Her name is Aila
Aila Chiar does not hesitate.
When she steps behind a microphone, she delivers with intention. Her voice carries weight, her words demand attention. There is no posturing, no affectation—just authenticity. It is a quality she carries not only in her music but in how she presents herself, both onstage and online.
“I think names hold power,” she said.
Born Aila Chiara Moses, she carries a name with layers of meaning. In some cultures, it is a guiding light. In others, it is a name bestowed upon those with strength and resilience. Her parents, searching for the right name, sought divine intervention.
“My parents, they actually had prayed upon my name, and that’s the name that came to them,” she said.
It is a name she has grown into, and one that now resonates in the Capital Region’s hip-hop scene. With an Eddie Award nomination for best hip-hop artist, her presence is expanding. Whether she takes home the honor or not, she has already secured a place among the area’s most talked-about artists.
Chiar’s music is deeply personal, often reflective, and always intentional. She describes it as a dialogue with herself—an internal conversation that others are invited to hear.
“It’s almost like I’m writing to myself,” she said. “If I were looking at myself from a third-person point of view, these are things that I would want to say to myself to keep me in check and also allow me to continue to self-reflect.”
Her sound pulls from a wide range of influences. She grew up singing before turning to hip-hop, studying artists like Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, and Eve to develop her cadence and flow. The transition required more than just technical skill—it demanded confidence.
“My flow and the cadence and, like, the confidence that I feel rappers embody—the audacity they embody—I was not feeling that in the beginning, so I had to build that up,” she said.
While many performers adopt a stage persona, Chiar does not. The person she is behind the microphone is the same one who shares her struggles and triumphs with her audience. Through social media, she is candid about her experiences, offering an unfiltered look at the highs and lows of an artist’s life.
“It was something that came natural to me to just express and be myself on social media because I like when you can meet someone and they’re the same as they are offline,” she said. “Like, it’s just a nice intimate connection.”
That honesty extends to her performances. Whether playing to a packed venue or an intimate crowd of just a few, she brings the same energy.
“There’s been times where I’ve performed with only three people in the crowd. One person in the crowd. Only my siblings in the crowd. Or a crowd of 100 or 200 or 300 or 400,” she said. “And it’s like, you kind of—you get used to it over time. And I’m now learning to make my nerves more excitement, because it is really exciting, instead of it being like, ‘I can’t do this.’”
Her preparation is deliberate. She practices movement and breath control, takes three deep breaths before stepping onstage, and recites affirmations to center herself. The nerves never fully disappear, but she has learned to reframe them.
“When I get on stage, it’s almost me freely without thinking of any other perceptions or how I even feel about it. It’s just me pushed even more, exaggerated,” she said.
Chiar’s next steps remain fluid. She is in no rush to define a singular path. Alongside her music, she is pursuing a degree in strategic communication at SUNY New Paltz, exploring media, public relations, and business strategy. Her goal is to own her own consultancy—another space where she can help people recognize their own strength.
“I’m looking to be a strategic consultant and own my own entrepreneurship,” she said.
In the meantime, she continues to create. Two projects are in the works—one blending neo-soul and jazz with hip-hop, the other leaning into indie and alternative sounds.
“I have so much music in the vault, and I’m looking to just release. Let it go,” she said. “So you make room for more.”
For now, she remains present, taking in the moment, embracing the journey. Whether or not she leaves the Eddie Awards with a trophy, her name is already on people’s minds. And as she continues forward, she is determined to bring others with her.
“Make sure that you do your affirmations,” she said.
