Chloe Temtchine

Chloe Temtchine is an American singer-songwriter.[1]

Chloe Temtchine
GenresPop, soul
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Websitechloetemtchine.com

In 2014, The Huffington Post described Temtchine as "clearly still a superb song stylist."[2] The New York Post called her 2015 album, Be Brave, "a moving collection of pop songs that document her struggle for survival, but also her recovery."[3]

Temtchine was diagnosed in 2013 with pulmonary venoocclusive disease (PVOD), a rare form of pulmonary hypertension that is fatal without treatment, and severe pulmonary hypertension.[1][4] She must go everywhere with an oxygen tank, connected to a breathing tube in her nose.[1] Amy Carlberg opined in Bust Magazine:

Chloe Temtchine's voice is clear, sultry and strong. She has pouty supermodel lips and high, perfectly arched brows. She's thin and tall with tan skin, and silky black hair. Chloe wouldn't look out of place on any red carpet, maybe with the exception of the breathing tubes she uses, even while performing.[5]

Early life

Temtchine grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, in New York City.[3] She studied at Berklee College of Music, in Boston, Massachusetts.[6][7]

Singing career, and battle with PVOD

Early years

Temtchine started singing when she was 6 years old.[3] At the time, on Sundays her father would bring her to a Baptist church in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, and she would hear hours of gospel music.[4]

Her 2009 debut album was Between Day & Dream.[3] Temtchine won the 2011 Avon National and International Songwriting Competition with her song "Step Up," which has been used in an Avon commercial, airing globally.[2] She also performed on Late Night with David Letterman, singing back-up for R&B singer Ne-Yo, sang in a 2012 commercial for the 100th anniversary of American Express, and was featured on NY-1 News, with "Where in The Truck is Chloe."[2]

Later music career

She continued writing music, saying: "I locked myself in a room and wrote songs — it was an escape from thinking about my condition. There's a new level of sincerity and truth that didn't come from me before."[3] She also observed, "There was a part of me that wanted to rush to write songs because I didn't know how much time I had left."[2] In 2014, The Huffington Post described Temtchine as "clearly still a superb song stylist."[2]

Her 2015 album, Be Brave, was described by the New York Post as "a moving collection of pop songs that document her struggle for survival, but also her recovery."[3] Toby Gad was a producer of the album.[8] Temtchine recalled that one of the mix engineers got excited about a song on the album titled "Loving you," because it is a love song, and he said "he knew I was getting better because it wasn't about surviving!"[3] Temtchine wrote the song "Be Brave" shortly after she was released from the hospital's critical care unit. Over 150,000 copies were downloaded within the first 90 days of its release.[9] Amy Carlberg opined in Bust Magazine that :

The song is twangy and energetic, and springboards off the bluegrass and banjo-laden sounds that have been ruling the pop charts. The title of the song reminds us of the splendid courage it takes to live day to day with a disease or a disability. It reminds us that our perceptions of people should not be based on these factors, because that would only serve to disable them further. Ms. Temtchine is a role model for all women, but especially those with severe illnesses, showing that it's still possible to go after the life you love.[5][9]

Temtchine continues to write, and as of July 2016 she was working on a new album, tentatively titled Someday.[3]

Personal life

Health issues

Temtchine was plagued with a series of medical symptoms, starting in 2008.[3] They included shortness of breath, and onstage coughing fits.[3] Doctors could not determine the cause of her ailments.[3] She recalled with a laugh, "At one point, I was even told to seek psychiatric help."[3]

In February 2013, Temtchine was rushed to the hospital with congestive heart failure in her right heart, unable to breathe and barely alive.[2][3][9] She was diagnosed with a rare disorder, pulmonary venoocclusive disease (PVOD), which accounts for a small number of pulmonary hypertension cases (fewer than 200 cases are diagnosed a year), as well as severe pulmonary hypertension.[1][4][2][3][10] It manifests as a constantly high level of blood pressure in the heart's arteries, leading to inflammation and enlargement of the heart.[2][3] Without treatment, sufferers are expected to live an average of 2.5 years.[3][10]

Temtchine's heart was three times the normal size.[3] Her echocardiogram revealed a mean right ventricular pulmonary pressure of 180, significantly higher than the normal mean pressure of 25 or less.[9] Initially, she was told that she only had days left to live. She was given a slim chance of recovery.[2]

Temtchine altered her life. She adopted a strictly raw vegan diet, and exercises regularly in small bursts.[3]

Temtchine is also required to bring an oxygen tank with her everywhere she goes, which is connected to a breathing tube in her nose, and stay connected to the tank 24 hours a day.[2][10] She admits it can be annoying and frustrating.[2] She performs onstage while connected to the oxygen tank.[2] Temtchine said people can react to it very strangely, and that once someone mistook it for a vacuum cleaner.

Temtchine named her oxygen tank "Steve Martin", after the comedian, saying "I thought it fit". She often dresses it up – sometimes "Steve Martin" wears a wig, or a tie.[3] She said: "A couple of years ago, I was at a Vanity Fair party and I met the real Steve Martin. He said he was honored to be named after a tank!"[3] Temtchine's prognosis is uncertain.[3] She states that she does not experience as many difficulties singing or performing onstage now that she has the right treatment and the tank.[3] She observed: "Nobody has any idea what's going on, but we're hopeful because everything is going in the right direction!"[3]

On August 5, 2020, after suffering a cardiac arrest, being in a coma for four days, and on life support (ECMO) for 21 days, Chloé received a life-saving, double-lung transplant. The surgery was performed at UCLA by the incredible Dr. Abbas Ardehali.

References
  1. "Singer reaches new heights with help of oxygen tank". Fox News Channel. July 27, 2016.
  2. Insdorf, Annette (November 10, 2013). "The Challenges of Chloe Temtchine". HuffPost.
  3. Phull, Hardeep (July 26, 2016). "She's tethered to an oxygen tank, but her singing career is soaring". New York Post.
  4. "Interview with Chloe Temtchine," Archived September 10, 2016, at the Wayback Machine High Notes, Caring Voice Coalition, March 2014
  5. Carlberg, Amy (April 5, 2014). "Weekend Inspiration: Female Singer Performs With Oxygen Tank!". Bust Magazine.
  6. "Chloe Temtchine on NY-1 TV, as Truck Tour Proves a Winner". Top 40 Charts. September 17, 2009.
  7. Junior, Chris M. (August 28, 2009). "Quite an Experience." Medleyville. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  8. "Chloe Temtchine – In Time Music, Inc.," Archived January 9, 2017, at the Wayback Machine tobygad.com
  9. "O2 Breathe; Honoree Chloe Temtchine". Kintera.org. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  10. "The Singer who can't Breathe,", Chasing News, July 29, 2016
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