CHANTELLE AYANNA

DJ, producer & historian

What do you stand for?

Confidence in finding your footing even if you’re not quite sure where your path is leading yet.

How did you catch your first ‘break’?

I’m still ‘breaking’ to an extent — there’s no limit on how many glass ceilings you can smash through. However, I will say working with the fantastic chosen musical creative family I have around me currently is the best break I could ever have had.

How have you found navigating your career as a Black queer artist?

I’ve been blessed enough to find myself in the fold of some amazing queer spaces for QTIPOC, including Jungle Kitty, which is run by my good friend Mark-Ashley Dupé, so there has, in a sense, been a buffer between myself and more tense experiences, because I’m moving with that collective. We are all very much on the same wavelength. It’s music first before needing to translate yourself.

Have you encountered any racism and homophobia along the way?

Unfortunately, most of us have — at times from people we least expect. Reconciling the way [in which] the world meets you and transforming those experiences into better equipped spaces, which not only empower you, but allow you to thrive are superimportant to me.

What are your thoughts on Lil Nas X’s success?

Lil Nas X is for sure a trailblazer. Seeing a Black queer person owning their own expression in the face of backlash has been both beautiful and painful to watch… By having such a huge platform, I think his presence has created space for Black queer artists to see someone they identify with and take confidence from his unapologetic nature.

Do you think the ripples of his success will be felt on this side of the pond, in terms of platforming POC queer artists in the UK?

For sure. There is a such a vibrant scene of super-talented queer rappers, dancers and singers.

Names that come to my mind are: Carter the Bandit, Albert

Gold [and] Laville.