Chloe Kiley on Idols and life after

"I'm going to castings and auditions and trying to make it in the industry, just like everyone else"

                                                                                                                                                                             

24- year-old Chloë Kiley from Kenilworth in Cape Town rose to fame after making it to the top 8 contestants on mzansi’s biggest singing competition, South African Idols season 8 this year! She turned heads for her musical talent, and of course, her crazy tattoos, which includes a humongous tattoo that she proudly flaunts on her left thigh!!

Born in London yet, grew up in Cape Town Chloë comes from a musical background and studied Drama and Musical Theatre at the Waterfront Theatre School.
At her very first audition, Chloë admits she was very nervous, as it was her first time appearing on television. During theatre week she managed to impress the judges, which scored her a spot in the highly-contested top 18 contestants.
One of my favourite performances  by Chloë  is certainly her performance of Somebody That I Used To know by Gotye, in the Top 18 show, her unique vocal talents certainly came through and she rocked it, making it her own!
 Her Idols journey came to an end at the Top 8 results show, after receiving the least public votes and failure by the judges to save her from elimination.
18-year-old Idols contestant, Shekinah Donell from Durban and Chloë also became bffs during their journey on South African Idols.Aw, sweet!

So, what exactly has Chloë been up to since her Journey on Idols  ended ?

Top 18 contestant Matt Samson and herself have also since their journey on Idols have ended, formed a band, Take Cover. Matt plays guitar, makes loop tracks and sings, while Chloë can be found playing the keyboard and sings, as a band they perform cover songs with a twist….taking  cover songs and incorporating their own unique style into it. 
Matt and Chloë also plans to get into the corporate scene performing cover songs in their own style.Mm...sounds fun!.Soundcloud.com\chloekiley is the place to be in order to take a listen to their her. Besides performing in Take Cover, Chloë performs with her band Enmity, which she has been performing with for the past 6 years. Navigate your way to soundcloud.com\chloekiley to listen to Chloe’s very own version of various songs, my favourite being her version of Carrie Underwoods Crazy Dreams, which she sings with true honesty in her voice. Chloë also reveals that  Shekhinah Donell and her are still close friends, as they were during their journey on Idols, as they speak all the time and has the sort of friendship that will withstand long distance.

EXCLUSIVE Q AND A WITH Chloë

Have you always wanted to sing?
I've been singing ever since I can remember. My parents are both musical and love music and I was brought up in a household, that held music in high regard and I started playing piano at the age of six. I sang in choirs and did eisteddfods throughout school, and in my free time was always sitting and singing at my piano. I didn't start thinking of it as a profession. However, until I started studying Drama and Musical Theatre at the Waterfront Theatre School. There, I realized that within the medium of Musical Theatre, I was able to use my voice as a tool to evoke emotion and tell stories. This became the most important thing to me, and thus what I wanted to do for as long as I could. Idols was amazing for me, because it showed me that my voice and performance style is accessible to a lot of people in South Africa too, which has given me the confidence to continue pursuing my dream.

Which Idols memories do you remember the most and what Idols experiences do you miss the most?(Elton Van Wyk)
I miss all of my friends the most. It was really just the most amazing experience constantly being around a group of the most talented, beautiful people I've ever had the pleasure to meet and work with. We're not sure if all the Idols groups have been as close as us, but as the Top 18 and definitely, as the Top 10 we were a very tight group, loved each other very much and have made friendships to last a very long time. The crew and people behind the scenes were also wonderful, and I miss being around them all. It was really an incredible few months, and I am so lucky to have been able to experience it.

Do you think the judges were unfair towards you because they did not save you at the Top 8 results show?
Not at all, no. It's the way the game works, someone has to go each week and at that point it was just my time.

How many tattoos do you have and what do they symbolize?
Mmm, I have a few. Treble and bass clefs on my wrists (music, obviously) and 'J'Attendrai' on my arm, which in French means 'I Will Wait' but it's also the name of a Tino Rossi song my grandmother loved and I got the tattoo after she died. I have two lovebirds on the right hand side of my chest, because I had an amazing lovebird called Aida when I was little and I wanted to immortalize and pay tribute to her. I have an Alice in Wonderland piece on my lower back, which runs onto my left side, because it's one of my favourite stories. Then, there are the two swallows on my hips (I have a thing for birds, clearly) and my Mucha adaptation on my thigh, which is just a beautiful painting that I identified with.

How has life changed for you since Idols. Do people recognize you in the street ?and have you had any crazy fan moments?(Nelly precios Byase)
To be honest, the main thing that's changed is inside me: I know now that I want to write and create music, and thanks to Idols I'm lucky enough to have people who know me and want to listen to it. I've had some people recognize me, which is always lovely, everyone is so kind and nice. I also had a waitress at Mugg & Bean write me the sweetest note which I now keep in my purse, it says: "Chloë. You are beautiful and talented. Even if you didn't make it in Idols you will make it in life. Because you have got what it takes. All the best."

If you could work with any music artist who would it be?
I'm the biggest and craziest fan of John Mayer, and if I could work with him I could die completely happy.

What are you currently busy with musically and when can fans expect an album?
At the moment, I'm busy writing my album. Before Idols I'd just graduated from college and hadn't yet written any material that I was completely happy with, so my plan now is to write a full-length. I'll do all the pre-production myself and then take it from there, to see where to record and how to release, etc. I'm not sure of release times yet but I'll keep everyone updated  'like' my facebook page www.facebook.com/chloekileyofficial

Is it hard for you and 'Shek 'to maintain your close friendship you two shared during your time on Idols because of the long distance?
Well, it's tough because we can't see each other, but we speak regularly on the phone and text each other. I'm hoping she'll come to Cape Town in December (she promised), otherwise I'll definitely make a plan to get up to Durban in the new year. I miss her so much!

Besides music what else are you busy with?
Well, besides writing my own music I'm still playing in my band, Enmity, who I've been with for almost 6 years now. We're about to release our new EP and will start playing shows and touring at the beginning of next year. Other than that, I'm going to castings and auditions and trying to make it in the industry, just like everyone else!

Which artists do you look up to in the music industry?
Anyone who manages to make a living, while staying true to themselves and doing what they love. Artists who write beautiful lyrics, tell stories, make me feel something and also have great musicianship. Specifically people like Imogen Heap, Ingrid Michaelson, The Civil Wars, Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Emeli Sandè, Florence and the Machine, Matt Corby etc. There are many more too and I could probably go on for a while. I'll stop though.

Check: www.facebook.com/chloekileyofficial    website:chloekiley.com