The artist known as CHYTOWN begins with a clarification. She is not from Chicago. She was born and raised in New York City, and the name is intentional misdirection, a signal that she operates outside expected categories.
That positioning defines her career. CHYTOWN is an independent recording artist, founder of The New Renaissance, a music, arts and media publishing company, creative director of the fashion label Vers le Haut, pronounced “Veer lay auo” and translated as “Toward the Top,” and one-third of ACT TV, a multimedia platform. The portfolio spans music, fashion, publishing and broadcast, unified by a single principle of creative control.
An Independent Framework
CHYTOWN describes herself as a spiritual person guided by God, love and respect, with a focus on quality of life. She is deliberate about remaining independent, citing an aversion to labels, stigmas and externally imposed limitations.
“Freedom is earned,” she says. “Through hard work and breaking boundaries, you can excel beyond your wildest expectations.”
She entered music professionally six years ago. Her stated measure of success is not commercial placement but capacity. “My greatest achieved freedom thus far is the fact that I have the tools, time and capacity to create art at anytime,” she notes. That autonomy, she adds, took years to recognize as the original goal.
Practice and Discipline
A typical day is structured around flexibility. After morning prayer, her workday may begin at 6 a.m. or 6 p.m. Physical training and nutrition are daily requirements. Saturdays are reserved as a non-work day.
Her creative labor is divided across disciplines: songwriting and recording, design direction for Vers le Haut, and marketing strategy for her ventures. Evenings are allocated to continued study, currently German language acquisition, and reading in wealth and philosophy. She ends most nights watching The Golden Girls.
This routine, she says, reflects the reality of independent entrepreneurship. No two days are identical, but the grounding practices remain constant.
Time as Capital
CHYTOWN’s business philosophy centers on time preservation. “I learned the hard way that you get what you pay for, from the customer perspective and from the owner’s perspective,” she says. “I rather lose money than time. Time is the most valuable asset there is and the only one that you can’t get back.”
That principle informs pricing for Vers le Haut, which uses high-quality fabrics and handmade construction. The cost, she explains, reflects material value and labor, not markup for positioning.
On differentiation, her view is unequivocal. “Even if I was replicated identically, no one can match my soul or my energy. I am one of one because of my heart and trust me, God broke the mold when he made me.”
Building Without a Blueprint
Public visibility is secondary to production. CHYTOWN is known among peers for extended periods of absence during development cycles, followed by re-emergence with completed work.
“When I’m building, I’m usually MIA,” she says. “I’m not used to showing off my process, I’m used to presenting results.” She acknowledges this makes social media engagement challenging, as her preference is for outcomes over documentation.
She compares creating an independent lane to developing a vacant lot. It requires investment in infrastructure, assembling the right team, and navigating trials without precedent. “There is not a blueprint and others’ opinions and experiences often don’t relate or contribute to the success of creating your own lane,” she says. “You learn as you go and get good at winging it.”
Faith, Identity and Purpose
CHYTOWN addresses the intersection of her spirituality and identity directly. She notes that her faith has at times been misconstrued because she is gay.
“God loves us all and my sexuality has no effect on my relationship with God and it never will,” she says. “He made my heart and he knows me better than I know myself and I will always undoubtedly keep my heart and faith in God’s hands.”
She attributes her creative drive to that same source. “God gifted me with a voice so powerful and a light so bright that no one can diminish it.” Her artistic objective is to translate audience experiences into work that provides catharsis. By listening to the struggles of fans and friends, she aims to create connection points that affirm they are not alone.
CHYTOWN’s current catalog is available on all major streaming platforms. Further information on The New Renaissance, Vers le Haut and ACT TV can be found by searching “CHYTOWN.”
You can find CHYTOWN on all streaming platforms and Google by typing in “CHYTOWN” and connect with me directly at
Follow me on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @therealchytown
She closes with appreciation for the conversation. “Thanks again for having me!! Can’t wait to share it!”
