Life & Work with Chauncey Harris of Corona

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chauncey Harris.

Hi Chauncey, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Chauncey Harris, and at the time of me writing this I am soon to be 21 while currently working a warehouse job. I am a musician, producer, & rapper. By this point I’ve released 2 musical albums (Get It How You Live – 2023) & (The World’s Gon” Turn – 2024) I started distributing my music to major platforms in 2022, and since then I’ve released numerous singles along with those two albums.
I don’t think my story is anything special or anything super emotionally charged, but it’s me. I was born on September 21st 2004 in Fullerton California. My parents were both pretty young to be having a child. My dad had just exited the military and my mom had just graduated high school soon before I was born. They weren’t at all solidified with their position in the world but they made it work, along with the help of the rest of my family.
My parents were together for some time but eventually separated. This happened at an age where I was too young to understand or be affected by it, in fact I don’t recall a time when my parents were together. As a kid I saw this as a positive. One reason being is that I enjoyed going to my dads house some weeks, while I also enjoyed being at my moms for others. Eventually my dad met my stepmom and now I was able to experience what it was like to have siblings, because biologically I am an only child. My mom is a Filipino woman who was born in the Philippines but moved to the U.S. when she was 3. My dad is a black man from Riverside California.
From the time my parents separated up until I was 15 I primarily lived with my mom and my grandma. My early days of school weren’t anything outstanding. I wasn’t a terrible student but I was probably capable of achieving more than what I did academically. A rapper by the name of Earl Sweatshirt has a lyric that quotes “Too black for the white kids and too white for the blacks.” This is something I began to feel as a young boy. One instance would be when my mom would pack me Filipino food for lunch, and I would later receive critique from my peers at school because my food was in question. Being in my 20’s now and looking back at my adolescence, I feel I was too focused on how I presented myself. I always had feelings of unsureness and anxiety and would seek validation, for what reason I’m not sure. When I was 8 years old is when I remember writing my first songs/poetry. I’m not sure what inspired me to do such a thing but I felt internally that I needed to express what I was feeling through song or spoken word. It felt natural, like I had a safe space to create anything I wanted.
I continued this hobby all throughout my youth and expanded my passion over time. In 5th grade is when I remember recording a rap for the first time. I had this Apple Ipod which had an app called GarageBand, and in this app it allowed you to create music. Anything from composing a beat to recording vocals.
Once I got into middle school is when I started making beats, and in 8th grade I really started to notice improvement in my skills as a rapper. I would spit a verse to some buddies at lunch and everyone would go wild. But more importantly I could feel the improvement in the way that I was orchestrating the words on the page. It felt different now. Once I was 15 it was time for high school and I had moved in with my dad. My dad noticed my new interest in making beats and was very instrumental in my early stages by supplying me with the tools to get started. What also occurred at this time is I became very unmotivated in school. I didn’t want to focus on what was happening in class but instead, on what I was putting down in my notebook. I had headphones in more often than not and a notebook in my hand at all times. It got to the point where teachers wouldn’t hassle me anymore in class, and I appreciated that. I started off my freshmen year with a few people I would call friends at that time. But very soon I felt the need to isolate myself, I felt my peers weren’t on the same path that I wanted to be on. I resorted to staying home, staying in my room, staying in the studio. At this point in my journey I would occasionally catch negative remarks from my family that I lived with. Either because I was making too much noise, or I hadn’t come out the room at all.
During this point the COVID-19 Quarantine had been set into place. This was an unfortunate event without a doubt, but the positive for me was that I was able to be fully immersed in a creative mode since I couldn’t leave the house. During the quarantine I felt like I was starting to find my own sound. Also during this time is when I noticed my first big improvement as a musician.
Fast-forward to school is back in full, I would be a junior in high school now. A little bit before this point I had met someone who would end up being one of my closest friends, Nick. A dude who was a grade above me and would change my life and how I created music. We shared the same musical interest and many similar influences. From the day we first connected in summer school, him and I would create consistently together for the years to come. During my junior year I was able to land opportunities that increased my exposure within school. Me and a couple buddies decided that we could create a school club that was rap focused. It seemed legit, we would brainstorm “ideas to implement” during our weekly meetings. But deep down I felt like the purpose of our club was so that we could showcase our music to the school. With these opportunities I was able to gain my first performance experience as a rapper..
2023 would be the year I graduated high school, a few months prior to graduation I would release my first album “Get It How You Live.” GIHYL is an album produced entirely by Nick and I, and we would work on this album from the time we met up until it’s release. In June of 2023 shortly after I graduated I would play my first concert. I had organized an event through a booking surface to host a concert at the Chain Reaction venue in Anaheim. I had sold more tickets than I could fathom and the turnout was unbelievable. The venue was packed from front to back and all I could see was hands up from each direction. In fall of 2023 I started attending community college with the intention of obtaining a degree in audio engineering. My college experience was short lived and I stopped attending in early 2024. I met great people who would be influential in my life but my main reason for leaving was that I didn’t like combining what I was passionate about (music) with school. During this time I was also going through personal problems that would affect my mental health. This would spark the inspiration for my 2nd album “The World’s Gon” Turn.”
The idea behind TWGT and my mindset at the time was that no matter how I felt it didn’t matter, because eventually the world, and myself would move on. With this project I wanted to be completely unfiltered, I didn’t wanna hold back and I wanted to spill everything I felt in the rawest way I could. I’m very proud of what I did on TWGT and believe it to be a record with longevity. From 2023 to now (2025) I’ve performed many shows both as a solo act but also as a member of the collective “WEEDCOFFEE.” this group consists of Nick Hyacinth, Dulin, Josh Monte, & Chauncey Harris. WEEDCOFFEE. is an acronym that stands for Working Efficiently Every Day Creating Original Frequencies For Everyone Everywhere.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road but it also hasn’t been unlucky. One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that things won’t occur on the timing I want it to, and that there is always knowledge to be gained through each adverse experience. I struggle with self doubt and am constantly second guessing my actions. Sometimes I feel comfortable in my own skin and other times it feels like I don’t know the person in the mirror. I often fixate on my position in the world compared to my peers and feel like I should do more. I deal with the same inconveniences as anyone else. Losing loved ones, financial instability, insecurities, and lack of discipline. While this may seem unfortunate I am also appreciative of it, I feel my best art is created in times of distress

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am primarily a rapper but I produce as well. I’ve taught myself 3 instruments and I play keyboard in a Soul music band. I have released 2 albums of my own, along with many singles. Something I am proud of are the concerts I’ve hosted. It feels good to create an experience where individuals can connect with each other and have a good time.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up I was really active, I played basketball all throughout my youth up until I was 15. I became interested in writing music when I was 8 years old and later got into playing instruments/music production when I was 14. I was an average student. I was always respectful but for some reason I just never wanted to focus in class.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/chaunceyharris
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulwithmoregroove/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@chauncey921?si=XTjmLm4GAFpKs4u-
• Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/T5JUp0Kx4KGdDuBXK7

Image Credits
Adrian Taylor
Josh Monteleone
Lorenzo Glenn
Dulin Dickerson
Joseph Gagnon