Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sly Chapel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sly, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Music has always been a part of my life and I always knew I wanted to make a career out of it. I wanted to share my passion for music and artists with as many people as possible. That’s when I decided to become a radio host. Subsequently, my creativity and my overflowing imagination pushed me to become an artist agent and then a manager before finally creating my own record label and distribution to make the talent of artists shine.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Recently, I celebrated 30 years of being in the music industry. I started my career as a DJ and radio host at the age of 14 at a local radio station and at an all ages club in Granby, Québec, Canada. Spending most of my time behind the turntables or in front of a microphone, I was always looking to improve my skills and I was determined to pursue a career in show business. My passion for music always progressed to the point that I moved to Montréal in 1996 to accomplish more challenges. I’ve worked as a promotional agent for the biggest dance music stars in the early ‘90s such as Los Del Mar (“Macarena”), Fruit de la Passion (“Tic Tic Tac”), Whigfield, Playahitty, Emjay, Jacynthe, Althea Mc Queen, Crystal Waters, Robin S, Barbara Tucker, Thea Austin, Carol Jiani as well as Canada’s #1 DJ MC Mario, contributing to the sales of 3.5 million dance compilations (Sony Music & Universal Music Canada), becoming one of the most influential people of the dance music scene in Canada. Something that I’m very proud of.

Having established my name and reputation in Montréal, I’ve traveled to the United States and to France to expand my contacts, multiplying opportunities to progress into the music industry. I started to manage and produce artists including my first client Luisa Pepe, singing her first album “The Devilish Grin” on Sony Music Canada distribution. I also produced a full album for the legendary 80’s icon Samantha Fox in 2004, being the first album to be released on my own label La Chapelle Records in 2005, distributed by the biggest independent distributor in Canada (Select). I also produced many top-selling compilations, most notably House Factory and the Out & Proud series. Since 2016, La Chapelle Records has had a division in Italy, covering the entire territory of Europe, which ensures international outreach to artists. 2023 saw the label proudly reach its 19 year anniversary with promising artists such as the DJ Producer Phoenix Lord having worldwide recognition thanks to his successful single “I Believe” with American dance music icon Robin S and his weekly radio shows.

As if that wasn’t enough, I extended my influence and experience as a DJ and host all the way to Los Angeles by inviting people into my musical universe on one of the best dance music stations in the United States, Mix93FM (http://www.mix93fm.com/) every Sunday with my show “In My House”, exclusively on this station.

I am now the proud owner of my own radio station on the Web, Unicity Radio (www.unicite.ca), reaching thousands of listeners from around the World.

I am in the process of producing my first music album consisting of my own songs in order to express my creativity, talent and overflowing imagination. It’s an outlet and therapy for me to put my life and dreams to music and to share my universe with the public. I want to show people that anything is possible when you believe in it, like in my song Abracadabra, which has already been released as a single on all digital platforms.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I can say that I’ve never had it easy in life. But life’s trials and tribulations have made me even stronger and more motivated than ever to continue achieving my goal in life. In the early 2000s, everyone laughed at me when I said I wanted to sign iconic ’80s singer Samantha Fox. Everyone thought I was dreaming too big. I went to the States with not a penny in my pocket to come back with a contract with one of my idols from the 80s. When the album was finally released after several years of hard work, everyone said it was a flop because it hadn’t sold millions. But for me, on the contrary, it was a very enriching experience, and I came out of it stronger and with lots of contacts all over the world. Success is relative, you know. It’s not the amount of money in your account that defines you, but the number of challenges you face and how you get back on your feet afterwards. As Nelson Mandela said so well, “I never lose, either I win or I learn. That’s my motto in life.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission in life is to inspire as many people as possible to believe in their dreams and make them come true. We weren’t put on this earth to eat, work and sleep, but rather to be happy and fulfilled. I fulfill myself every day by doing what I love, whether it’s hosting daily radio shows, managing my artists or creating music. I want to do good for people and inspire them to become the best version of themselves every day that the good Lord creates.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.slychapel.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/slychapel
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/slychapel
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/slychapel
• Other: www.unicite.ca