Making Her Mark

Pali High Grad Releases New Song, Gives Updates About Producing and Making Music

By ALLIE YANG | Intern

For Marquez Knolls musician Chantal Trent, an elementary school poetry class was the catalyst of her career.

“That [class] really got me into writing poetry, which is kind of how I started,” she said to the Palisadian-Post. “I was like, ‘I love poetry so much; I feel like it wouldn’t be that hard to just transition it into songwriting.’ I started taking guitar lessons, and then I went on from there.”

Since her introduction to music and songwriting, Trent has released numerous albums and EPs, with her first, “Lights,” being when she was a student at Paul Revere Charter Middle School, which was featured in the Post in 2019.

Continuing into high school, Trent has utilized the resources and support of Palisades Charter High School, which she graduated from with the Class of 2024, to advance her career and build her style as a musician.

“Going to school in the Palisades was what started my whole music career,” Trent said. “At Pali, there’s been a ton of things that have been really great for me and my music. I made the music video with another Pali student that I met named Jonah Sachs, who’s incredible, and he’s a part of the film department. We met through theater with Ms. [Nancy] Fracchiolla. Everybody that I work with, even my producer, went to Pali when he was a kid. It’s all pretty connected.”

With a decades-long relationship with music, Trent has noticed the gradual shift in her work’s style, from youthful and unfiltered to mainstream and complex. She noted the introduction of modern instruments as an indication that her music has become sonically refined. However, “Stupid Love,” her newest song and release from June 1, has kept to her original taste.

“The style I had in the past was definitely very ‘singer-songwriter,’ almost a little folky,” Trent observed. “It had a lot more percussion, tambourines and shakers. What I kind of transitioned into was a sleeker, more electronic alternative pop hybrid. I’m getting more into the alternative sound in terms of synths that we’re exploring and electronic drums. ‘Stupid Love’ was meant to be an acoustic ballad, so we kind of tried to keep that as it was.”

In addition, the content of her work has matured alongside her. As the backdrop to her music, the production serves as an important way for Trent to control the finer details of her music, which she has grown proficient with over time.

“When I started writing, I was 12, so I think the subject matter developed, and I would say the biggest development for me would be my production skills,” Trent said. “When I first started, I would meet with my producer, I would show him the song that I wrote, and then he would imagine it and produce it how he thought would be best.

“Over time, and [by] listening to music, and starting to write more and getting a bigger catalog, I was able to find a sound I liked and was more authentic to me. I started to take over a bunch of the production. I’m not good with the technical aspects of it, but I’m pretty much planning it all sonically and directing the production of the music that I make.”

Where Trent’s musical agency comes to light is in her original song, “Stupid Love,” which is about feeling disillusioned by one’s experience with love, but wanting to believe in its beauty anyway. Trent’s choices in the music video mirror this central theme of love, with the help of Sachs’ creative decisions.

“‘Stupid Love’ is one of my favorite songs that I’ve ever written because it’s set in three instead of four, so it’s almost like a waltz, which I love,” Trent described. “I don’t think I’ve ever done that before in anything that I’ve released. Sachs was like, ‘What if we do the scenes where you’re so in love and you’re so happy in this film, like it’s a beautiful memory, and then we switch to regular camera for the reality?’ which was the fighting scenes and where things started to fall apart. The juxtaposition between the film camera and the regular camera, I think, is so good and is part of what makes the music video for me.”

“Stupid Love” also includes references to Trent’s own musical inspiration, which her collaborator and fellow Palisadian Sachs, worked to incorporate.

“In the lyrics, I have this line that I really like,” Trent said. “It’s the opening line: ‘Spent all night with Tyler in my ears/My love’s gone/Is it really how it feels?’ That’s a reference to the Tyler the Creator song. I was listening to a ton of Tyler the Creator at the time, so I liked that I incorporated that. My favorite part of that song is definitely the bridge, because it’s super emotional.”

Trent said she believes her collaboration with Sachs has been critical for the direction and artistic choices displayed within her music video, as he offers a nuanced perspective on her ideas and how to bring them to life.

“He’s a genius,” Trent said. “He brought [‘Stupid Love’] to life, and gave it a real storyline and plot. His direction is just so incredible … He was able to bring everything to life and portray in the music video what happened in real life that inspired that song. He got the message across so beautifully with how he edited it and put all the pieces together. It just flows so well.”

As for the future after “Stupid Love,” Trent said she wants to continue her career as a songwriter while utilizing her catalog ideas.

“I’m working on a lot of new music,” she revealed. “I’m writing a lot, which I kind of took a break from, because I had a catalog of 100 to 150 songs. I wasn’t really running out, but I took a pause to focus on the production side, and I started writing more … I’m spending a ton of time on music this year, because I’m going to [Santa Monica College], but taking minimal classes. My goals are to play a lot more shows [and] release a lot more music. I’d love to do another EP or album in the future, and explore alternative production style as well.”