Interview With Indie Pop Artist Chavar Dontae
- Samuel Stevens
- Oct 24
- 3 min read
How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it before?
Chavar Dontae: I would describe my music as a cinematic soundtrack to life with themes of forever summer, hope, love, heartbreak, disappointment, and overcoming. Genre-wise, I would describe it as alt-pop/indie R&B—a synthesis of pop, rock, indie, electronic, and R&B.
What are your musical inspirations?
Chavar Dontae: A lot of my inspiration comes from jazz and classical music, as well as music from now and throughout the history of recorded music. Today I would say Sly and the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix, Kraftwerk, Wham, Talking Heads, Thomas Dolby, Prince, Radiohead, Sade, Public Enemy, Bill Frisell, Herbie Hancock, M83, Phoenix, and D’Angelo. This could change later today because I can’t even remember all of the songs that have shaped who I am and that I draw inspiration from.
What did you allow yourself to do creatively on your latest EP, Too Much, that you haven’t in the past?
Chavar Dontae: I think on this EP I was able to allow myself to be an open vessel to capture inspiration without time constraints. The essence of each song happened really fast. It always takes time to finish everything from idea to postproduction, but this time we were able to just be musical in the mixing stage with Dylan Ely at Portia Street Studios in Echo Park (Los Angeles). We were also fortunate to have Elias Mallin lay down live drums on “Rain.” It allowed me to have an stress-free experience and also allowed me to take a few weeks to sit with the mixes before we mastered with Steve ‘Steve B’ Baughman.
What’s something you hope people take away from the new songs?
Chavar Dontae: I hope people can feel the honesty in the music. I also hope that whoever’s listening knows that things will be okay. Even when times are extremely challenging, they can make it to the other side of whatever trauma they have experienced. Just hang in there.
When you find yourself in a creative rut, what do you usually turn to? Any habits, environments, or even non-musical sources that help you reconnect with your creativity?
Chavar Dontae: My process is to cultivate and curate peaceful environments where it’s easier to hear inspiration. Inspiration can happen at any moment, so for me, it’s being as prepared as possible to be able to receive it when it comes. I’m a coffee shop kind of person, so a lot of the time I’m just chilling, thinking of visual ideas, trying to get my music to people. Just doing my daily due diligence on the administrative side of music, and sometimes an idea will come to me. Oftentimes just practicing something on an instrument or exploring synth sounds can spark an idea.
If you could perform a show this very second anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Chavar Dontae: I’d love to play Pitchfork Festival (London and Paris), Lollapalooza (Brazil and USA), Treefort, Glastonbury, ACL, Coachella, BottleRock, and Bonnaroo.
What do you currently have planned for the remainder of the year?
Chavar Dontae: I just finished up the last run of concerts on my schedule for this year, although there might be a couple of one-off shows. I’m focusing on new music, refining the live show for festivals, and seeing my music get placed in film.
If your music was a type of food, what would it be and why?
Chavar Dontae: If my music were food, it’d be a deconstructed gourmet seafood platter: seared salmon and shrimp over soulful mac and cheese. The hearty mac anchors my Midwestern roots—warm, authentic, vulnerable lyricism from Saginaw and Toledo. Polished salmon adds LA sophistication and atmospheric production. Snappy Shrimp brings upbeat, pop-electronic rhythms. Deconstructed plating fuses comforting and refined flavours, revealing nuanced layers with every listen, like a gourmet meal that keeps unfolding.
Check out more from Charvar Dontae: https://www.instagram.com/chavardontae/