Chantal Acda

Born in 1978 in Helmond, the Netherlands, Chantal Acda began writing and performing at the end of her teens, first in Eindhoven and later in Antwerp, where she settled in the early 2000s. Her work spans intimate folk, ambient, indie songwriting and more open forms related to jazz and chamber music, characterized by spare writing, a soft voice and often airy arrangements. She first gained notice with Sleepingdog before participating in several projects and groups on the Belgian and Dutch scenes such as Isbells, True Bypass, Marble Sounds and Distance, Light & Sky. At the same time she developed a solo career marked by Let Your Hands Be My Guide (2013), The Sparkle In Our Flaws (2015), Bounce Back (2017), Puwawau (2019) and Saturday Moon (2021). Her work has also led to collaborations with Bill Frisell, Nils Frahm, Peter Broderick, Heather Woods Broderick and Valgeir Sigurðsson. In 2018 she performed a duo with Bill Frisell at Jazz Middelheim, an experience later extended with The Atlantic Drifters on Silently Held (2024), a record where Chantal Acda’s writing opens further toward improvisation and jazz textures.