OG Chizzy Beats began her journey as a producer inspired by Summer Walker’s 2019 album Over It. Since then, Chizzy’s has built a following of over 6 thousand subscribers and amassed 224,941 views. Her YouTube channel provides a variety of tutorials and tips to recreate the sounds of everything from Dancehall to Pierre Bourne-type beats. Be sure to show some love to her YouTube channel and beat store!
Name: Chizua
Hometown: Bolingbrook, IL
Top 3 Influences: T-Minus, Pierre Bourne, Noah 40
Favorite Chicago Artists: Noname
Favorite spot in the city: Hub51
What’s your background? What got you into creating?
Music has always been a part of my life! When I was younger, my Dad would DJ for Nigerian parties on the weekend which was a huge influence and I grew up watching Sister Act II and would sing my little heart out. When I grew up and realized I couldn’t sing that well, I turned to the trumpet and played from 5th grade until I graduated highschool. In college when I was majoring in Chemical Engineering, I never lost my love for listening to music. It all clicked for me in 2019 when I heard Summer Walker’s Over It and fell in love with the chord progression on “Drunk Dialing” and knew that recreating that feeling is what I wanted and needed to do. I downloaded FL Studio and started producing in January 2020.
How would you describe your style?
I mostly produce euphoric R&B and trap soul R&B beats with a few trap beats every now and then, but to be honest, I am still in the process of defining my unique sound and I think that’s okay to say. I will say I focus the majority of my time creating beautiful and addictive melodies and that is what my subscribers love!
How does where you're from influence you and your craft?
I would say my Dad’s love of music and having the privilege to play an instrument very early in my life opened my eyes to the vast nature of music and allowed me to build my technical knowledge of music which has helped me advance my production skills rather quickly.
What inspired you to create your YouTube channel?
Like many people, I learned how to produce music on Youtube by watching the Genius Deconstructed videos and guys like prodbyJack, NateTheProducer, and Chu. Watching them cook up taught me so much! But I realized two things: there were barely any women Youtube producers and there weren't enough R&B tutorials out there! So I decided to make my first tutorial only 7 months into producing and really found my audience when I made a Chixtape style sampling tutorial. I love being able to teach and inspire people through my work!
How do you see yourself evolving with producing? Do you want to work with particular artists? Is there one style you really want to perfect?
I see myself evolving in a way similar to Metro Boomin or London On the Track who can easily hop back and forth between R&B, trap, and sampling. However, I really want to focus my time right now on perfecting all styles of R&B. R&B is so versatile and gives you all the feels so that is where my heart is right now. When it comes to artists, I really want to work with artists that make great music at any level, whether it's considered underground or mainstream. So if you’re a dope R&B artist, hit me up!
If you could pick any artist to hop on one of your beats, who would it be and why?
Since this artist really kick-started my love for producing, it’s only right that I would have to go with Summer Walker. Her music just speaks to people. Last Day of Summer, Over It, and Still Over It are constantly in my music rotation and Summer’s music just has all the feels. Producing a track for her to go crazy on would be a dream!
What’s next for you this year?
These first 2 years of producing I have been really focusing on learning music theory and consistently making good music. Now I am ready to branch out and work with local R&B artists in this talented city and make some amazing records. Additionally, I plan on continuing to post tutorials on my channel, release a drum kit and a loop pack, and debut new content on my channel that takes a look at the impact of my favorite artists and their work.
Interview by: Reina Danzy
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