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Las Vegas musician Beverly Chillz finds new ways to create during the shutdown

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Beverly Chillz
Photo: Connie Ann Santos / Courtesy

Beverly Chillz’s 30th birthday was anything but normal. Rather than let the pandemic get in the way of his celebration, the artist threw a virtual party on Instagram live, featuring a performance from inside an undisclosed studio. The only other person there was Chillz’s cameraman.

“It was so much fun, probably one of the best birthdays I’ve had,” Chillz says. “And no one was there.”

Chillz, who doesn’t disclose his real name, says he’s gotten used to overcoming obstacles by this point. “Life up until now has prepared me. I kinda feel like that I’ve died a thousand times.”

He calls learning to create in this new era of isolation “almost fun for me. It’s an opportunity to be creative and, artistically, it’s another medium.”

Chillz grew up in Las Vegas but moved around—to Utah and Louisiana and California. He received a degree in musical theater and returned to Las Vegas in 2016, but says, “It was kind of a whirlwind. I was a recovering sex and drug addict, and I also had just found out I was HIV-positive. I was strung out.”

The artist turned to music, performing at open mics as an outlet, first at the Jam inside Ninja Karaoke and then at the Bunkhouse’s singer-songwriter sessions. “I’m a storyteller before I’m a performer or artist,” he says. “It’s a creation of an aesthetic and a mood and a feeling.”

Chillz’s voice and lyrical pacing might draw comparisons to artists like The Weeknd, but his cinematic delivery—often accompanied only by an acoustic guitar player—sets him apart.

“What influences my music is a lack of love that I was willing to give myself before, and the love that I’ve found now,” he says. “That’s what drives me. Most of my music is kind of searching for love or understanding the lack thereof, and where I went wrong. I think the biggest inspiration is learning to love myself.”

Thus far, Chillz has only put out live recordings on Soundcloud and YouTube. The day before the state closed all nonessential businesses, Chillz livestreamed a performance from inside a penthouse at the Bellagio, a collaboration with streaming project Unearthed Music. “It was like the last hurrah,” he says.

Chillz didn’t know then that livestreaming would become his primary source of connection, but he has embraced it as a way to explore his creativity during the pandemic. “I find myself creating things that will be safe and healthy for us, that still pushes the boundary of art,” he says. “That’s what I’ve been working on creating—different ways to tell my story.”

BEVERLY CHILLZ instagram.com/beverly.chillz, soundcloud.com/beverlychillz, bit.ly/2VDV7j2

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