Recording artist Chanel West Coast is truly one of a kind talent. You might recognize her as the sharp, sweet, and vivacious blonde from such MTV hit shows as Rob Dyrdek’s ‘Fantasy Factory’ and ‘Ridiculousness’ – but don’t let that fool you, Chanel is a passionate music artist, with a true love and talent for self-expression. Couple that with her unique fashion sensibilities and ability to genuinely connect with people, and what you get is a force to be reckoned with.
Born Chelsea “Chanel” Dudley, music has always been at the forefront of her life. Growing up, she spilt her time living between North Hollywood with her mom and New York City with her father, a local DJ. Chanel’s dad would bring his then eight-year-old daughter along with him when he spun at packed nightclubs throughout the city. Some of her earliest and fondest memories involve sitting under the DJ booth, so that no one could see her. “I’ve always been around music, and I knew it’s what I’d do for the rest of my life. I didn’t have a choice.” With the encouragement of her family, Chanel avidly pursued singing and dancing lessons from a young age. Her love of performance grew, fueled by partaking in (and ultimately winning) competitive hip-hop dance team competitions. Immersing herself in hip-hop, and picking up skateboarding in the process, she formally got behind the mic in none other than the legendary Marvin Gaye’s Hollywood Hills studio. At the young age of 17, she launched her first Myspace music page–under the moniker “Chanel West Coast”–in hopes of sharing her personal recordings with the world. From that point on, Chanel’s musical career has been on an upward trajectory.
2012 proved to be one of Chanel’s biggest breakthrough years. Multi-platinum recording artist and Young Money Records founder, Lil Wayne personally invited Chanel to his Miami studio to play some of her music. Impressed by what he heard, the budding music impresario immediately signed Chanel to his popular Young Money label–home to superstar artists such as Drake and Nicki Minaj. The first taste of her Young Money affiliation was the irresistible “Karl,” the first single from her ‘Now You Know’ mixtape. Coupled with a provocative high fashion music video, Lagerfeld himself would undoubtedly be proud of Chanel West Coast’s impressive delivery and seductive swagger. Chanel and her Young Money label mates were awarded “Best Group” at the 2014 BET Awards, which they all collectively accepted onstage. Chanel is still affiliated with Young Money, but releases musical projects independently.
Following the success of her first mixtape. Chanel released her second mixtape ‘Waves’ with the single, “I Like New” featuring YG in the fall of 2015. Currently, Chanel is finishing her music video for new song “The Life” featuring Rockie Fresh, which dropped in 2016–along with her debut album and tour to follow.
In the words of Chanel West Coast herself: “The sky isn’t the limit, it’s only the view.”
