Alejandro Chal Salazar (born May 30th, 1986), professionally known as A. Chal (stylized A.CHAL),[5][6] is a Peruvian-American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer.[7][8] He released his first EP, Ballroom Riots, in 2013.[8][9] His debut studio album, Welcome to GAZI, was self-released in June 2016.[8][10] His single, "Round Whippin'", was premiered by Zane Lowe in 2015.[9][10] He has performed at the Day N Nite Fest.[5][6][8]Pigeons & Planes named him one of the best new artists in 2015.[11]
Early life
Alejandro Chal Salazar was born in Trujillo, Peru, where he lived for 4 years before his family moved to Queens, New York City. His mother was from rural northern Peru.[7] His stage name is derived from his brother's name, Ichal who died at 2 weeks old, which in turn originated from a mountain that was named after that his father grew up near in Peru, along with being closer to large Peruvian cities.[1] He began rapping at age 12 and later started making beats and writing songs with a friend at the Museum of Science in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2010, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a songwriter and producer.[5]
Career
A.CHAL released his debut EP, Ballroom Riots, in 2013. The album found some success, which he later signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing.[5][7] In June 2014, he produced the song "Never Satisfied" by American singer Jennifer Lopez, from her eighth studio album A.K.A.
2015 – 2017
However, after this appearance A.CHAL kept low profile for two years before taking up his artistic pursuits in a highly diversified way. In 2015, he began a series of single releases, which one after another forged his community of followers.
He then spent two years out of the public spotlight before beginning to release a variety of singles in 2015.[5][9] One of those singles, "Round Whippin'", was debuted online on The Fader and then followed up with a world premiere on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 channel and supported on Canadian rapper Drake's OVO Sound Radio.[9][10][12] As a result of this publicity, A.CHAL was named one of Pigeons & Planes best new artists of 2015.[11] He also performed at the Interview Magazine event during Coachella that year.[5][6]
In February 2015, he released the single "GAZI", which he co-produced with Count Justice.[5] In September 2015, A.CHAL released another a single, "Vibe W/U", which was first publicized by American rapper ASAP Rocky on his Twitter profile.[9][10][12] In 2016, A.CHAL performed at the Day N Nite Fest.[8] He also released a few more singles before self-releasing his debut studio album, Welcome to GAZI, in June 2016.[7][10] He has since premiered the official music video for "Round Whippin'" with Complex.com[13] and been featured on tracks by Ro James,[14] Stwo,[15] and Tess.[16]
On June 2, 2017, he released the single "Cuánto", featuring American rapper ASAP Nast.
2018 – 2019
On January 25, 2018, Alejandro released the remix of his single "Love N Hennessy", featuring American rapper 2 Chainz and reggaeton singer Nicky Jam.
In March 2018, A.CHAL signed a record deal with Epic Records.[17]
On May 6, 2020, Alejandro released the single "Hollywood Love", featuring American rapper Gunna.
Musical style
A.CHAL's music generally fits into the hip hop and R&B genres. USA Today has described his music as falling somewhere "in the negative space between Hip-Hop, R&B, chillwave, and pop music."[12] A.CHAL himself has described his music's genre as soul.[7] His sound has also been characterized as "sedated", "hazy", and "almost-psychedelic".[5][11][18]Remezcla has called his voice "sultry, sparse, and desperate".[5]
Lyrically, he largely discusses anecdotal experiences. Writing about his 2016 album Welcome to GAZI, Jules Muir of Pigeons & Planes noted that A.CHAL attempts to cut "to the core of many of society's ills and triumphs by tapping into a deep well of personal experiences and anecdotes."[9]
