Community Highlights: Meet Chelsee Foster of CH3LS

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsee Foster.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

Thank you for your time! Well I started as a skater, which nurtured my love of music and expression. My single mom kept me in anything I could do: ballet, gymnastics, and acting. However, singing stole my heart. Especially when we didn’t have the means to keep me skating. I lived in many different states growing up and performed in all of them – theatre in Colorado, opry houses in Oklahoma, horse races in Texas, and of course the American Idol auditions in Arizona. I’ve sang in several different trios, quartets, and girl groups over the years, collecting experience wherever I could – even yodeling!

When I moved to Los Angeles, I went to a performing arts high school and eventually attained a music business degree from CSUN, which included classical vocal training. Singing in other languages was so fun! I still utilize a lot of those skills and pass them onto my vocal students today. Alongside my day job at a music licensing company there in LA (and coaching skating of course), I owned and operated my own karaoke business for private events and local venues. What a fun way to share the love of music and hone my skills for shows with my band on the sunset strip. You could definitely call me a Viper Room rat; I loved playing at the Whisky a Go Go and the Troubadour as well. Such historical stages!

Networking has given me amazing experiences and friends wherever I go. In 2019, I seized a wonderful opportunity to sing on a cruise ship for 6 months! I packed up my life and hit the Caribbean. Shortly after when the pandemic hit, I saw my chance to take another leap of passion: Last year I moved to Music City and I couldn’t be happier! Every single performance has led me to the artist I am now.

All the while, I began writing my own music and found a wonderful producer to collaborate with (Thanks Ryan Maker!), which unveiled my true identity as an artist. Since then, we’ve released an EP and are working on more music together, remotely. I feel that I’ve really found my sound as a blues-rock artist, exemplified in my new release, Hellbound! I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my music career here in Nashville.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
My road was full of trials and tribulations, like any other artist, but I’ve found that my path led me to exactly where I’m supposed to be. If I hadn’t gone to college – and instead started a touring band like my manager wanted – I would not be where I am today. That was a tough decision that ultimately put my performing career on hold. But I knew I could be more, or go about it better somehow. I realized then, as every strong woman out there will find out, that if you want to be an incredible force in this world, you must never stop learning and growing. One important lesson I learned is that the music industry is full of rejection and judgment. It’s often difficult to have your voice heard as a woman in this business. It takes a certain tenacity and the right perspective to trudge through those challenges. Skating taught me: If you fall, get back up and try again. Failure is a lesson!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about CH3LS?
I’ve always been a bit of a busy body! Currently, I really enjoy working at the largest bar in Nashville: Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk. We have a double-level stage, as well as an extra balcony for audience members! I walked into that beautiful place over a year ago and said to myself – that’s my stage.

Frequently, I’m also booked at the world-famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and a few other venues around town. This includes cover bands and original showcases. As bandleader, I’ve acquired a vast network of musicians I can hire for shows. Right now I have some exciting dates booked for private parties in other states as well! In addition, The Honky Tonk School offered me a steady position teaching vocal lessons. Now, I get to help the new singers that come onto the circuit! Naturally, I picked up coaching skating again as well, and enjoy cutting music and choreographing programs for competitions – working with kids is the best.

I’m known for being a ball of energy on stage! Even doing 4-hour shows throughout the week, I always give it my all. People like the high kicks, spins, and matrix moves I do while singing. I would say I specialize in connecting with people! Most of the time it’s to bring the joy of music and celebration, or to share my passion of skating. But sometimes I am able to connect through music on a deeper level. Everyone has hard times, and music is a natural healer. It somehow lets us relate to each other more directly than just words – hence the term universal language. I think that’s what sets me apart: I bare my soul on that stage. And if willing, people will let that into their souls. It’s a beautiful gift I wouldn’t trade for the world. I am most proud of every time someone tells me that my music made a difference to them-even if it was just for a moment. I’m grateful for that brief, real connection. From teaching skating or vocal lessons to performing on dream stages, I always try to find and provide serenity.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I imagine we’ve all learned something from this impacting pandemic. My life course, like so many others, was drastically altered due to the Covid crisis. However, I was lucky in that I was days from disembarking again on the cruise ship (some crew members aboard were stuck for months) to sing for half a year when it all occurred. In that hasty moment, I had to decide where I was going to spend the quarantine: the east coast with my dad or the west coast with my mom. Since LA was chaos, I decided to spend a few months in the woods with my father in Virginia.

This was a blessing that provided so many interesting epiphanies. I was able to reflect on many things while the world came to a halt; I dove into writing, getting to know myself, and the perspective I have on life. I also came to a serious crossroads regarding my next steps – like, where to live? My whole life was in storage and I didn’t know where I would flourish (ha, once a songwriter…). I think we all learned from this historical time – when the amenities and minuscule things are stripped from us, we are left with what is meaningful: loved ones, a deeper purpose, and potentially enlightenment. Along with learning to take that leap of faith, the most important lesson for me was gratitude: for life, breathe, and of course – music.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: http://ch3ls.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ch3ls_chelsee/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ch33tahch3ls
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc9ZYh4Nv-s4gUywFv-pA1w
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/chelsee-foster

Image Credits
Philip Rushmore
Chelsea Maker
Marcus York