Denise Chaila

Denise Chaila

Friday, 25 February 2022, 8.00pm

Denise Chaila will play her biggest headline show to date, Dublin’s 3Olympia Theatre, on Friday 25th February 2022.

Coming to mainstream attention with her 2020 hit single ‘Chaila’, Limerick rapper Denise Chaila went on to take home Ireland’s highest music award, the Choice Music Prize album of the year award, for her debut mixtape ‘Go Bravely’.

That a mixtape was named ‘album of the year’ is emblematic of Chaila’s penchant for challenging stereotypes and deliberately flouting convention. Rejecting the tropes that society attempts to assign is childsplay to Chaila; favouring kings, pharaohs and fantastical creatures as aspirations above queens and princesses. Call her a diva, a prima ballerina, but she’s still on point.

As The Guardian wrote when they named Denise as ‘one to watch’, in February 2021, “With deft, immersive production, Chaila’s slick delivery shines through, her voice exuding confidence amid rap brags and references to mythology, mental health and being “the black James Bond”.”

The “limber lyricist” (NPR) is just as likely to be found trading stories of identity, race and displacement with her country’s head of state President Michael D. Higgins as she is bringing rap to the stage of the National Concert Hall with her narolane records family. She is just as likely to fight for artists’ rights as a member of Ireland’s Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce as she is to have her music hailed on the pages of The Fader or NME for the sharp observations she raps about one pristine, killer bar at a time.

Hip-hop has a history, hip-hop transcends generations. Words matter, knowledge matters. It is, afterall, the fifth element of hip-hop. And, as Denise Chaila reminds us on early single, ‘Down’, she can fit a lecture in 16 bars.

This is set to be one of the stand-out shows of 2022. Tickets are on sale now from Ticketmaster Ireland.

WebsiteAdd a Listing

Published by Journal of Music on 22 September 2021

comments powered by Disqus

Please note that some listings are added by third parties. The Journal of Music does not take responsibility for the content or accuracy of listings published by third parties on this site. The Journal of Music reserves the right to edit or delete listings. Click here to add a listing, login or register.