Mixed Green's Artist: Chalice Serrano
How did the band's name come about? Was it a group effort or an epiphany?
Chalice Phillips is the name my parent’s gave me. Originally, I went by just my first name- short, sweet, and unique. It was not until very recently that the name Serrano was added. In the Philippines, it is tradition to keep the mother’s maiden name as well as the father’s. Serrano is my mother’s. We thought it had a nice ring to it while distinguishing me from all other groups that go by the name Chalice.
Did you get into music for the art of it or was it all because of the groupies (Male and Female)?
I definitely do it for the groupies. I find self-validation in their love and support. Ha Ha! No way. I sing because I love to sing. I write because I want to share how I feel. Few things make me happier in this world. I have an artistic soul. I like to be stimulated and create beautiful things. When I make music, it’s a new adventure, a new experience, every time. There’s nothing better than to sit back and see what you have created- whether alone or with others- and appreciate your own work. I learn something new about myself with every song.
How do you feel about being a part of Mixed Greens?
I am ecstatic to be a part of Mixed Greens. This is a great opportunity to let people get to know me and yet another opportunity to be part of a great collection of artists.
How about the personalities of the group? Who's the wild one, who's the business one, who's not paying attention?
Me. Me. Me. Uh… and me. He he. I’ve been told I’m a little bit crazy. In a good way, I hope. So, I guess I’m a good crazy. I’ve also been notified that I lack any notion of the phrase ‘common sense’. I think I’m just fine in that area. Common sense is all relative, right? I love to let loose, so I think that’s when crazy kicks in, but I take pride in my ability to recognize when responsibility is necessary. I take my life seriously, which is why I make it paramount that I enjoy it.
Who's your idol or inspiration for your music?
Oh wow. I love this question. I grew up idolizing -so cliché- Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. My first talent shows were a young me performing “I Will Always Love You” and “Hero.” Ha! Memories. These are two women with very strong and distinct voices. Nowadays, I appreciate artists like Erykah Badu, India.Arie, Jill Scott, Alicia Keyes, the list goes on. I like to see strong women doing what they love, singing what they want to sing, the way they want to sing it. I feel like these women effectively evoke feeling when I listen to their work and they do it in their own inimitable way.
Where do you feel music is going in the next couple of years?
It’s interesting because I’ve noticed that lyrics just don’t need to make sense or have any depth to them any more. Popular music, lately, doesn’t necessarily tell a story, or invite you to feel what the artist is feeling. I’m not really sure where I see music going in the next couple of years, but with people I’ve met and heard recently coming into the light, including myself, I have high hopes. We shall see.
How often do you write songs & how do you come up with your song concepts?
I go through periods of time when I write 3 songs a day, even just unorganized lines of poetry, just to get my feelings and ideas out. Other times, I go through a “writing hiatus.” Usually, I’ll spend this time reflecting on things that I’ve written in the past. My inspiration for my lyrics comes from different things, sometimes I’ll read a book and get an idea, and other times I’ll be going through a particular struggle or even a high point in my life and write about it. Once, I woke up from a dream and, in the dream I was singing this song. I remembered the song so clearly when I woke up that I got on my computer and recorded what I remembered before the idea left me. I remember thinking to myself, I can’t believe I heard the song that clearly in my dream and laid it down so accurately in my consciousness. Some one was telling me that song needed to be written.
Mixed Greens is a Blended Musical Compilation how do you describe your music?
How DO I describe my music? I would say, it’s a little bit of everything; some of my music even has a little bit of a rock n’ roll edge to it. This particular song I have on the compilation is a little more dark and sensual than other songs I’ve done. Would I put my music in a particular genre? Not really. Music is music. I sing what I feel. My website says R and B, Soul, and Hip Hop, but I’d just say I write for different occasions. I think this one is self-explanatory.
What’s the best part about creating your own music?
EVERYTHING! I’m not sure there is a best part. I enjoy the beginning, the middle, and the end. Creating the music and lyrics is really stimulating, it’s always fun to be writing and have little epiphanies here and there about the direction I want to take the music. The people and the environment I’m in greatly effects the outcome of the music as well. And actually recording and making the ideas materialize is just as fun. I get to test whether my ideas worked the way I thought they would and really feel what I’ve 
written and translate that to audible music. Afterward, appreciating the work done, and then sharing it with others, the entire process is amazing to me.
What was the name of the first song? Could you please write down a couple of bars of that song?
The first song… Hmmm… This would be the first song I’ve recorded on my own. It’s entitled “Waiting.”
Satin on my skin/ Drinking your love in
I feel you in my veins/ And, boy, I can’t explain
Send chills down my spine/With no concept of time
Melt into my body