A Quick Chat with Chiara Christo

‘Nobody But Us’ marks a new chapter in your artistry, with a more confident and mature R&B sound. What inspired this shift, and how do you feel you've evolved as an artist since your early releases?

I feel like I've grown so much, not just as an artist but as a person. When I first started releasing music, I was still figuring out my sound and where I wanted to take things creatively. Over time, I've become a lot more confident in what I like, what feels authentic to me and the type of music I want to create.

R&B has always been where my heart is and with 'Nobody But Us', I really wanted to lean into that. I wanted something that felt nostalgic but still fresh, with a sound that was a little more mature and confident. I've always been very hands-on with the creative process, from the production to the visuals and everything in between, but I feel like my vision has become a lot clearer as I've grown as an artist. This release feels like the beginning of a new chapter where I'm really bringing my creative vision to life and embracing the artist I've grown into.

The song explores the excitement and complications of a secret situationship, where two people keep coming back to each other despite knowing it might not end well. What drew you to this storyline, and is there a particular experience or feeling that inspired it?

The storyline was actually loosely inspired by my own relationship. My partner and I have been together for years and when we were younger, there was definitely that element of sneaking around and keeping things between us.

I wanted to capture that feeling of knowing something might be complicated but being so drawn to someone that you don't really care what anyone else thinks. There's something exciting about having this little world that only the two of you know about.

I also didn't want the song to feel too serious or emotional. I wanted it to have that playful, feel-good energy where you can listen to it, relate to the story and just enjoy the music.

The single is accompanied by a cinematic music video that brings the story to life. How involved were you in developing the visual concept, and how important is visual storytelling in the way you want to present yourself as an artist?

I was extremely involved in the visual concept. I'm a very visual person, so whenever I'm creating music, I'm already thinking about how I want it to look and feel. For 'Nobody But Us', I had a really clear vision of the aesthetic and the story I wanted to tell.

I wanted the music video to feel cinematic, almost like you're watching a scene from an early 2000s movie rather than a traditional music video. We incorporated that secretive relationship storyline and my actual partner is featured in the video, which made it even more personal.

The styling, locations, colours and overall mood were all really important to me. I love creating a whole world around a song and I think visuals are such a big part of how people connect with an artist. For me, it's not just about releasing music, it's about creating an entire experience around it.

You first gained attention through viral song covers on TikTok back in 2021, and have since grown an audience of more than 250,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok. How has social media shaped your journey, and how have you balanced building an online audience with developing your identity as a recording artist?

Social media has played such a huge role in my journey. I started posting covers on TikTok back in 2021 and I honestly didn't expect them to reach the audience they did. It gave me the confidence to put myself out there musically and connect with people who genuinely enjoyed hearing me sing.

Since then, my content has evolved so much and social media has given me the opportunity to connect with people through different sides of my personality, life and music. I think that's what I love most about it, being able to build a genuine connection with my audience and bring them along on my journey as I continue to grow both personally and as an artist.

I'm grateful for the platform I've built because it gives me the opportunity to introduce my music to an audience that already knows me on a more personal level. I don't think being a content creator and a recording artist have to be two separate things. They both allow me to express different sides of myself and I love being able to bring my audience along for that journey.

Your sound draws on nostalgic R&B influences while incorporating contemporary soul and pop. Which artists, sounds or eras have had the biggest influence on you, and what do you hope people take away from your music?

I've always loved R&B, especially that nostalgic late '90s and early 2000s sound and I definitely have my dad to thank for that. My dad was the epitome of that early 2000s hip-hop and R&B culture, from the music to the fashion and overall aesthetic. I feel like that's where a lot of my taste and influence comes from.

I grew up listening to artists like 2Pac, Michael Jackson, Aaliyah and Rihanna, so those sounds have always been a huge part of my life. There's something about the melodies, harmonies, production and overall feeling of that era that I naturally gravitate towards. If I had to describe my taste in music, '90s and 2000s R&B is definitely me.

I love music that has soul and emotion behind it but I also love songs that make you feel confident. I want to create those feel-good, baddie R&B tracks that you can blast in the car, get ready to and instantly feel good about yourself. That balance of nostalgia, attitude and emotion is something I really want to bring into my own sound.

More than anything, I want people to feel something when they listen to my music. Whether they relate to the lyrics, connect with a particular memory or simply feel confident and empowered, I want my music to be something they keep coming back to.

With ‘Nobody But Us’ introducing this next era, there's an acoustic version in the works and more original music on the horizon. What can we expect from Chiara Christo next, and what are you most excited for audiences to see from you?

There's definitely a lot more coming! 'Nobody But Us' is just the beginning of what I've been working on behind the scenes.

Alongside the single, there's the music video and we've also got an acoustic version on the way that I'm excited about because it shows a completely different side of the song.

I've also been spending a lot of time in the studio working on new original music and I'm already looking ahead to my next release. I'm creating music that genuinely represents who I am as an artist and I'm excited to keep building on that.

I'm probably most excited for people to see the creative direction I'm taking, not just musically but visually as well. I've put so much love into this next chapter and I genuinely feel like I'm only getting started.