In 2021, CHAI made their Sub Pop debut with WINK, securing their position as “a professional purveyor of whimsy” (The New York Times). Today, they are sharing the official video for “SURPRISE,” the band’s new single.
CHAI says of “SURPRISE,” “We all have that precious “something” that we can’t express in words. But sometimes those things happen to make it out as words, and we want to feel and love that “surprise”. Those become the surprises of our lives, and I become a brand new me♡. That’s what we had in mind when we wrote “SURPRISE”. Check it out♡”
As for the song’s official video, CHAI offers this, “When our trailer was stolen during our North American tour, we were able to continue our shows because of the overwhelming support and love from all of you. We never forget how much we appreciate you, and we want to continue to give back to our fans through music, forever and ever. This music video was shot under the blue skies of Los Angeles, with gratitude. Check it out♡.”
This weekend, CHAI will also be one of the artists featured in YouTube Japan’s streaming event “YouTube Music Weekend Vol. 5”, where they will premiere footage from their sold out Brooklyn show that took place on February 15th as part of their WINK TOGETHER NORTH AMERICA TOUR. The livestream will take place on May 7th 1:40 pm JST / May 6th 9:40 pm PDT, on CHAI’s official YouTube channel. Check out the livestream here (Available on archive until May 15th - 1:40 pm JST/May 14th - 9:40 pm PT).
CHAI’s international tour schedule in continued support of WINK spans Friday, June10th through Sunday, November 13th, 2022. In June, the band will visit Australia for a short tour, which includes stops at Vivid Sydney at Carriageworks (Jun. 10th) and Rising 2022 at Forum Melbourne (Jun. 11th). CHAI will then return to the US and Canada in September for appearances at Primavera Sound LA (Sep 18th) and Dover, DE’s Firefly Music Festival (Sep. 25th), and a direct support slot opening for Hippo Campus (Oct. 3rd-30th). Finally, in November CHAI will head to South America for appearances at Primavera Sound’s Sao Paolo, Brazil (Nov. 6th), Santiago, Chile (Nov. 12th) and Buenos Aries, Argentina (Nov. 13th). Please find a full list of tour dates below.
Fri. Jun. 10 - Sydney, AU - Vivid Sydney at Carriageworks Sat. Jun. 11 - Melbourne, AU - Rising 2022 at Forum Melbourne Sun. Sep. 18 - Los Angeles, CA - Primavera Sound LA Sun. Sep. 25 - Dover, DE - Firefly Music Festival Mon. Oct. 03 - Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theater * Tue. Oct. 04 - Grand Rapids, MI - 20 Monroe * Thu. Oct. 06 - Milwaukee, WI - The Riverside Theater * Sat. Oct. 08 - Omaha, NE - The Admiral * Mon. Oct. 10 - Louisville, KY - Paristown Hall * Tue. Oct. 11 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater* Thu. Oct. 13 - Toronto, ON - Queen Elizabeth Theatre * Fri. Oct. 14 - Montreal, QC - Le National * Sat. Oct. 15 - Portland, ME - State Theater * Mon. Oct. 17 - Providence, RI - The Strand * Tue. Oct. 18 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall * Fri. Oct. 21 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz * Sat. Oct. 22 - Charlotte, NC - The Filmore* Tue. Oct. 25 - Miami, FL - North Beach Bandshell * Wed. Oct. 26 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues * Fri. Oct. 28 - St.Pertersburg, FL - Jannus Live * Sat. Oct. 29 - Mobile, AL - Soul Kitchen * Sun. Oct. 30 - Birmingham, AL - Iron City * Sun. Nov. 06 - Sao Paolo, BR - Primavera Sound Sao Paulo Brazil Sat. Nov. 12 - Santiago, CL - Primavera Sound Santiago Chile Sun. Nov. 13 - Buenos Aires, AR - Primavera Sound Buenos Aires Argentina * with Hippo Campus
For the first time in years, it’s that time of year again…We are, of course, referring to the 2022 SxSW Music Festival in Austin, TX. And this year, Sub Pop artists Aeon Station, Naima Bock, Cartel Madras, CHAI, Hannah Jadagu, Kiwi Jr., Pissed Jeans, and Weyes Blood will all appear at the once-again-annual music festival and BBQ buffet. Please find a complete schedule for each artist below.
Aeon Station
THURSDAY, MARCH 17th
5:25 PM / Hipster Robot Showcase @ Side Bar
602 E 7th St., Austin, TX 78701
1:00 AM / SXSW Showcase @ Elysium
705 Red River St., Austin, TX 78701
FRIDAY, MARCH 18th
1:30 PM / Brooklyn Vegan Showcase @ TBD
6:15 PM / Midgetmen’s Jumpstart 14
602 E 7th St., Austin, TX 78701
10:00 PM / Pellicular Works @ Soundspace Captain Quackenbush’s Coffeehouse
5326 Menchaca Rd., Austin, TX 78745
Naima Bock
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16th
1:00 PM / IFPA (Global Street Farm) @ Idle Hands
Address: 85 Rainey St
THURSDAY, MARCH 17th
8:00 PM / St. David’s Bethell Hall @ St. David’s Episcolpal Church
301 E 8th St., Austin, TX 78701
FRIDAY, MARCH 18th
11:00 PM / British Underground Happening @ Seller’s Underground
Panel Topic: Three LGBTQ+ acts with experience exploring their musicianship at a young age speak about the evolution of their craft and how that impacted the ways in which they came to celebrate their sexual identities.
Late last year, CHAI announced the WINK TOGETHER EP, a reimagination of songs from their beloved 2021 Sub Pop debut, WINK. To celebrate the release of the remix collection and CHAI’s forthcoming tour, you can now watch a new video for “PING PONG! feat. YMCK (Busy P Remix).”
For WINK TOGETHER, CHAI tapped their favorite artists from around the world for what they call their “most powerful album yet.” Collaborators include France’s BUSY P, Korea’s Beenzino, Japan’s ZAZEN BOYS and STUTS, as well as Australia’s Confidence Man.
CHAI will also release an official video for “Nobody Knows We Are Fun (STUTS Remix)” on February 9th, 2022.
Later today, CHAI will appear live on Van’s Channel 66 from 10 am to noon PST. The band will perform live, sit for an interview, and will do a short DJ set.
Today’s video release and live stream performance are another small taste of what CHAI have in store with WINK TOGETHER, as well as what they will bring to their 2022 North American tour of the same name. The WINK TOGETHER tour will see CHAI bookending their run of dates supporting Mitski, including stops in Chicago, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles.
WINK TOGETHER Tracklist
END (Confidence Man Remix)
ACTION (with ZAZEN BOYS)
Miracle (Scoobert Doobert Remix)
PING PONG! Feat. YMCK(Busy P Remix)
Nobody Knows We Are Fun (STUTS Remix)
Donuts Mind If I Do (with Beenzino)
CHAI TOUR DATES
Fri. Feb. 4 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Sat. Feb. 5 - Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
Sun. Feb. 6 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Fri. Feb. 11 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Sat. Feb. 12 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
Sun. Feb. 13 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Tue. Feb. 15 - Brooklyn NY @ Elsewhere
Thu. Feb. 17 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel * - SOLD OUT
Fri. Feb. 18 - Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz * - SOLD OUT
Sat. Feb. 19 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern * - SOLD OUT
Mon. Feb. 21 - Birmingham, AL @ Iron City * - SOLD OUT
Tue. Feb. 22 - New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre * - SOLD OUT
Thu. Feb. 24 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Outside Lawn) * - SOLD OUT
Fri. Feb. 25 - Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory * - SOLD OUT
Sat. Feb. 26 - Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater * - SOLD OUT
Mon. Feb. 28 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren * - SOLD OUT
Wed. March 2 - Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * - SOLD OUT
Thu. March 3 - Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * - SOLD OUT
Fri. March 4 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * - SOLD OUT
Sat. March 5 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * - SOLD OUT
Mon. March 7 - Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall * - SOLD OUT
Wed. March 9 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * - SOLD OUT
Thu. March 10 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * - SOLD OUT
Sat. March 12 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Sun. March 13 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Tue. March 15 - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
Thu. March 17 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
This year, CHAI made their Sub Pop debut with WINK, securing their position as “a professional purveyor of whimsy” (The New York Times). Today, the band announces their forthcoming WINK TOGETHER EP, a reimagination of songs from their beloved record, and reveals “END” (Confidence Man Remix). For WINK TOGETHER, CHAI tapped their favorite artists from around the world for what they call their “most powerful album yet.” Collaborators include Korea’s Beenzino, Japan’s ZAZEN BOYS and STUTS, as well as Australia’s Confidence Man. “CHAI and ConMan are a match made in party heaven,” Confidence Man explains. “When we heard their track ‘END,’ we just knew we had to put our hands all over it. Make the girls the 90’s hip hop stars they truly are. And if we do say so ourselves, it’s truly turned into the collab of our dreams.”
Today’s remix is a small taste of what CHAI have in store with WINK TOGETHER, as well as what they will bring to their 2022 North American tour of the same name. The WINK TOGETHER tour will see CHAI bookending their run of dates supporting Mitski, including stops in Chicago, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles.
WINK TOGETHER Tracklist
END (Confidence Man Remix)
ACTION (with ZAZEN BOYS)
Miracle (Scoobert Doobert Remix)
PING PONG! (Busy P Remix)
Nobody Knows We Are Fun (STUTS Remix)
Donuts Mind If I Do (with Beenzino)
CHAI TOUR DATES
Fri. Feb. 4 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Sat. Feb. 5 - Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
Sun. Feb. 6 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Wed. Feb. 9 - Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
Fri. Feb. 11 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Sat. Feb. 12 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
Sun. Feb. 13 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Tue. Feb. 15 - Brooklyn NY @ Elsewhere
Thu. Feb. 17 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel * - SOLD OUT
Fri. Feb. 18 - Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz * - SOLD OUT
Sat. Feb. 19 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern * - SOLD OUT
Mon. Feb. 21 - Birmingham, AL @ Iron City * - SOLD OUT
Tue. Feb. 22 - New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre * - SOLD OUT
Thu. Feb. 24 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Outside Lawn) * - SOLD OUT
Fri. Feb. 25 - Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory * - SOLD OUT
Sat. Feb. 26 - Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater * - SOLD OUT
Mon. Feb. 28 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren * - SOLD OUT
Wed. March 2 - Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * - SOLD OUT
Thu. March 3 - Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * - SOLD OUT
Fri. March 4 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * - SOLD OUT
Sat. March 5 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * - SOLD OUT
Mon. March 7 - Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall * - SOLD OUT
Wed. March 9 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * - SOLD OUT
Thu. March 10 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * - SOLD OUT
Sat. March 12 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Sun. March 13 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Tue. March 15 - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
Thu. March 17 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Earlier this year, CHAI released WINK, their Sub Pop debut that “maintain[s] the unwavering commitment to self-love and community that makes their music so endearing” (Pitchfork). This embracement of community is often found in their electric live shows, and today, CHAI announce their WINK TOGETHER NORTH AMERICA TOUR, plus a sold-out west coast run supporting Mitski. Tickets for their headline dates are on sale this Friday at 10am local time here. For a preview of what to expect at one of CHAI’s fun, aesthetic driven shows, watch the tour trailer below.
CHAI TOUR DATES (NEW HEADLINE DATES)
Fri. Feb. 4 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Sat. Feb. 5 - Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
Sun. Feb. 6 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Wed. Feb. 9 - Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
Fri. Feb. 11 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Sat. Feb. 12 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
Sun. Feb. 13 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Tue. Feb. 15 - Brooklyn NY @ Elsewhere
Thu. Feb. 17 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel * - SOLD OUT
Fri. Feb. 18 - Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz * - SOLD OUT
Sat. Feb. 19 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern * - SOLD OUT
Mon. Feb. 21 - Birmingham, AL @ Iron City * - SOLD OUT
Tue. Feb. 22 - New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre * - SOLD OUT
Thu. Feb. 24 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Outside Lawn) * - SOLD OUT
Fri. Feb. 25 - Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory * - SOLD OUT
Sat. Feb. 26 - Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater * - SOLD OUT
Mon. Feb. 28 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren * - SOLD OUT
Wed. March 2 - Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * - SOLD OUT
Thu. March 3 - Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * - SOLD OUT
Fri. March 4 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * - SOLD OUT
Sat. March 5 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * - SOLD OUT
Mon. March 7 - Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall * - SOLD OUT
Wed. March 9 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * - SOLD OUT
Thu. March 10 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * - SOLD OUT
Sat. March 12 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Sun. March 13 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Tue. March 15 - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
Thu. March 17 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
*= supporting Mitski
PRAISE FOR WINK
“Chai is a professional purveyor of whimsy.” - New York Times
“[CHAI] have reimagined their songcraft for cozy dance music. With their creative process reduced to Zoom and phone calls, they traded in their maximalist pop for a more groove-friendly sound, inverting the CHAI formula to great effect.” - New Yorker
“challenging your expectations is a key tenet of this band.” - NPR Music
“Inspired by the varied genres they were listening to at home, WINK injects the effervescent energy of their past dance-punk work into funk, chiptune, and more.”
- Pitchfork
“This is the year CHAI breaks through like never before.” - Complex
“WINK looks to possess a glitzy, glossy appeal all its own, incorporating EDM and R&B in gleefully idiosyncratic ways.” - AV Club
This past spring, CHAI released their new album WINK via Sub Pop. On WINK, the “scrappiness of Chai’s early records is peeled back to reveal a dreamier collection of melodies driven by Yuna’s sprightly and varied drumming” (New York Times), and their recently-released Adult Swim single “miniskirt” falls into this sound. Today, they share an accompanying video directed by Yoshika Matsuoka. CHAI consistently have an incredible, colorful aesthetic - and this new video is a hi-def presentation of their curated sets.
CHAI’s YUUKI elaborates: “We brainstormed everything, from the ideas to the plot, and with the director, we brought it all to life! This song’s keywords, ‘miniskirt’ and ‘showing off your skin,’ brought the vision for a battle between the miniskirt and long-skirt cliques. Our ‘fight for justice’ in the means of ‘kawaii’ may differ from ‘justice’ for others…and the thought of ‘kawaii,’ that never came to our minds, may actually be the door to opening something new…It’s a story of realization through battle! In the end, what we see is ‘NEO!’ Within this one life we get to live, let’s reinvent ourselves over and over again!”
PRAISE FOR WINK
“Chai is a professional purveyor of whimsy.” - New York Times
“One of CHAI’s greatest strengths is the Japanese band’s ability to weave between different genres, buoyed by their generous sense of humor and vibrantly catchy hooks” - Pitchfork
“challenging your expectations is a key tenet of this band.” - NPR Music
“Inspired by the varied genres they were listening to at home, WINK injects the effervescent energy of their past dance-punk work into funk, chiptune, and more.”
- Pitchfork
“This is the year CHAI breaks through like never before.” - Complex
“WINK looks to possess a glitzy, glossy appeal all its own, incorporating EDM and R&B in gleefully idiosyncratic ways.” - AV Club
