Chantelle Castello is a young rapper from western Kentucky who goes by the stage name FayDay. She had a YouTube music video that did so well, she’s now got an artist development deal with UGF Entertainment. Kentucky Monthly’s Laura Younkin recently caught up with FayDay to ask her a few questions about her career and how being a Kentuckian has influenced her.
Kentucky Monthly: Kentucky isn’t exactly known for its hip-hop musicians. Who were your musical influences as you began your career?
FayDay: In a sense, being from Kentucky did influence my music, only because there’s not too many famous rappers from Kentucky, and there are definitely not any famous female rappers, so this pushed me to do something out of the norm. As far as musical influences go, I especially look up to Tupac Shakur. I feel that he is the definition of real-life music. I actually got a lot of influence from other genres of music as well, such as rock and country music. I feel these genres are also good at storytelling and giving the feel of real-life experience.
KM: Where were you born and where did you grow up? How old are you now? And where do you live now?
FayDay: I was born in Owensboro, Daviess County. I was raised in Fordsville, Ohio County. I am 20 years old and live in Arlington, Virginia.
KM: Your song “Beat Me” made it onto the Billboard Hot Singles Sales Chart in 2014. How high did it chart?
FayDay: It debuted at No. 21 on the Singles Sales Chart.
KM: You started your career on YouTube. How did you garner attention for your video when there are so many music choices available on YouTube?
FayDay: I really didn’t have to garner attention. The topics of my music were just so relatable and real that people began to share them. I wasn’t looking for fame, and I definitely wasn’t looking for pity. I was looking for closure, peace of mind—simply to help me get over the experiences I had been through and the things that I had seen. Music is my favorite art of expression, and I’m just glad to see that my music could help other people get through what they’re going through also.
KM: Who is an artist you would really like to work with in the future?
FayDay: There are actually multiple artists I would love to work with in the future, but the main artists I would want to work with are J. Cole as a male artist, and as a female artist, it would be Mary J Blige.
KM: How did you pick the name FayDay?
FayDay: It came from my real first name, which is Faydasha. I used it in high school a lot as a nickname, and as my stage name whenever I rapped in the talent shows [laughs].
KM: How would you like your career to go? Do you have specific goals you’d care to share?
FayDay: I would like my career to go as far as I can take it. There are a lot of goals that I have, but for now the main goal I am focusing on is putting out new music.