'A World Of Beautiful Chaos': Chanel Loren Opens Up About Her Debut EP 'BETWEEN2WORLDS'

British-Caribbean artist Chanel Loren, who resides in Sydney, has been making waves with her R&B music over the last few years, but she’s ready to make the biggest ripple yet with her debut EP, BETWEEN2WORLDS.

An EP that tracks a confident deep dive into her creative psyche, outlining some of her most significant milestones to date, such as moving countries, entering adulthood, experiencing heartbreak, and more, it’s an incredibly satisfying listen that thrills.

In a statement, she explained further, “With the daunting feeling of living in limbo between London and Sydney, I’ve had a hard time entirely assimilating and felt like I don’t entirely fit in anywhere. This subconsciously shaped my music and my identity as an artist, struggling to claim the communities I relate to. 

“It took me a while to accept that being an outsider isn’t always a bad thing, and it allows me to be an observer,” Loren said. “BETWEEN2WORLDS is a reminder to be authentically me even if it scares me.

“I created a body of work that showcases me being in six different ‘worlds’. It is my creative playground where I could experiment with genres and allow myself to be imperfect, to be honest, and not feel bound to past expectations I put on myself.”

Loren released BETWEEN2WORLDS yesterday (12 July), and to celebrate the EP, she’s offered Purple Sneakers a track-by-track look into her artistry, which you can check out below.

CHANEL LOREN – BETWEEN2WORLDS TRACK BY TRACK

ZONE

Zone is an open letter to modern-day dating. It highlights the phases of having a crush, to lust, to being unsatisfied with a love interest. The song dances with my internal thoughts on the cat-and-mouse games we play. Not even liquid courage can help me win in this dating scene!

CARELESSLY DOOMED

Carelessly Doomed is an intimate conversation with myself about owning my overthinking and perfectionist tendencies (which I do a lot!). It's me consciously trying to let things go and accept the process - even if it scares me. I’m in my ‘Que Sera’ era.

The feature with Kota the Friend happened really organically. I opened for him on tour at the end of 2022, and we got along super well. Shortly after I started teasing Carelessly Doomed, he heard a snippet, and immediately DM’d me asking for the instrumental. The rest is history!

RING RING

Ring Ring lives in a world of beautiful chaos; it's unpredictable and direct. T

his song was created when I was feeling frustrated and jaded. I was struggling to find my voice and had severe writer’s block. I was trying to navigate a new life/chapter and was struggling to find the words. The session with JUJO was spontaneous, but it was what I needed as it forced me to get out of my head. Lyrically, the song is written as past, present and future me.

I wrote it for different points in my life where I felt overwhelmed while reclaiming my power because, at the end of the day, I know my worth. Fun fact: Ring Ring was the first song I made for the EP; I just knew it was made for the project.   

OLD FRUIT

Old Fruit is about knowing when to let go of a relationship when things get rotten. 

BUBBLE WRAP

Bubble Wrap is a fun, tongue-in-cheek reaction about dating someone new with the fear of getting heartbroken. In attempts to prevent more damage elsewhere, I require Bubble Wrap to soothe my melodramatic antics. I like the metaphor of bubble wrap as it protects fragile things but makes cracking/pop sounds when pressure is applied.

EBONY

Ebony is the audio hug I needed. I wanted to make a song that was a conversation between me and my inner child, to check in and show wisdom, grace, and hope to myself. I named it Ebony as a message to other black girls and women, letting them know that they are enough and that everything happens when it is supposed to. 

BETWEEN2WORLDS is out now via Sony Music Australia. You can listen to the EP here.