Recently formed duo, CHICK, are a talented couple putting a healthy spin on traditional pop/rock while spreading the message of love and positivity. CHICK – an amalgamation of the two members’ names, Chelsy and Rick – recently wed and as an ode to each other have been creating their album 1X in real time, releasing one track a week over the last few months on their website and Facebook page.
We sat down with CHICK ahead of their appearance at The Servo in Port Kembla on June 11 to talk about working as a couple, inspiration, and balancing work and family life.

Words Grace Gollasch

Congratulations on getting married earlier this year! Tell us about how you guys met? 

Chelsy: I remember the first time I spotted Ricky a fair few years before we met. I was like… damn! So, when I ran into him at a festival I was headlining here on the South Coast where we now live, I seized the opportunity to invite him to come join me and a couple of others for some pre-after party drinks. Before we knew it, the sun was coming up and we were still around the fire at my house. 
Ricky: That was a time warp! We’d met a couple times before we got to know each other. The next time we met at the studio we ended up back at my house… and we’ve been together since. That was almost three years ago now!

CHICK is a relatively new band, tell us about why you decided to start it together?

Chelsy: Ricky and I are part of a songwriting collective called One Gener8ion – it is contemporary world music that focuses on raising awareness on real world situations and life. We had a number of songs that we wrote for each other that didn’t quite fit the vibe of One Gener8ion, but we thought the songs should be out in the world, so we started this side project, CHICK! 
Ricky: A fair few people have missed the “Chelsy/Rick” CHICK thing… we coulda gone with ‘RICH’ too, but ladies first! Making a home for these songs has been a great move – CHICK has a real pop/rock band vibe, whereas One Gen has more a Fleetwood Mac sorta vibe. I start to forget songs I’ve written if they don’t get attached to a band or project. Recording 1X was also our wedding present to each other.

You released one song a week starting from Valentine’s Day – talk us through your decision to do this?

Ricky: We’ve only existed publicly since Valentine’s. And we came out swinging with the album, website, socials etc, all released at once on Valentine’s Day. 
Chelsy: Since we’re a brand spanking new band, we figured it would be great to be able to share with the world a bit more of who we are and the meaning and inspiration behind the music and songs. Ricky came up with a plan to release one song a week, and during that week we would create content revolved around the song we were releasing – this enabled us to connect with our audience on that deeper level. 

You’ve documented the process of making your album 1X on social media, which has given fans insight into the creative journey. Has this opened any doors for you?

Ricky: Having a routine straight out of the gate was good, it created momentum. We’ve had some streams, airplay and reaction, which has been great. Connecting with labels and managers I used to work with to show them some new material has been a highlight too. 

How did you both get into music? Has it been something you’ve been interested in from a young age?

Ricky: My mum bought herself a guitar when I was nine, but I couldn’t put it down, so she gave it to me! I got the bug pretty much straight away.
Chelsy: Music has always been one of my favourite companions. When I turned 13 my parents bought me a piano and on the first night, I wrote my first song about what I visioned love would look like. For me, in the early days, music was a way to express and make sense of my inner thoughts. It was an amazing tool to have through my teenage years when there were so many changes and emotions running wild. 

You’re both a part of the band One Gener8ion – how is balancing CHICK with your other work commitments?

Ricky: It’s easy to balance CHICK and One Gen, we love playing all of our songs. Because CHICK started as a side project to give a home to these love/life songs we were writing, we find ourselves in the mood to play one or the other, and the balance between them has been good. What’s harder to balance is the other businesses we both run! And throw in our three beautiful girls and we’ve got our hands full most of the time!
Chelsy: I have become superhuman at time management. 

How do you balance work and personal life? Are there any challenges that come with working and living together?

Chelsy: We are lucky enough to really, really, really enjoy each other’s company. 

You guys are performing at The Servo in Port Kembla in June. What can fans expect at this gig? 

Chelsy: CHICK will be there sharing the love and raising the vibe, along with some of the Gong’s rippin’ musos. 
Ricky: Yeah, we’re joined by my old mate Adam Fisher (great songwriter!) and Marge Society. We’re also doing this run with a couple of the musos who played on 1X – Evan Mannell on drums and Zoe Hauptmann on bass. This gig will be the first time we’ve played live since we recorded 1X together, so The Servo is gonna be a special one for us! I used to hang out in the Gong a fair bit when I was growing up too, so it’s gonna be great to see some familiar faces!

Who are some of your biggest inspirations? 

Ricky: My first CD was a Tommy Emmanuel album. I don’t think we had a CD player, so I used to sit out in the Commodore and try to play along with this old Nylon string. I was about nine, so I was a bit out of my depth! Then I got Silverchair – Frogstomp, Powderfinger – Odessy, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Californication. Those albums were my earliest musical inspirations. 
Chelsy: I find inspiration everywhere and from everyone. 
Ricky: And the awesome musos we get to collaborate with! Evan and Zoe are crazy good players – it’s worth coming along to our gig this one just to catch them!

What can we expect from CHICK in the next 12 months? Do you have any big plans for the future?

Ricky: We released the seven songs we’ve recorded so far as singles. But we’re going to record two more with the guys then re-release 1X as a deluxe edition album. Then more touring. 
Chelsy: We’re just going to keep sharing the love and raising the vibe and hope we can keep doing it for many years to come.

Buy tickets to The Servo gig at www.servoportkembla.com
For more from CHICK, head to www.chickofficial.com