From her early SoundCloud days to shyly attending an Avril Lavigne concert, rising musician BODUR talks us through her musical firsts.

Under a new alias, Chloe Bodur is inviting listeners to step into her world. In her brand new track, “GORGEOUS”, BODUR navigates what it means to be a person of dual heritage, and to appreciate each layer of her multifaceted identity. The Turkish-Sri Lankan artist delves deeper into the beauty and struggles of her past, present, and future within her own realm of electronic music. 

 

Authenticity is in abundance with BODUR, her music a free-flowing stream of her inner thoughts. She glides effortlessly between experimental pop and electronic and tops the track with meaningful lyrics.

 

It’s clear that lyricism comes easily to her, further reinforced by having grown up in a musical household. And her early admiration for all things musical hasn’t faded over the years. Today, she hosts a monthly residency with Balamii Radio and continues to challenge herself by learning new instruments. 

 

Continuing down her journey of self-acceptance, we speak with BODUR about her first concert memory, the biggest trials for her as a musician, and the Beyonce BDay DVD, naturally. 

First song you ever made?

A song called “Billie” inspired by ‘Fine and Mellow’ by Billie Holiday. I sampled a live performance of the song from 1967 I found on YouTube and built an electronic beat around it.  Recorded my own lyrics over it and uploaded it to SoundCloud in 2016, back when I used to upload my beats and ideas on there regularly. That original version I made isn’t on SoundCloud anymore but a more refined  version; co-produced by Lapsung is on my Spotify etc still. It was the second single I ever released.

First song you released officially?

A song called “Glory” recorded with my full band back in 2017.

First CD or record you owned?

The Sergio Mendes “Timeless” album is a standout CD that I loved from my childhood. My Dad used to play Turkish singer Rafet El Roman’s album “Gençliğin Gözyaşı” in the car too. The first vinyl I owned myself though were Sampha’s “Process”, James Blake’s “The Colour in Anything” and an Austrud Gilberto compilation album. 

First time you realised you wanted to be an artist?

When I was in primary school I had the Beyoncé Bday DVD and I spent the weekend in my bedroom watching all the music videos on repeat and learning the choreography, except for sugar mama which I skipped cos it was ‘too grown up’ lol. I think that was the moment I knew I really wanted to make music and music videos when I was an adult. It felt like the closest real life thing to being a Disney Princess or a Bratz Doll.

First gig you went to?

Avril Lavigne, classic 90s baby. I was so shy I just sat down and watched in silence the whole time.

First time you faced an obstacle in your career?

Stepping into the industry and realising there’s a lot of hidden costs that I wasn’t aware of as an independent artist. Finding a way around that (working three jobs) and overcoming those issues through building relationships with other creatives. Also the pandemic was a massive obstacle.

First instrument you owned?

A small Spanish guitar which was a gift from my Sri Lankan Grandad who was a musician, when I was about five. I still have it.

First time you felt like giving up?

I’ve never truly felt that.

First time you felt starstruck?

When I was about eight years old and met Cesc Fabregas at my local park. I got a photo with him but was so starstruck I couldn’t speak. 

First time you ticked off a bucket list goal?

Shooting the music video for “Gorgeous”. That day was so surreal and I felt for the first time that all my dreams had come true. I was living my childhood Beyonce-music-video fantasy in real life. I still pinch myself looking at the footage from that day.