Every now and again an artist emerges with enough talent, vision and star-quality to transcend boundaries and bridge divides. Chantal Chamandy is one such artist. Her enchanting, mystical fusion of global sounds and her ethereal, sensual vocals are set to light up the international music scene but her personal story is as interesting as her style.

Born in Alexandria, Egypt to Greek and Lebanese parents the beautiful Chantal emigrated to Montreal, Canada as a young girl. At her boarding school a nun became her mentor and after a spell in the school choir she began formal training as an opera singer. Renowned tutor Carmen Mehta was charged with developing Chantal’s formidable musical talents and when you hear the soaring soprano, the soulful whispers and the breathless rasps you know she was a star pupil. On her new album, Love Needs You, Chantal’s perfect tone lights up her deeply personal songs of love and the pursuit of love with uninhibited passion. “The songs on my album are a true reflection of my thoughts and feelings,” she explains.

It was a two year labour of love turning her feelings into the album and it brought together some of the most talented artists in the music industry. Needless to say the results are simply stunning. The first single, You Want Me, a dramatic feel-good dance track bursts into life with Chantal’s mesmerising chanting. Its propulsive darbuka percussion, lush string arrangements and irresistible pop melody compliment Chantal’s vocals. That same passion can also be heard on the chorus of Crazy, a song about the madness of love. On this track Chantal slips seductively into French, one of her five languages. Her feel for catchy pop hooks is evident throughout the album particularly on the Arabic soul of More, which features a gospel-like chorus, and Zindegi, a song for romantics everywhere.

On Feels Like Love, Chantal has produced an epic love-ballad worthy of fellow Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion. It was her belief in love as “the common denominator that holds us together” which drove her to write, arrange and produce Love Needs You. And when love sounds this good, who are we to argue?
More info