THE OUTPOUR

CHARISMATIC    A THINKER     ALIVE

By Abigail Tucker & Teoni Siani-Dash

It is heavy knowledge that in our current society so many young black youths are being dragged into a life of crime as result of poverty and lack of equity throughout society. Yet, Chloe doesn’t want the culture of people of colour to be diminished to articles about knife and gun crime, violence, and slavery. Chloe strives for representing that Black people are so much more and continually aims to separate Black identity from Black struggles.

So how do you separate from that? How do you move more into uplifting people, rather than like focusing on that one subject?

“I think for the people that do write about their experience, about struggles and challenges, racism, all of those poets I think it's because it's experience, art comes from experience. [But] how I get to other places is definitely through imagination, it's about creating the world that you have or the world that you want for yourself, and it links all to speaking things into existence, reinventing yourself.”

In another one of Chloe’s poems, titled Phoenix, her writing parallels her thoughts on reinvention and rebirth:

"I have a rebirth in my creativity, where I just come out with something that's different to what I usually do but it also kind of links, and it’s just like this is the new version of Chloe."

So many key events such as New Year’s or birthdays for Chloe, mark a new opportunity to tap into new levels of herself and reimagine the world she wants to live in.

“I think it'll be tragic for me to stay in one niche and stay doing one thing over and over again because once you feel like you mastered it, or you know everything about it, like where do you go from there?”

Which is why Chloe is so keen to travel and gain new experiences. With the constant growth found in trying new things allowing her to elevate herself to ‘new heights.’

Recently, Chloe has been focussing on her project ‘Underground Barz’ - whom she founded with her partner, Malik. It is a platform that holds events for creatives, poets, and singers, allowing them to come on stage and showcase who they are.

So tell me about Underground Barz, how did that happen?

“It started in little doses, in 2021 we went to a poetry show, and I think it was the first poetry show ever since lockdown, it was in June when the restrictions were lifted, and we see this poetry show was packed, because no one had been to a poetry show in ages. [...] I saw people that I've known since 2019”.

“A lot of us didn't get to perform because the line-up list was so long, so a lot of us didn't get to perform. So, then my boyfriend and he had been my boyfriend for like two days, said: ‘why don't you invite everyone around to the house and we could do something?’”.

Initially, Chloe was reluctant as she did not really know the performers well enough. But she took the chance, after only a moment’s thought.

“When we [arrived], he had set up the starry lights so that was projecting stars on the ceiling, the whole room was dark, he had put an instrumental on [...] We just turned it into a show, and it was very intimate”.

Connections, relationships, and friendships were formed sparking a beginning that the founders were not fully aware of at the time. After a repeat a month later, Malik and Chloe expanded their poetry event further. After Barbeques, Christmas shows and Beach poetry trips. If the poetry wasn’t enough, we are sure the food was. Chloe and Malik decided to take their idea to venues where they continuously sold out multiple Underground Barz events.

“The following year is when we connected with BMT Hub. I have a really great friend of mine, Fusion, [...] He was the first person that we worked with on our first ever event, and that event was completely sold out.” 

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She continues:

“We connected with Theatre Peckham and did a three-night show which was on the themes of our family, our love, and our life. So, we had 10 different poets every single night doing that theme of poetry. That was amazing, to have poetry come back to the theatre. That's when we had our Christmas Show and we connected with Stratford Westfield and we did with Fashion Meets Music which is a black owned business, they have a store in Westfield, and I think we’ve worked with them three times now, sold out every time we worked with them.”

Chloe celebrates her and Malik’s (@unifiedking) success with Underground Barz, which was born out of their love for creativity, poetry, good vibes, and their love for each other.

Your boyfriend, does he have his own background in poetry as well?

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“He's really good, but he doesn't perform as much as I do, he doesn’t do it full-time. His background is in cooking. He’s one of those people that are really good at everything”

She spoke of their Sunday free-writing sessions and how Malik blew her away with a poem he wrote:

“there was one called The Joy in Today and he literally smashed that poem, and I was thinking: ‘did you just use me to write?’"

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Chloe values and loves the people around her. Their strength and the love they give back to her is what inspires her the most.

Who inspires you?

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"Inspiration has to be something that's close," Chloe says.

And it is certainly close for Chloe with the support, encouragement, and words of wisdom from her mum, who ‘speaks life into her ideas,’ during times of demotivation. She is also inspired by her nan, and her work ethic amidst hardship.

“She a part of the Windrush generation, so she worked her whole life, never being unemployed, she worked as a nurse.”

Chloe also inspired by her brother’s and their creativity, particularly in music and producing - even having a song that remains her mother’s ringtone - and of course, her boyfriend Malik.

“I'm the most vulnerable when it comes to him, he's able to tell me, not tell me when I'm wrong, but tell me when I could have done something better and tell me how to improve and show me how to improve and have that patience with me.”

But finally, in a full circle moment to all her growth, Chloe is inspired by her younger self.

“I used to write notes to myself, so when I become certain ages, I'll be able to read it back. One of the artworks I found was all of the things that I want to be, and it was singer, dancer, artist was on there, model, and it's really nice because I've become all of those things. […] I’ve actually done it for my younger self.”

If you could speak to your past self, what would you say to her?

“I would say we did it and we're not finished yet! We're not done yet, so we did it but we're not done yet and I'm excited about all the versions of me that I'm going to become.”

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Chloe’s has an upcoming Underground Barz event on May 10th that is expected to be  a night like never before. Chloe and Malik are paying homage to the poetry night that ‘went down in history’ - the one that started it all. Focussing on what made it so special; connections, relationships and friendships that will go beyond the evening’s events. Where creatives will be able to take that stage and own it.