By: Estella Pan
CIO (Estella): What do you look for when picking or writing songs for your
albums?Chalee: I believe people should know me through my music. That’s the one thing I look for in picking songs. Sometimes, I go to write some great, great songs, and I’ll go, “but that just doesn’t fit me.” It just so happens that I’m in the room with someone who’s a great co-writer and it takes a different direction. Like, “Someone Else’s Turn to Cry” – that was the very first song I ever released to the whole world. I wrote it, and it was exactly what I was going through at the time. It’s a true story; it’s my story.
CIO (Estella): You say your life as an artist has been just as much a trial as your personal life. How do you do it all and keep going?
Chalee: I think all I’ve known is just to be a fighter, to fight for what I believe in. And, I don’t mean that in a bad way. I mean it in a really, really good way. My business manager told me the other day, “Gosh, Chalee, you have such gumption!” I was like, “Really?” and he said, “You think you’d be here right now, if you didn’t?” I said, “Well, I guess you’re right!”
CIO (Estella): You’re very open about your personal life to your fans, why is that?
Chalee: I think the very first time I was on TV with Gary Chapman, remember that? “Prime Time Country” back in 1999. And, he asked me, “Chalee, why are you so honest about your divorces?” I said, “Because they’re gonna come up eventually anyway. It’s your past – you can’t ignore it and you can’t lie about it. It’s not something I’m proud of. Ya know, I don’t go around boasting saying I’m proud of my marriages and divorces. But, I have 3 beautiful children because of them, and I wouldn’t change that for anything.
CIO (Estella): You have a really optimistic look on life. After all you’ve been through, what is your trick?
Chalee: For me, it’s hard not to give up, but I’ve got three good reasons not to give up. And, I want people to get past what I got past; I want people to see it really is possible. I really am pretty normal. Maybe my life hasn’t been as bad as a lot of people’s; there’s been a lot of people who have been really down and never could find their way out. And, I just make one mistake after another – I’d get my way in, find my way out, then get my way in again – over and over. But, I always said that if I could just show someone else the light before it happened to them or while it was happening to them, then my mistake was worth it. I’ve always lived on the concept that “God never gives me more than I can handle” all my life. Of course, there have been times where I’ve wondered, “Are you sure?”
CIO (Estella): Such wisdom in that!
Chalee: Well, I don’t wanna sound like a person who wants to change the world, but I do. I can’t say it any other way. I really do want the world to change; I really do want people to be nicer, and I really do want people to wake up and not be treated the way they’ve been treated, and not have to stand for or settle for things. And, I don’t want to sound boisterous in a negative way; I just want to see the positive that has come out of my negative life.
CIO (Estella): What is something interesting about your that your fans may or may not know?
Chalee: I think my fans know it, but I’m a good mom! I’m a baseball mom; I’m a softball mom. Last year I was a soccer mom. I’ve got a 15-year-old who’s a freshman in high school. I’ve got to worry about changing counties, ‘cuz they’re trying to split my kids up. I’ve got the whole – 2 practices tomorrow, 1 practice today – all that on top of my career.
CIO (Estella): Speaking of your fans, on your Fan Club site, you have a messageboard that is very popular with fans. What do think of that?
Chalee: I feel like I’m really, really lucky, considering the lack of airplay that I’ve had on my records and stuff. I really have a lot of fans out there, and they really mean a lot to me. I mean, I don’t know if you watch my posts, but I always tell them I love them all, and I always tell them “thank you.” And, they’re always so gracious in return. Sometimes I feel like I don’t post as much as I should, and I’m not a real fast typist. And, sometimes, my three kids wear me down, and all I can do is at 1:00 in the morning read them; I can’t really answer them. So, I try to do a combination “Here’s to all y’all out there” kind of thing or “I love y’all” and I read the replies. It’s like they’re a part of my family now.
CIO (Estella): So, your fans mean a lot to you?
Chalee: They’re the reason why I do this. I carry [my fans’ stories] around with me, when people ask me why I do it. It’s just one of those times where fans pour their hearts out. People call or e-mail to tell me I saved their lives; I’ve had babies named after me – and, I’m serious, I cry when I read those. Ya know? It’s all I can do to keep the smile on my face and not think about what I’ve done for people. ‘Cuz I know they’re pouring their hearts out, why would they lie to me?
CIO (Estella): Will you be at Fan Fair 2002?
Chalee: Yes, and I will have my own booth!
CIO (Estella): What is your ultimate goal as a country artist?
Chalee: As a country artist, to just get out there and share my story. It’s really important for me to see people not go through the same things I had to go through. As a mom, for my children to be proud of me. My three children are my ultimate priority, and I think they should go hand in hand with being a singer. I think my children will always be proud of me. But, I want to give them a life I never had. And, I don’t mean monetary riches. I mean, happiness, where they don’t have to search for happiness, and they can see where it is.
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