Persian-Kiwi artist CHAII has conjured an entire creative universe through her work. Effortlessly switching guises as rapper, producer, sound engineer, and director, her kaleidoscopic output includes multiple EPs and last year’s acclaimed debut album, Safar, which features the club-ready snap of centrepiece single “We Be Killing It”.
Like the artist herself, CHAII’s music defies easy categorisation, fusing hip-hop, pop, R&B, electronica and Persian instrumentation in a sound that’s all her own. It’s no surprise, then, to see her music soundtracking eye-popping onscreen moments in the likes of the MCU’s Ms. Marvel and Netflix’s The Old Guard, while also blowing up stages IRL from New York to Brighton.
This January, catch a boundary-breaking talent in her element at ACO on the Pier.
In the five years since the release of her first EP Lightswitch, Chaii has built a kaleidoscopic world filled with international tours, on screen soundtrack hits, a-list collaborations, global artist programs and a 5 time AMA nominated debut album, Safar سفر. The Persian-Aotearoan Artist, Producer and Creative director is a rising star grown from a strong foundation in audio engineering and a desire to connect to her Persian identity whilst making music that makes people move. Known for her distinct fusion of Persian and Western styles, Chaii honours the genres that soundtracked her youth, Hip Hop, R’n’B and Persian music, whilst producing within a new genre of cross cultural musical synthesis that ‘captures the diaspora’. For Chaii, her technical production and vision may be expertly crafted but her driving forces are uncomplicated; “to make people happy, dance and show my culture in my music”
As a multi-hyphenate performer, writer, producer, audio engineer and director, Chaii got an early grasp on intricacies and complexities of the music industry as an audio engineer. Having been in the industry for nearly 20 years, transitioning from the cutting room to the stage, Chaii was armed with the understanding that it would be hard work. The most challenging part; ‘the first stepping stone’. Starting off in Auckland, in the early 2000s, when female DJs, producers and engineers were scarce, Chaii studied audio engineering and later taught, experiencing firsthand, how representation acts as a barrier to entry. “When we can't imagine ourselves in a field, it's hard to keep battling it.” Contending with a lack of industry forerunners and scrutinous pressure, Chaii made a ‘forever commitment’ to making music outside of the mainstream, even if a long and sometimes slow road lay ahead. With a stubborn mindset, love for the music and a desire to open up community spaces Chaii began her journey of many firsts as one of Aotearoa’s foremost rappers.
Day one: self-made and embracing a DIY approach that allowed her creative license over her entire catalogue of output, Chaii was doing everything at once. In carving out her initial identity, Chaii understands the importance of having “full control over what you're trying to get out of your mind” especially as you establish yourself. Demanding nothing from the industry and honing in on her authentic flair, she debuted with her first tracks in 2019, and 2020 released her EP Lightswitch which landed her early commercial success with a Billboard in Times Square and soundtrack inclusion for a Fendi Ad, Ms. Marvel, The Old Guard and FIFA21 amongst APRA and AMA nominations. In June 2020, Chaii was nominated as the first ever NZ Spotify Artist to be included in their global artist program, RADAR. Her punchy raps in Farsi and worldly hip hop track Digebasse [202], alongside the artist program, gained her significant international reach and a music management deal. With steady growth and continued performances, Chaii began to build her small but tight team, including her now husband and co-producer, Frank Keys. The team afforded her time to master the quality and cohesion of her output, letting her mind ideate and experiment without the worries of trying to do everything at once.
In 2024, Chaii was on a roll, working between Auckland, Sydney and LA, where she connected with musicians and the Iranian community in Southern California, the largest outside of Iran. Dropping two singles early in the year, and a collaboration with Tones And I and Young Franco, Chaii released her first full-length studio album, Safar سفر, on August 16th. Safar سفر , meaning journey in Persian, was an album three years in the making. Meshing influences from classic Western hip-hop beats with traditional Persian instrumentations, the album was reflective of Chaiis’ own journey with each track symbolic of the process it took for this album to naturally develop. Whilst some tracks like ‘We Be Killing It’ were produced in mere hours, the album holistically encapsulates three years filled with tours, Chaii’s own marriage to Frank Keys and the music industry regaining its stride against the backdrop of the pandemic. Whilst the album may not ‘make sense’ in the conventional sense, it is intertwined with stories and moments of Chaii’s journey from Iran to New Zealand and represents the learnings that accompany the commitment to and creation of a debut album.
Safar سفر is a rich musical record that embodies Chaii’s eye-catching style and flair for creative direction that spans across genres, borders and encapsulates a panorama of interests. The tracklist is less concerned with cohesion and focuses more on representing unique moments and stages, with such variation that “Every song on the album could probably have its own cohesive album”. The album opens with a ‘palette cleanser’ laid down through hook after hook, ‘Shutdown’ whilst not perfect, is a testament to Chaii’s ability to engage in lyrical play and make music for pure enjoyment. The cornerstone of the album, for Chaii, was the third track ‘Main Thing’, starting from the middle it was then easier to flesh out the storyline as the album clicked into place. For the listener alike, the album is a journey through landscapes and a step into a new world blending cultures and worlds that embrace the inbetween of Persia and the West. Fusions of R’n’B, Hip Hop and even Kpop meld with dynamic instrumentation with Chaii's voice to bind it all.
“That's why there's no structure to some of the songs, because they were intentional throughout the journey of making it. They meant something at the time but they're not perfect.”
Despite admitting she “was never an album person…and didn’t see myself doing one’, Chaii’s debut album quickly gained widespread acclaim. A year since publishing it has been taken on tour and performed to international audiences across the UK and US, as well as receiving the highest number of Aotearoa Music Award nominations. “I was not expecting it at all…It was such an experimental realm of a project…I was like there's no way”. Chaii received five nominations for Safar سفر, including Album of the Year, Single of the Year (“We Be Killing It”), Best Electronic Artist, Best Music Video (for the self-directed “Night Like This”), and Best Producer alongside Frank Keys. To be recognised with the industries award system was affirming and surprising for Chaii as genre wise, she felt many of the tracks didn’t conform to the categories. Having achieved such a feat with her team never changed how she viewed the album herself yet filled her with a sense of pride in the recognition from the industry.
Speaking with Chaii at the close of 2025, it has been a huge year for her. Highlights include the AMA Awards, performing at WOMAD, alongside American/Korean rapper Jay Park and with a new album in the works. From Iran to NZ to London to South Korea, collaboration and international communities are at the heart of her music. Using music to facilitate connections across borders, Chaii is “energised and always gets stimulated by stepping into another world.”, citing the new energies and spaces she gets to encounter on tour as crucial in her music creation process. “It’s very important to move and keep a fresh perspective”. As a big believer in stepping outside of her comfort zone and collaborating with people from different worlds, Chaii understands that standing at the crossroads is “where artist can meet artist regardless and can connect and make really beautiful music together, collaborate and understand each other.”
Moving into the next chapter of her music, Chaii has gained a sense of trust “I don't feel the need to have to prove myself which makes things a lot more fun” and feels a responsibility to now open the door for “newer artists and producers and people just in this field that are stepping in, especially more minority females”. Having experienced the highs and lows that come with being a self-starter in the music industry, Chaii hopes to open the communication path and create a safe space for those within her community to avoid being deterred by the challenges that stop people from continuing in the music industry. For women, especially those of a minority, she hopes to promote a culture where we back each other up and have faith in ourselves, even if it is a bit fake it ‘till ya make it. Back yourself.
“We'll create that safe space. There'll be hits and misses, and there'll be spaces you will feel uncomfortable in…That's the responsibility I feel, one where I can connect people with people that I've already worked with. Another one is as girls…we're quietly confident, when we should be super confident, be voicing it and putting it out there.
Now is the time to back yourself up.”
What has been your most defining song to date?
Digebasse [2020]
What album or artist has been the most influential in your music taste?
Tierra Whack, J.Cole, Childish Gambino, M.I.A and so many others.
You’ve teased a new album in the works, any hints?
I’m so excited. Open book era in 2026. It’s coming this year - fast and sooner than I’m ready. I started it in Sydney in June and I’m working on the visuals at the moment. It’s my favourite work by far. I loved Safar and this one is quite different again.
Chaii will be performing with her full band at Sydney Festival Sat 17th Jan.
Sydney Festival marks its 50th anniversary in January 2026 with a diverse city-wide program that honours five decades of cultural transformation and looks ahead to the next generation of artistic innovation. With a city-wide invitation to gather, play, reflect and imagine together, until Sunday 25 January, the festival transforms Sydney into a living stage, activating theatres, streets, alleys, parks and unexpected spaces with bold theatre, dance, music, visual art and immersive experiences that honour five decades of cultural transformation while looking firmly to the future.
Credits:
Written and Interviewed by Joella Marcus (she/her)
Interviewee Mona Sanei (she/her)
Photography by Apela Bell and Evan Xiao