A.CHAL taps into his psychedelic roots with “Saico”

His newest single, “Saico”, and the accompanying video — shot on his grandfather’s ranch in Peru — taps into his familial and psychedelic roots. While the lyrics unravel existential feelings, the visuals provide a rare sense of ease.

Ahead of the release we sat down with A.CHAL to talk about his grandfather’s influence, how Peru continues to ground him, and what's next for him music-wise.

So your first single comes out this Friday. Are you excited? 

I'm excited and kind of nervous, but I know everything's going to be all right. Coming out of a major deal where I had so many resources to do this thing solo has been a learning experience for sure… but I think what’s cool about it is that I’m not tripping on my success like that. Leaving LA and this system I was in, I knew that I couldn’t put out music that felt commercially-aligned or based on an algorithm and I also don’t have to. This song and upcoming record is different from all the other music I put out. I made what I would want to hear. Even shooting the video in Peru on an eight millimeter instead of having a huge production team has made it feel very organic, which reminds me of my formative years.

I’m hoping this is God giving me a new run with all the wisdom I’ve gained since then. It feels like a new term and I’m happy I didn’t rush to drop music during the COVID era, which was a time of experimentation for a lot of artists. I’m more long-term, I wanted something with longevity that will age well.

I can see that with “SAICO”.

Exactly. I came in the game songwriting and producing and was lucky enough to learn from a lot of big producers about what goes into making a hit record and that’s really just about identifying what kind of music you want to make and what you’re trying to say, which gets a little harder when you’re independent and can basically do anything.

How much time did you spend in Peru over the last two years? 

I was there for a while when my grandfather was getting sick. He passed away about a year ago. I was named after him although my name was supposed to be Ichal, my dad’s choice — after the mountain he was raised near. Also where I shot the “Saico” video. That’s where I take the A in my artist name, which also looks like a mountain to me, then the period signifies the circle of life and Chal so that it sounds similar to the name my father wanted for me. 

What was your biggest takeaway from the time you spent with him in his later years? 

There was this huge mirror in front of the bed where he was hospitalized and sitting there with him, it made me realize how young I still am. It’s easy to feel like you’re running out of time or that if you don’t do something by a certain age, it’s too late. He died at 102 and has been such a big inspiration throughout my life. Up until the end he was a true cowboy and always tried his best. He reminded me that you can’t put a number or letter on anything you do. All you can do is try to do what actually means something to you.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about society’s obsession with “more”. Very rarely is anybody ever just satisfied with what they have.

That’s what “Saico” is literally about. I say “I’m going saico in my head. There’s a cycle I can’t quit, it’s a cycle I admit. Said I wouldn’t but I did.” I’m not talking about being addicted to any specific thing, but the obsession with finding fulfillment. Then the verse says “Talking to La Luna in the sky, ate a whole eighth on the 405…” I just did a bunch of shrooms and I’m looking at the moon like “What am I doing?” Headed from one toxic destination to the next. 

One day, you just wake up and realize that people get stuck in these cycles of doing the same empty things over and over again.

It’s a dangerous way to live, wanting something that you don’t have and once you get it, you’re already onto the next thing. 

It’s insane because that’s how we live in every single aspect.

It’s crazy that we’ve survived this long, but I'm also a big fan of not overthinking and just being present. Sometimes I’m all there, but others I’m just in my head. Today at brunch with my friends, one of them asked how I was feeling, and I just felt so confused by my own thoughts. Sometimes I wonder if my thoughts are mine or if they're placed there through my phone.

Definitely, I’ve been there. Our brain is always processing what we consume even if it isn’t in our conscious awareness.

Exactly. It might’ve been a five second swipe but it’s there now. It’s like adding a drop of oil in water. Whether you see it or not, it’s there. With the song, it was important for me to do a visual that showed what the song was talking about, but we didn’t go to Peru with a plan. We just went and did what felt natural and to me that was going to my grandfather’s ranch where phones don’t even work. 

Shooting there with Xavier Scott Marshall and only family members in the video felt intentionally in opposition to the lyrics because being there is what keeps me going and clears up this saico in my head.

I love that juxtaposition. 

I think it’s therapeutic in a way. It makes you feel good. The other night, I ran into my boy at the Dion Lee party and we were outside having a deep convo and were talking about how I only pop out maybe two times a year and being out here can actually be so draining. I can’t have fake conversations all the time and that’s what it feels like here versus when I’m in Peru.

I think it’s so funny that you’re wearing timbs on this Peruvian terrain in the video, like what’s more New York than that? 

In the beginning of the video, I look a bit disoriented, and that’s not me acting. The altitude there is way higher than Machu Picchu, so I was physically unwell for days. I felt like I was going to explode; I was basically tripping, seeing things, and throwing up. When I first got there, I was physically unwell for days, which is why I look a bit disoriented at the beginning of the video. That’s not me acting. The altitude there is way higher than Machu Picchu; it's intense. First night, myaunt just put me under a bunch of heavy blankets, and I went to sleep. The next day I wake up and see these timbs next to my timbs and I’m like that’s crazy. They were pretty much new, not exactly new because you could tell it was the old manufacturer’s version for sure – I went there with a brand new pair so I could immediately tell the difference.

I was raised in Queens and my dad worked in construction — a typical immigrant job — so he’d go back and sometimes leave clothes there because family members would use them and take care of them for years. He brought that pair to my grandfather’s place 15 years ago after first coming to the states.

So you were sick throughout filming the entire video?

The night before we shot the video they took me to these volcanic waters and told me to drink it so I’d feel better and it’s so rich in minerals so the day we shot the video I already felt better. Iput on the old timbs and went out with no shirt and literally felt amazing, as I say in the song. But essentially, none of that video was planned; it all just happened super naturally. 

There’s this underlying message in the lyrics, in the sonics and in the visuals that speak to this liberated thinking of yours. It’s like you said earlier, a five second swipe and its in your brain forever; people who listen to this track are basically plugging into this positive wavelength.

I hope so, but also as conscious as I am, I take that and can separate it from the art. Not all the art I digest visually, sonically, or whatever, has to be aligned with my ethics, but if it feels authentic, I’m probably going to like it and that’s rare in itself. Trying to plug conscious messages in art is a fine line to walk on because it can come off really cheesy. That’s why I’m a huge Bob Marley fan because although it’s conscious, it isn’t in your face. You’re just going to feel good when you play the track. 

It’s art, but it means something more when it’s intentional.

You still gotta keep it saucy, you know; base it on the vibes. That said, it’s not easy to be intentional and that’s why it can take me longer to finish projects; I can’t just put a bar in because it sounds good, I have to feel it too. Everything is there for a reason. 

Now I’m in the process of putting together a show and taking my time with that — how the music translates live is super important to me. I’m finding inspiration in artists from the late 60s and 70s who would put on shows with this transitional energy that felt like very spiritual experiences. We’re just going to have to see what happens.

Watch the new video below: