Eclectic and passionate, Chelsea’s sound creates the mould for innovative rap.
History remembers the people who take the hands life dealt them and turn them into winning hands. These people take the tools they have and sharpen them, adjusting their approach until they paint a perfect picture for themselves and those around them. Artist, musician and instrumentalist Chelsea Pastel is a woman who uses music to show the clash of light and dark. Ever since she came on the scene in 2017 with her self-titled EP, she’s worked hard to make herself a welcomed fixture in rap. Propelled to everyone’s radar following her 2021 single, “Stop Asking”, she’s one step closer to getting the life she’s always wanted and one step closer to putting Cleveland back in the national conversation.
The Eastside of Cleveland became popular primarily because of the influence of the marquee rap group, Bone Thugs N Harmony, who rapped about the infamous East 99 Street and St. Clair. When asked about what life was like growing up on the Eastside, Chelsea was pretty detailed, stating,
“I was born and raised on the Eastside of Cleveland. It was cool. The city has a lot of character and it reminds you a lot of what Bone Thugs described in the song, Notorious Thugs. Cleveland is a really laid-back city that’s turnt up at the same time.”
Born and reared on the city’s eastside, it exposed Chelsea to a mix of experiences that helped shape her artistic desires. The city’s location in the Midwest and industrial background helped create a hard work ethic, which would in time help shape Chelsea’s career.
As a child, she grew up hearing a range of musical genres including rock, pop, and soul and later hip hop and R&B, besides television sitcoms and shows, all of which served as food for her mind’s fertile garden. Gifted keyboards by her mother, Chelsea experimented with music on her own before picking up her mother’s saxophone.
Over time, her love for the two instruments paid off when she auditioned and was accepted to the Cleveland School of the Arts.
“I got into the school and there you have different majors of art. I was in music, though. Because I got bored, I learned to play different instruments including saxophone., trombone, tuba, and drums. Later I got into production, says Chelsea.
Originally only wanting to be a producer, she went by the handle, ChelsLovesBeats, writing music in her spare time but never intending to release it as an artist. After high school, Chelsea’s outlook on music changed and, around 2014, she changed her name to Chelsea Pastel instead.
Drawing her name from her childhood love of colors, Pastel also is a nod to her desire to bring balance to the dreary and drastic conditions of life.
“This is how I see life. You have darker colors like blue or red, but when you lighten them, you have sky blue and baby pink. As a person, I make light out of the darker things in life. My aura is light even in darker times.”
Despite how enlightened she felt, Chelsea’s college career proved to be a challenge for her. At first, she went to the University of Toledo where she planned to juggle her music dreams with a pharmacy major. The clash between her love for music and the demands of the program proved too great, though, and so Chelsea transferred to Cleveland State. It was here that she found a community of musicians she could align with.
”I realized Toledo was a cool school, but I never met anyone who really did the music. I took courses, and the courses were outdated. At Cleveland State, things were still hard, though. I juggled three jobs, but I was meeting people who were doing what I was doing, says Chelsea.
Surrounded by a tribe of people she could draw from, she went towards music full-time, putting music aside for a few years until she could give it her full attention. What came during that time was her first full-length project, The Chelsea Pastel EP. Created on her own, the EP presented her brand of witty, quirky lyricism when this model of female emcee didn’t exist.
“I wanted to make something that those who weren’t the cool kids or didn’t fit in boxes could feel, says Chelsea.
The project created some momentum for Chelsea, but it would take some years before she could commit to releasing music.
Pastelevision, her 2021 project, helped bring Chelsea some much-needed attention. A subtle nod to her love of television shows and sitcoms, the album’s many “channels” reflect her various moods.
The song’s videos and singles which include a cameo from Cleveland’s own Krayzie Bone helped put her name out there and became her calling card. The 2021 song, “Stop Asking” helped her garner several articles including feature pieces in Cleveland Magazine and the city’s newspaper, the Cleveland’s Next Up award, and Cleveland’s Best Hip Hop Artist award in 2022. From there, Chelsea says, a range of opportunities followed, including a sync placement with Issa Rae’s Raedio label.
“In August of 2022, I won the Cleveland music award for Best Hip Hop Artist. That means the most because first, I always felt like no matter how good I was or how hard I work, I had to prove myself. It’s a lot of talent in this town, but it’s not an easy crowd here in Cleveland. I felt recognized even for being nominated, but it felt dope seeing my family attend it as well.
Many people see the success of Chelsea Pastel and see the vision now, but before anyone else did, she kept her eyes and her heart focused on the light. It’s only fitting now that the world is seeing her world through a pastel-colored lens.
Wright World 