playing bass guitar. Dance and visual cues cleverly move in motion with the song’s undercurrents, ebbing and flowing as ‘Bad Habit’ shifts between vibrant coasts and clouts and into deeper shades of pop.

'Bad Habit' is already proving to be as addictive as it is endearing, so we're pretty stoked to hear that Chela is finishing her debut EP over the next coming months. Stay tuned, folks!

Photo by GINA NERO

Words by FREYA DINESEN

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