Chantae Cann Sings: Faith, Family, and Fearlessness

Some voices are simply built for something greater. For singer-songwriter Chantae Cann, music has never been just a career but a calling and an act of courage, one she inherited from her mother. From the church pews of Cleveland to the concert stages of Atlanta, Chantae has spent her life learning what it means to show up fully for her art, her faith, and the people who need her story most.

Chantae Cann knows she is assigned to something greater. She does not say this with arrogance; she says it with the quiet, grounded confidence of a woman who has done the inner work to understand who she is and why she is here. If you want to understand her, you have to recognize that faith is not just a part of her life but the lens through which she lives it.

“Faith is the reason why I am doing any of this,” said Chantae. “The reason why I was created is to share my faith in any form that I can. I know that I was called to share my faith and the love of God through everything I do. Music is just one of those mediums. Interacting with people is another one. Sharing my own personal story is another one."  

The Cleveland, Ohio, native was born into a household where music was not simply background noise, but a firm foundation. Chantae’s mother was a musician and music teacher who had toured the world alongside jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie and others. Her father was an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church. 

As a child, Chantae sang in the children's choir, and some of her earliest and most poignant musical memories were formed during the family's time in Chicago, where her mother eventually became her music teacher in school, from second to eighth grade. Chantae said, “I was in everything from the chorus to the band. All things, I was truly too nervous and shy to do, but I was around it all the time, and I had an ear for it (music). My innate, raw musical talent came straight from my mom. It came easily to me, so she used me as an example or to help her out with certain things in class.” 

Chantae’s mother was harder on her than any of the other students and held her daughter to a higher standard of behavior and performance. “One time I had these pink, plastic glasses that I hated,” she said. “We were in music class, and my mother told me to put on my glasses. Then she said, ‘Class, I want you to look at Chantae, and tell her we are not starting class until she puts on her glasses.’ That was so embarrassing! Needless to say, after that, I tried to be on my best behavior in class.”

Despite all of this, Chantae’s mother was proud of her and expressed it as often as she could, while making many sacrifices to raise a family and nurturing a musical legacy. Chantae still carries the little ditties her mother used to teach her and her friends. The family eventually made their way to Atlanta, where Chantae put down roots and has since built a life and career that she uses to honor her parents and her relationship with God. 

While attending a youth group as a teen in Atlanta, she met her music mentor, Ametria Dock, who “took her under her wing.” While working with Dock, Chantae got her musical start beyond her parents’ raw talent and found her own sound.

Chantae’s music comes from a place of intentional honesty, where authenticity is not optional. That commitment to realness is what connects her to her listeners. When women reach out to tell her that her music has encouraged them or helped them through a difficult time, Chantae does not take it lightly. She counts it an honor. She sees it as a cycle in which God inspires her, her music inspires others, and the whole thing becomes something larger than herself.

Chantae explained that when naming albums and songs, she literally talks to God and asks, “Alright Lord, what do You want to say right now? What do you want to say in this moment? Help give me titles, help me give me concepts.” She said, “And sometimes He’ll give me melodies, and sometimes they may be all at the same time. And sometimes they may be separate. And sometimes I may hear a concept from five years ago and bring it back to the current moment. B-side is a concept she heard years ago when writing her first album, Journey to Golden. Then God brought it back for Rhythm and Revelation (her latest album).”

The authenticity comes directly from her conversations with God. "Whether I'm fighting or victorious, and many times those two things happen at the same time, I want to write from a place of genuineness," said Chantae. 

She is drawn to live music experiences that embody the same authenticity. Her inspirations include PJ Morton’s live show, the brilliant energy of Snarky Puppy, and the nostalgic reunion tour featuring Kirk Franklin, Israel Houghton, and others who understand that music can be both a worship experience and a communal one.

When Chantae rededicated her life to Christ in 2019, something shifted at the deepest level. "It was a new level of surrender," said Chantae. "The more I gave up to God, the more He was able to use me." Since that rededication, Chantae has experienced what she can only describe as God blowing her mind, meeting her beyond her need, and showing up in ways she could not have orchestrated on her own. She has prayed that every person she meets would experience that same encounter with God.

With that prayer, her mantra, “do it afraid,” is the message she wants to share with her listeners as well. Chantae returns to these words again and again, coming straight out of the lyrics from her own song, “Beautiful Brave.”

“Beautiful brave, gotta get up, get up and say,

I’m scared, but I’m gonna do it anyway. 

Do it afraid, gotta get up and say, 

I’m scared, but I’m gonna do it anyway.”

“That’s something I have been trying to lead with, in encouraging others, but also walk it out myself,” said Chantae. 

Courage, she has learned, is not the absence of fear but a daily decision. “That sense of bravery or courage, it has to be renewed daily, it has to be chosen daily,” Chantae said. This decision gives her music purpose and allows her audience to carry the same courage to do hard things, regardless of fear.

She needed both when her mother and grandmother were diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, a progressive neurological condition. Although Huntington's disease remains relatively unknown in the public consciousness, many families affected by it carry their grief quietly; Chantae is choosing not to be quiet. She is using her platform, voice, and story to bring this community into the light, turning personal pain into collective purpose.

A courageous decision Chantae recently made was to say yes to a documentary that required her to revisit some tender places in her family's story. Her documentary, “Beautiful Brave”, follows her family's journey with the disease. 

In the film, Chantae is interviewed by fellow artist Avery Sunshine. She shares about watching her grandmother and mother navigate life with this illness. The film also includes insights from family members and close friends, who offer their perspectives on what Chantae and her loved ones have carried. 

"I want to make an impact in this conversation," Chantae said. "I want to share my story with others and bring awareness because research is still ongoing to find more treatments and a cure."

For Chantae, her assignment is to share her testimony, encourage women, and reflect a God who meets people where they are and takes them further than they imagined. She is here to sing the songs that tell the truth about what it means to be human, fighting and victorious, often in the same breath.

She is here to do it, afraid. And in doing so, she gives the rest of us permission to do the same.

Watch Chantae Cann's documentary Beautiful Brave on Amazon Prime Video. To stay connected with her music and journey, follow her on Instagram at @chantaecann.

Kendolyn Walker is the Music Editor for Wit + Grace Magazine and producer for City Love, an indie artist showcase in New York City.