Chantel Jeffries has grown from a socialite on the scene to pursuing a music career, and it looks like the stars are aligning for the next phase of her life. Earlier this week, she announced her signing to 10:22pm/Capitol Records, and caps off the deal with the release of her debut single, "Wait," featuring Offset and Vory.
The model and socialite-turned-DJ, and now producer, says her move into the music scene came from a mix of passion and a playful joke. "I've just always loved music and all different genres," Jeffries tells Complex. "I'd listen to all sorts of music and I would put it on my Snapchat. It kind of just took a life of its own 'cause everyone would call me 'CeeJay the DJ,' and a lot of people started to think I actually was a DJ because everyone would call me that. So I was like, well, I have all this music I love, and some of my DJ friends were like, 'You should honestly just learn how to DJ because you already have the most important part, which is the ear for the music.' So they kind of taught me and from there it took off."
The power and humor of the internet also played a part in "Wait" being made. "I saw this really funny Vine where they made a beat just pressing the [crosswalk] wait sign, and they were dancing, and I thought it was so funny, but I also really liked the way it sounded," Jeffries explains. She would take that idea to the studio with hitmaking producer Louis Bell (Post Malone, Camila Cabello), where crossing paths with Vory led to a collaboration.
"We were in the studio producing the track, and Vory was also in his studio in another session. He came by and he heard the song, and he was like, 'Do you mind if I lay some melodies on this? Do you have anyone doing melodies?' I was like, no, not yet, just working on it," she recalls. "He started going through recording some melodies, and I'm like, why don't you say this, why don't you say that. He started writing with me and Lou in the room, and we just kind of finished it all in one sitting."
She continues, "From there, it was just me thinking of, OK, who can I bring on that would be a great juxtaposition but also someone that can make the song appealing to a lot more people. I went through a list of people that I like, and I talked to a lot people that I value their music opinion, and from that I got the idea of Offset."
Jeffries' debut EP, Calculated Luck, is due out later this year, which she describes as having a "summer, uplifting" sound. For now, check out the video for "Wait" above and grab the single on iTunes.
