Today we’d like to introduce you to Chili A.F. (aka Iliana Nedialkova).
Hi Chili A.F., thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Bulgaria and raised in Brazil. Both my parents are professional classical musicians. At the age of six, I started playing the violin and studying music. It was very intense training. I remember having to practice every single day for at least 3 hours. As a kid, I was very annoyed at it ‘coz I didn’t get to play outside as much (I never learned how to ride a bike or climb a tree) but as an adult, I think all that sacrifice and practice was worth it. I got a Bachelors Degree in violin performance from the University of Brasilia (Brazil) and in 2014, I moved to Los Angeles. In L.A. I met world-acclaimed violinist Henry Gronnier who on my second lesson invited me to do my Master’s Degree at California State University Long Beach. I obtained my Master’s Degree in 2017 and was hired as a violin teacher at a music conservatory in Irvine, CA. While studying and teaching, I was also writing pop music as a way to relax from the seriousness of the classical world and I quickly fell in love with it. I was sending all my demos to producers and engineers until one day, I got the call that one of my songs (“Entertainer”) got picked up by Zayn Malik (ex One Direction). They had also decided to keep my background vocals on the chorus and bridge of the song.
I immediately quit my job to focus full-time on songwriting as soon as “Entertainer” was released in 2018. “Entertainer” was released as one of the lead singles for Zayn’s sophomore album “Icarus Falls”. The success of the song created a buzz around my background vocals (timbre often compared to Jhene Aiko and Syd from The Internet) which got me thinking into becoming an artist myself. I LOVE writing music, I do it so easily and there’s always way too many songs stored in my hard drive anyways. Some of the songs I gave to other artists such as Victoria (she represented Bulgaria on Eurovision), Ruth Koleva (“Salty” written by me along with producer George Linev was the #1 most played song on Bulgarian Radio for nine consecutive weeks), I wrote for Adam Hender (UK indie artist), among others. Right now, my focus is my artist career; the Chili A.F. sound, aka best music I’ve ever made! My main collaborator on this project is 6x multi-platinum producer Dexter Randall (BeatsbyDexx, known for “F*ck Love” by XXXTentacion feat Trippie Redd and “Verify” by Jacquees feat. Young Thug and Gunna, and more). In one year, I’ve released nearly 30 songs as Chili A.F. while giving other songs to my fellow artists. I just love making music! The plan is to soon do another non-stop run of brand new music weekly coz I got way too many vibes and thoughts I’d like to share with the world.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The music industry is definitely not a smooth road. Bureaucratically, the music business was tricky for me to understand because it’s ever-changing and that leaves space for gray areas. Creatively, there’s a lot of information and opinions on what you should be doing. I’d say: just be yourself (and get a lawyer).
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a singer, RIAA certified gold songwriter and violinist. I’m mostly known for writing “Entertainer” for Zayn Malik and singing background vocals in it as well. Right now, my focus is my own artist career; the Chili A.F. sound, aka the best music I’ve ever made! Chili A.F. is an RnB/Hip-Hop vibe with a sprinkle of pop. The topics of the music touch upon my social media frustrations as an introverted girl, the hustles of the music industry, being a better person, finding myself as a young adult woman in this modern world, among other random feelings and thoughts. I like to keep my lyrics optimistic but realistic. As a Gemini, I like to mix contrasts: sweet airy vocals with boomy 808’s and hard-hitting hip hop drums. I like big productions but also love my extremely intimate songs such as “Invisible” and “Deja Vu”. My main collaborator on this project is 6x multi-platinum producer Dexter Randall (BeatsbyDexx, known for “F*ck Love” by XXXTentacion feat Trippie Redd and “Verify” by Jacquees feat. Young Thug and Gunna, and more). I call us “the songwriting machine”. Last year we spent three months straight releasing a brand new track every single Friday. In one year, I’ve managed to release nearly 30 songs as Chili A.F. while writing other very successful songs for fellow artists and I’m extremely proud of that!
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I was offered a tenure position as violinist at the National Theater Orchestra of the Capitol of Brazil (Brasilia). It is a very honorable job and super hard to get but I chose to jump into the unknown and focus on my artist/songwriting career in Los Angeles instead.
I can speak four languages (English, Portuguese, Bulgarian and Spanish).
I don’t know how to drive.
I am scared of birds and I don’t eat chicken. Lol.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.chaseavenue.com/chili-a-f
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chili.af
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/songsbychili
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chili_af
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8yV3a71eqNmCuTeYB7e6uA
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/chili-af
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6E6AqOr8XO2Nvk67qyz2DG?si=-29F9QLVRNWN3dNMhU8BVw&dl_branch=1
Image Credits:
Jazzlens, Chase Avenue, RCA Records, Lucky Tree Emerald
