The track “I Know U Know” was written by ECHASL in a moment of spontaneity.
ECHASL is an artist whose name is a testament to the differentiation that comes with her music. Pronounced “EE-CHAY-SUL,” it’s an acronym for "Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining.” Much of ECHASL’s music focuses on empowering women and people of all kinds who have overcome adversity in multiple ways and her single “I Know U Know” takes that aspect to a historical level. Not only is it historically significant to women lyrically but the production choices blend a modern sound with traditional chinese instrumentation. With so many layers and intentional choices going into the song, it’s no surprise that ECHASL’s music is unlike anything people have heard before.
The track “I Know U Know” was written by ECHASL in a moment of spontaneity. For some artists, music can be created at a moment’s notice and this is what happened with her.
“We were on break from rehearsing some other songs that were already completed. During the break, we were just playing around on my piano and I started humming this melody. My producer said ‘Write this down. We need this.’ That melody became the verse on the song and then I just wrote the rest.” she said.
The historical story that inspired “I Know U Know” is one of great relevance to ECHASL. In 1834, Afong May became the first Chinese person to immigrate to the United States. Unfortunately, she became a victim of cruelty and was put into a circus and perhaps even more unfortunately, nobody knows her story beyond that. ECHASL wanted to craft something that represented fighting for Afong May which extends to what women are still going through to this very day.
“It's a protest song against all kinds of discrimination, racism and sexism.” she said.
The historical relevance of “I Know U Know” extends to the production and other aspects of the vocals too. The song has a blend of pop sounds fused with what sounds like a grandiose cinematic movie score. ECHASL and her producer made strategic decisions with the production aspects to combine sounds from the modern pop world as well as ancient Chinese traditional instrumentation. By using both, listeners of her music can see her desire to make music people are familiar with and surprise them too by drawing a parallel between the subject matter and production. She also shared that she implemented a technique that sounds like scatting but is a traditional Chinese vocal technique - she calls it scatting in her own culture.
“Me and my producer decided the production should be simple but powerful. We used a western string instrument, a double bass, and then an eastern string instrument, an ancient Chinese instrument called a guzheng. These two combined and we added drums.” she said.
The story of Afong May being the inspiration of “I Know U Know” is a key part of the larger narrative of ECHASL’s album Little Black Sheep. There are 11 tracks on the album and each one focuses on a different woman who was or is a survivor - not a victim as ECHASL specified. Empowering women of all backgrounds to overcome obstacles of all kinds is one of the most consistent aspects of her music and this ties directly back into the acronym that her name is.
“At first, I was going to use my English name but someone told me other people that weren't me would pop up if someone Googled that name. So I wanted a stage name that would truly be me and the phrase ‘Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining’ is one I’ve just known. I went through a lot of ups and downs as a teenager and overcame a lot of darkness. I wanted to send a message of encouragement to people going through the same struggles.” she said.
ECHASL’s single “I Know U Know” is a glimpse into the world of her upcoming album release. Little Black Sheep is sure to solidify her place as an artist in a lane of her own. With the concept bringing together themes of history, empowerment and more, it’s sure to be a stand out release. With her focus on empowering others through her music while keeping her heritage at the forefront too, she’s sure to inspire and inform all her listeners.
The track “I Know U Know” is available on all streaming services now.
You can keep up with ECHASL on the following platforms.
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