Aila Chiar is a jack of all trades. She writes her own music, creates her own beats, and it all comes straight from her bedroom.

The Albany native recently graduated from SUNY New Paltz, receiving her degree in communications with a concentration in strategic communications. Of course, creating music while studying is no easy feat. She credits her mom with helping her to get through it.

“At first I was like, ‘I don’t want to do this, I don’t want to do school, I would rather just focus on music,’” She began. “But my mom, she’s always been someone to give me a balanced perspective, and it ended up being really, really helpful.”

Chiar first started posting to SoundCloud in 2020. Her mixtape, Self Reflection: A Tainseld Mixtape, released on streaming services in 2024. It was her first major release, where she recorded, produced, and self-published it on her own. When she was getting ready to publish the mixtape, she went through many emotions prior to its release.

“It was really nerve-wracking because I don’t know how it’s going to be received,” She explained. “A lot of different nerves were coming up, but once it was finally released, it was such a big relief.”

When writing her music, Chiar tends to look within herself and thinks about what others may need to hear. The music process is a personal one for her, pouring her soul out to her listeners in her work. Her mixtape, Self Reflection: A Tainseld Mixtape, encompassed this vulnerability.

A lot of her inspiration came from female rappers such as Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott. Originally, she only had interest in singing. After collaborating on a hip-hop track, she found a new love for rapping.

“I think it was 2021 when I was asked to be on a song called ‘Joey in Love’ by Capital City Crooks,” She recalls. “He asked me to be on this 90s kind of track and at that point, rapping wasn’t something that I had most of my focus in.”

She also started performing in 2021, connecting with her audience more. Something she always tries to include in her performances is eye contact. It’s her way of developing a relationship with the audience and something she carries with her everywhere.

“I love direct eye contact. There’s something about looking when you’re speaking life or a message into someone.”

One of the biggest moments of Chiar’s growing career came in February. City Hall in Albany invited Chiar to perform for their annual Black History Month Award Ceremony & Celebration. The mayor and city council members were in attendance.

“This is insane to go into City Hall and perform there, and I’m thinking, when has this ever happened before?” She thought back to the moment when she received the invite. “I remember sitting in the chair and my legs were just going because I was so excited to get up there and sing.”

Although Chiar would normally be secretive, she shared some details about her next project.

“It’s getting more into peeling back another layer. There’s an even deeper level when it comes to naming and really opening up about my personal life to kind of give who is this person behind the directness. So, really giving an insight as to who Aila Chiar is rather than self-reflection.”

If you want to check out more of Aila’s music and YouTube, click here.