From Malta's cobblestone streets to California's sun-drenched beaches, Dutch-American singer-songwriter Chellcy Reitsma has created a world where sound, poetry, and visual art interweave. Having recently released her bold statement of individuality, the 11-song album Carpe Diem is an epic fusion of blues, alt-rock, rockabilly, and Americana, with hints of film noir. A record concerned, above all else, with her mantra: authenticity, depth, and daring in creativity.
Chellcy Reitsma's story is every bit as layered as her music. Originally a dancer and choreographer, Chellcy Reitsma transitioned to music due to injuries that altered her dancing career. What could be viewed as an ending became a rebirth. Since 2016, she has established an impressive artistic legacy, now comprising multiple singles, an EP, several music videos, and even poetic visual arts. Carpe Diem feels like the imperative culmination of a sonic declaration to seize the day, embrace imperfection, and live on purpose.
The collection begins with the self-assurance of an artist who has discovered her identity. Chellcy's vocals carry the texture of someone who has lived a life, smoky, soulful, and raw, contrasted by arrangements which juxtapose old-world coziness with acute modernity, and rawness of form. Throughout Carpe Diem, she manages the emotional weight of blues, the rawness of Americana, and the introspective framing of folk, as well as the storytelling that characterizes folk. There's a truth in her delivery that's almost tangible, like flipping through pages of a crumbling journal.
Pieces like "Desolate Days", an incredible standalone piece that is also told through a haunting stop-motion, charcoal-animated visual, reflect her fluidity as both a visual and musical artist. It even made it to Malta's Top 20 Music Video Charts as part of the Valletta Cultural Agency's InnovAiR: Artist at Home initiative, and further establishes her as one of Malta's most inventive and versatile creators.
Chellcy's concerts are just as engaging and feature local musicians Alan DeGabriele, Simon Cutajar, Edward Mifsud, and Adam Cutajar, as well as often include guest artists. Altogether, they energize her vintage soul, giving it swagger and stuffing it with care.
As a Grammy voting member and noted independent artist, Chellcy Reitsma doesn't follow trends; she creates worlds. And while Carpe Diem is not only an album, but also a reflection of the artist's commitment to "create music, poetry and art that is authentic, honest, deeply personal, inspirational, and empowering." The album offers listeners a mix of bluesy stomps, folky whispers, and cinematic distress. It will cause listeners to stop and capture their own moment of truth when they hear it. In Carpe Diem, Chellcy Reitsma is not just telling her story; she is redefining what it means to live her own story, fully.
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