ALTON, ILLINOIS — MUSIC • CULTURE • ARTISTRY
There are artists who discover their calling early.
Then there are artists who discover it after life forces them to take a different path. For Chy Racks, music became that path.
Growing up in Alton, Illinois, and later in a small country town about 30 minutes away, Chy Racks was surrounded by music from an early age. Singing in church introduced her to performing, but at first, music wasn’t necessarily the career she envisioned.
Her dream was basketball.
That changed when a serious leg injury, including a hyperextension, eventually prevented her from playing the sport she loved. By her early teens, the direction of her life began to shift.
At 16, after surgery and a period of transition, Chy recorded her first song on a friend’s front porch. What began as an unexpected chapter gradually became a purpose.
Today, at 26, Chy Racks describes herself as “all in or nothing.”
THE BEGINNING: A NOTEBOOK, A CHURCH AND A LOVE FOR MUSIC
Long before recording songs, Chy was already writing them.
In the fourth grade, she kept a notebook filled with songs and even tried convincing her friends to form a girl group.
It was an early glimpse of something she didn’t yet fully understand about herself.
She remembers one particular moment when her teacher took the notebook because Chy wasn’t paying attention in class. Curious about what her teacher thought of the writing, Chy later snuck over and saw her teacher reading the notebook—and smiling.
Years later, that childhood notebook feels like evidence that the artist was there all along. But basketball remained the priority.
Until an injury changed everything.
FROM A FRONT PORCH TO A FIRST RECORDING
By 16, Chy had undergone surgery and was ready to explore music more seriously. Her first recording wasn’t made in a major studio.
It happened on a friend’s front porch.
That humble beginning became the first recorded chapter of what would eventually become a much bigger artistic journey.
By 21, Chy released her first single, “Old Nigga.” The response changed her perspective.
The song began gaining traction, and suddenly the possibility she’d been chasing became something tangible.
That realization pushed Chy further into the music industry.
She began competing in talent shows, performing live and building experience as an artist. Her journey eventually included meetings with Roc Nation and performing at shows, giving her opportunities to experience different sides of the professional music world.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: CHY RACKS
Q: When did you first realize music could actually become something serious for you?
“I started singing in church with my family when I was younger. I didn’t know I wanted to sing at first. I knew I could sing, but believe it or not, I wanted to play basketball.”
Q: What happened with basketball?
“I had a problem with my leg. It hyperextended, and I couldn’t play anymore for real. That was around 13. That’s when I really started singing more.”
The loss of basketball created space for another passion to take center stage.
Music had always been present, but now Chy had an opportunity to pursue it differently.
WRITING “5050” IN THE CAR
Some songs are carefully planned. Others arrive in unexpected moments.
For Chy Racks, “5050” came together outside a close friend’s birthday party. She wrote the song in the car.
It was a good summer, and the song became another important part of her creative development.
Q: What do you remember about writing “5050”?
“I wrote ‘5050’ outside my close friend’s birthday party in the car. It was a good summer.”
The story behind the song represents something central to Chy’s creative process: music doesn’t always wait for the perfect studio, the perfect setup or the perfect moment.
Sometimes, the moment itself is the inspiration.
WHEN THE VOICE NEEDED TO REST
As Chy’s career continued developing, another obstacle appeared. She developed vocal nodules.
For a singer, the voice isn’t simply an instrument—it is the foundation of the craft. Chy underwent voice therapy and worked toward recovery.
Rather than allowing the setback to define her career, she focused on getting her voice healthy and eventually returned to making music.
But her physical challenges weren’t finished.
THE KNEE SURGERIES THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
At 24, Chy’s knee problems returned. Another surgery followed.
This time, the impact went far beyond music. She couldn’t walk.
She couldn’t work. She wasn’t singing. She wasn’t writing.
For an artist whose identity had become increasingly connected to music, being forced away from the creative process created an uncertain period.
Q: What was going through your mind during that period?
“I just didn’t know what life was looking like.” Then her other leg gave out.
Another surgery followed.
For someone still in her early twenties, it was a difficult stretch of life marked by physical limitations and uncertainty.
But Chy chose rehabilitation.
FINDING HERSELF AGAIN
Physical therapy became part of the comeback.
Slowly, Chy worked to regain mobility and rebuild her strength.
And as her body recovered, something else began returning too: her creativity. She started writing again.
She began focusing again.
Most importantly, she began finding herself again.
The experience gave her a different perspective on what it means to pursue a career in music. The journey wasn’t simply about recording songs or performing.
It was about continuing to move forward when circumstances made that difficult.
CHY RACKS AT 26: ALL IN OR NOTHING
Now 26, Chy Racks is looking forward rather than backward.
Her story includes church, basketball, injuries, surgeries, songwriting, talent shows, performances, industry meetings, vocal therapy and moments of uncertainty.
But she sees those experiences as chapters—not the conclusion.
The little girl writing songs in a fourth-grade notebook couldn’t have known where those lyrics might eventually lead.
The teenager who lost basketball couldn’t have known that losing one dream would create room for another.
And the 24-year-old facing another surgery couldn’t have known that the process of recovery would eventually help her find her way back to music.
Now, at 26, Chy Racks has made her position clear:
She’s all in or nothing.
THE CHY RACKS CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Q: What does being “all in or nothing” mean to you at 26?
“It means I’m all in. I’m focused. I found myself again, started writing again, and I’m ready to keep going.”
Q: How have your setbacks changed the way you approach music?
“I think everything I’ve been through made me look at things differently. When you can’t walk, work, sing or write, you realize how much those things mean to you. Getting back to it made me appreciate it even more.”
Q: Do you think basketball had to end for music to become your focus?
“Honestly, I always loved music. I just didn’t know that’s what I wanted to do at first. Basketball was what I wanted. Once that wasn’t an option anymore, I started taking music more seriously.”
Q: What keeps you motivated now?
“I want to see how far I can take this. I’ve been through too much to stop now.”
THE ROAD AHEAD
Chy Racks’ story isn’t built around a straight line. It’s built around pivots.
From church to basketball. From basketball to singing.
From a fourth-grade notebook to a front-porch recording.
From her first single to live performances and industry opportunities. From vocal nodules to voice therapy.
From surgeries and uncertainty to physical therapy and recovery.
And now, from finding herself again to pursuing music with renewed focus. At 26, Chy Racks isn’t presenting her journey as finished.
She’s treating it as the beginning of another chapter. The next chapter is music.
And this time, she’s all in.
