Meet Henri Benard

We had the good fortune of connecting with Henri Benard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Henri, how do you think about risk?
Taking risks has played a vital role in the life of CHKLZ and my career as an artist in general. I think without taking some risks and going after it, it’s hard to have that true fire that is needed to elevate your artistry to the next level. Taking risks have brought us to so many new places and opportunities. And we hope to take these opportunities and turn them into more opportunities by continuing to take the necessary risks to grow our brand.

And I am not saying taking every risk and just go for whatever either. Some risks just really do not make sense while others can be super calculated. And if you do not see the potential return on your investment, there is no point to doing that.

I know without taking risks in my career, my life would be very different. And I know regardless of what the future outcomes may be, I know I left it all out there and gave it my best. That I truly believe. It’s that “Get Rich or Die Tryin” mentality that I think you need to have deep within your psyche to be successful. You can’t win if you don’t play.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We call what we do “Groove Fiesta.” We recently won the Best Dance Artist award in 2023 from Phoenix New Times. Having a background as an internationally touring drummer, and most with Okilly Dokilly (Phx based Heavy Nedal band), our shows consist of a hybrid of DJing, accompanied with live drums, percussions, and modulated FX. We find this really sets our duo apart as artists and performers as a sub-genre of house music and indie dance we are currently curating with CHKLZ.

These days, the execution feels almost flawless when we play live, but we had some growing pains along the way. Audio issues, connection issues, changing players, and any and every DJ mistake you can think of possible. We have lived through all of it live. And that was all ok. We always learn and grow from our mistakes. They are a part of the game.

We really care about our performance and the impact we can have with our fans too. Our shows are dedicated to creating a safe space of Pawsitive Vibrations and sharing of synergies. So the growing pains have been oddly good for us. It has allowed for us to make our shows as great as they can be for our Doggies as we continue to build our presence and carve our path in the Music Industry.

And lastly, we want the world to know why we are who we are. In 2015 I was in a rough place in my life. Soon after, a chance encounter with an abandoned dog occurred, my life changed fur-ever. I took in a small, sickly, white dog and named her Charlie (aka Chuckles) who quickly became the muse and namesake of our project. This “who rescued who” story led to the formation of CHKLZ, teaching more and more about embracing the unconditional love we humans receive from dogs, and ignited our motto CHKLZ IS FOR EVERYONE. Now we are years into this project and looking forward to many more as we continue to build the pack worldwide. For us, it really is all about sharing the Pawsitive Vibrations.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We are on tour and travel quite often these days. So we don’t go out that much in Phoenix sadly. Here is a quick thought:

I’d say that currently, our favorite spot to eat in the city is Mekong Market. The Banh Mi at Mekong is our favorite in the city, no doubt. It’s not fancy, and it’s always amazing.

As far as going out to drink, we’d probably take folks around the downtown Phoenix area. I think that is my favorite part of Phoenix. Lots of different options, and some of them you can even walk around too.

And then we’d have to take them on a hike if the weather is nice.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shout out my fiancée, best friend, and road dog Renee Fourie, aka “Rizla.” She deserves so much credit and recognition for where we are today. She has been a driving force behind everything we do and has been my number 1 supporter from day 1.

Now, instead of just being a supporter, she has now become the second member of our duo full time. And her presence is nothing short of a blessing. She has amazing energy and stage presence. She was already popular with our fans, and now she has truly become a major part of the show and entity we call CHKLZ.

And I really appreciate all she is willing to do to help out the project as well. She has allowed us to host producer friends for weeks on end at times. She has travelled relentless and been at almost every single CHKLZ show that has ever been played. And she has done it all with a smile, infecting everyone around her with her Pawsitive Vibrations, most definitely including myself and our Chihuahua.

I’d also love to shoutout the Cosmic Academy for helping me really dial in and begin to truly unlock my real potential.

Website: https://chklz.com/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/chklzmusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CHKLZmusic

Yelp: https://soundcloud.com/chklzmusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@chklzmusic

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3a22Xo2DFxTgsoWaKitY2f?si=-l9CB0ZBRvWIm3txl5maog

Image Credits
Jose Uriel Rage Creative Madelyn Adams Benjamin Edwards