Chess for Movo Sessions: Stutter

Happy New Year! We’ve got a lot of great things in the works here at Movo, and we can’t wait to share them with you. 

This month on Movo Session, we are thrilled to be hosting two of our favorite artists in-studio at Movo headquarters. 

Leading off January for Movo Sessions is Chess performing her single “Stutter.” We first connected with Chess a year ago, when we recorded her performing while shooting some content for Movo. We’ve since kept up with her music, and we’ve been looking for a chance to reconnect ever since. 

Chess’s music draws you in with her smoky voice, and her thoughtful, sometimes incisive storytelling. Her new single “stutter” is no exception. It’s a story we can all relate to: you break up with a significant other, and in no time, they seem to be with someone else, and maybe that new someone else even looks like you. Chess turns this all too familiar situation into an anthem from moving on, finding power in the hurt and frustration.

We caught up with Chess when she stopped by to shoot her Movo Session. 

Movo: Hey Chess, it was great having you in to record for Movo Sessions. Could you introduce yourself and your project?

Chess: My name is Chess, I'm an R&B singer/songwriter from NY and this is one of my singles, "Stutter".

Movo: Was there a moment that you knew you wanted to be a songwriter and singer? What inspired you early on?

Chess: I can't pinpoint the exact moment that I knew that I wanted to be a singer. But I do know that I've wanted to be a singer since I was a baby. I grew up hearing my dad sing - he would take me to his band rehearsals. He also always had music playing on Saturday mornings, like The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Four Tops, etc. My whole childhood consisted of music and once I realized that I could sing, I knew that I wanted the world to hear. 

Movo: "Stutter" is a song we can all relate to, and it speaks beautifully to the frustration we sometimes feel watching someone we cared about with someone else. Would you mind sharing a bit about what inspired the song and how you generally find inspiration for your music?

Chess: Thank you! Stutter is one of my favorite songs that I've written. I dated someone for 3 years and after we broke up he ended up getting a new girlfriend almost immediately. That was some of the most intense pain I've felt. I was angry. I knew that 3 years of dating couldn't be replaced that easily. I wanted him to still think about me. So I wrote a song that said "I hope you stutter when you say her name. Slip up and almost say mine by mistake." It's a selfish concept, but it was a very honest feeling that I think a lot of people can relate to. I'm honest in my music, even if it comes off as toxic at times. My songs are like pages out of my diary. I'm vulnerable with my lyrics and I'm unapologetically myself. I just write about my personal experiences and if people can relate and feel an emotion when they hear my songs, I'm happy.

Movo: What inspires you about the creative community here in LA?

Chess: I love that so many people that live in LA are from different areas of the country and world. It's such an inspiring feeling knowing that I'm surrounded by people who left their hometowns to pursue something greater. Almost everyone that I meet moved to LA to pursue something. We're all hustling and sometimes struggling, but we're here together and we're supportive of one another. The creative community has been so welcoming and has given me a sense of comfort while I'm away from my family.

Movo: What's next in 2022 for Chess?

Chess: 2022 is going to be an exciting year for me! It is going to be one of my most successful years so far. I'm releasing multiple new music videos, I'm performing live, I'm building a team. I'm looking for a producer that I am comfortable with and I'm learning how to record myself at home. I want to perform at a large music festival before the end of the year. I'm building my fan base on TikTok and I'm working harder than I have in a long time. I made the decision for myself that this time next year, a lot more people are going to know who I am as an artist. It's going to be a lot of work but I'm excited!

We're just as confident as Chess that 2022 is the year she becomes a household name!

Stay tuned to the Movo Youtube channel to hear the rest of Chess’s Movo Session performance, coming soon.