Chrvns: The next big thing to come out of Bellingham?

How did Christopher Evans go from writing raps in High School ten years ago to performing on stages across multiple states?

Chris Evans, also know by his artist alias “Chrvns,” poses for a portrait in his studio. // Photo by Kelton Burns

Written by Kelton Burns

“At first, there was no plan, bro. There was no plan at all.”

Chris Evans, known by his rapper alias “Chrvns”, moved to Bellingham right after graduating high school in Georgia. Looking for an escape from a bad living situation, he took a three-day drive across the country.

“Music was the thing I always wanted to do,” Chrvns said.

Recently, it’s common to find him gracing the stages of venues all around town — including The Wild Buffalo, The Shakedown, The Crocodile, Black Noise Records and The Blue Room.

Chrvns has released 41 songs on Spotify and other major music streaming platforms over the last couple of years. In High School, he frequently uploaded his songs and collaborations with friends to Soundcloud.

Of the official projects, he’s released 3 albums and an EP. The pandemic provided the perfect opportunity for him to turn a majority of his focus to his music and begin to find his sound.

For young musicians, the road to success isn’t always clear. It can be easy to feel lost and overwhelmed when you’re starting out.

“The biggest struggle is the self-doubt,” he said. When he first had the chance to work with a really skilled musician, he realized he wasn’t as experienced as he thought he was.

“There are 100,000 songs uploaded to Spotify and Apple Music every single day. How do you make yours stand out?” he asked. He reflects on how self-doubt can have you hyper-fixate on your mistakes and sometimes make you step away from your art.

“I don’t know how to go about it I guess, we just got to step away and then come back,” Chrvns said.

We had to find a quiet spot for one of the interviews since Chrvns is regularly recognized and greeted everywhere he goes in Bellingham– but it wasn’t always this way. “There’s no rules, there’s no steps,” Chrvns says to me as we sit in a car downtown on a lively Saturday night.

It always comes back to having fun for Chrvns. At the end of the day, music is his passion, his outlet and his favorite thing to do.

“Just have fun. If you’re not having fun, why are you doing it?” he says with a smile on his face. I’ve only seen his face sharpen when he decided to share a recent lesson he learned with me: one should always try to learn from those succeeding around you. Most of the time, they’ll be able to learn something from you as well.

Chris Evans records vocals for a song in his studio. // Photo by Kelton Burns

This act of changing the subject of the interview, himself, to give me advice he believes will help me succeed in my endeavors really embodies who Chrvns is. In another interview, he stops to ask if I could check in with a mutual friend of ours for him.

“You could just tell he has a real care for people and prioritizes caring about people just as much as he does his music,” said the owner of The Wild Buffalo Craig Jewell.

Through writing and producing music, Chrvns’ goal is to inspire others. He’s been pursuing this dream since sixth grade when he first saw a song come together in a home studio.

In 2006, Chrvns watched as his older brother Brandon and his friend Zack created a rap song together from scratch. From creating the music to the lyrics, Chrvns’ eyes were glued to the entire process.

“I will never forget that one moment, just watching,” Chrvns said.

“Zack would just make beat after beat while everyone is sitting there with composition books,” he said. Chrvns would eventually trade composition books for his Notes app, but still has several old journals full of lyrics in his closet at home.

Growing up in Georgia, Chrvns was always greatly impacted by the early 2000’s Atlanta rap scene. With Atlanta artists like Outkast, T.I., Usher and Lil Jon gaining fame nationwide, Atlanta is widely known as a hip-hop cultural hub.

By the time he finished the sixth grade, he had downloaded music and audio editing software like Audacity and FL Studio on his family’s home computer in their hallway. This was the birth of Chrvns as a hip-hop artist, but also as a producer.

“I remember him putting up stuff in this closet under the stairs at our house in Georgia and making a tiny studio in there with a microphone,” his sister, Ashley Evans, tells me over the phone.

“He was always big, even at talent shows, he had that star kind of energy,” Ashley said.

Throughout middle school and high school, his house would become a creative hub for his friend group to come and create music together even if he didn’t have a professional home studio.

“I shouldn’t have been the main hub but it was fucking working and it gave everybody like a safe space to work on music and it was cool as fuck. Everybody can get creative,” Chrvns said. “There was no judgment. It was all just actual good critiques and just trying to help each other out.”

Today, 14 years later, Chrvns’ home is still a social hub for creativity. He continues to produce his music at his house, with local artists coming over frequently to collab or record their own music.

“My favorite part is getting into their head and figuring out exactly what their vibe is,” Chrvns tells me when asked about working with other artists. He goes on to say sometimes he makes over 10 instrumentals for an artist to consider adding their vocals to. “There’s always that one [instrumental] that just sparks it and once you find that spark, you just gotta go with it.”

Outside of his own music, Chrvns has also produced albums such as Light Years//Dark Days by Devin Luna, his close friend, and collaborator. No matter what genre of music he’s creating, whether it be for himself or other artists, he always strives to have his signature sound heard. He wants people to hear the music he makes and recognize his touch.

“I think a big thing of having so many hats on is to be able to articulate when you’re collaborating with people,” Chrvns said, “because at the end of the day, working with other people and just creating art is… that’s one of the best feelings.”

Chris Evans plays a keyboard in his studio. // Photo by Kelton Burns

The Wild Buffalo has become the foundation for the current stage of his career. Over the past two years, he has become an avid promoter of their events as well as a host for the venue’s seasonal Lip Sync Battles.

Chrvns explains to me that being a theatre kid growing up helped him learn how to bring a room of people together. That’s most of what The Wild Buffalo organizers ask of him and it’s something that he loves to do. His relationship with this venue has grown recently, with him being hired on as the marketing director.

“When people come to a show, they want to see a show and have a good time, so that’s what you want to give them,” he explains to me as if it were that simple. But not just anyone can put on a show like Chrvns.

When Chrvns picks up the mic, your eyes have a hard time focusing on anything else. His charisma is built for an audience and his energy is infectious. He smiles when he explains how he accomplishes this, if it was natural or a practiced skill.

“You ever got your headphones on at the crib and one of your favorite songs is playing and you just dance? Bring that energy to the stage,” Chrvns said.

Sharing this energy is one of Chrvn’s most significant skills. Combined with his aforementioned musical talent, it’s easy to see why he is finding so much traction as an artist. Fans walk away from his shows satisfied — which is exactly what he wants.

His sister remembers going to some of his early rap performances in Bellingham and seeing that star energy she saw in him as a teenager. “He was like the hypeman when anyone else was on [stage], supporting them, getting the crowd going,” I hear her smiling over the phone as she says, “His sets were some of the biggest ones because he could get the crowd going no matter what, even if they wouldn’t know the songs, by the end of it, they’re singing along.”

Chrvn’s energy combined with his gratitude and compassion for those who choose to watch him perform fuel a satisfying, electric performance on stage. When people go out to see live music, whether it be with their friends or not, they’re looking to have a good time, Chrvns knows this. “It’s not about me at that point,” he said.

“You see how he has all the best intentions and is one of the best performers that I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Craig Jewell, owner of The Wild Buffalo. “If there’s anybody right now, that’s going to be the next big thing to come out of Bellingham, it’s Chris.”

The main thing Chrvns has noticed in the people he sees succeeding in his field is discipline. Putting in the work every day to continue to stay committed and keep practicing. He emphasizes always being open to learning whether that’s from your peers in the field, mentors or youtube tutorials.

Chrvns also places a lot of weight on the need for stability in one’s life. “Because your stability, your mental health and your physical health will always be a big factor in your creativity level.”

So what would Chrvns say to someone with a dream of pursuing music as their career and maybe feeling a little lost?

“Keep going.”