My introduction to music began when I was 6 because my parents, like many other Asian-Americans, required me to play the piano. Although I played until the age of 11, I didn’t really enjoy making or playing music at the time but I definitely enjoyed listening. It wasn’t until I was 12 and saw my brother strumming a guitar that I began to explore my own musical identity. I discovered I loved to play the drums, guitar, and sing. Throughout high school, my interests in music continued to grow as I discovered new bands and artists. Through active listening, I began to develop a sense of musicality without really attempting to. Counting bars and keeping time became second nature as I clapped, sung, and air guitared to genres such as rock, pop, and R&B. My journey in music skyrocketed when I started college. It was here that I broke through the realms of radio hits and became connected to the multitudes of genres outside of what I usually listened to. Before this, my relationship with making music had always been on and off. It seemed unlikely, but my love for making music came from rap music and the freestyle sessions I had in college with my best friends Grant and Mikey. When I was with them, making music seemed effortless and free-flowing due to the lack of formality in our musical sessions. I also discovered a love for electronic music during my college years after attending my first EDM concert (Bassnectar). It was in this environment that I developed a yearning to make music and express myself musically. Sadly, after I finished college in 2017, I lost most of my inspiration to continue creating. My craving to create, however, never stopped. As a result, I decided to teach myself how to use FL Studio and quickly became addicted after releasing my first project, “Friends.”
Your track “Anywhere But Here” is absolutely amazing! How did you achieve such a great signature sound in such a short time? Also, what is your creative process like?
I have always enjoyed making the most out of what I have, especially when it comes to music. Often times I’ll take a sound or sample that inspires me and process it until it has my own flavor. A lot of the sounds you hear in my projects stem from this mindset and I think a lot of my future projects will continue to reiterate this ideology. I also tend to mix my tracks as I add instruments, making sure each one fits perfectly with the rest. Honestly, I don’t really think too much about having a signature sound when I’m creating music, but there are definitely samples and sounds that I lean more towards. I think these preferences and an artist’s “signature sound” comes from the culmination of their musical inspirations and experiences.
Going over your Soundcloud we can tell you love experimenting with new sounds. Can you tell us more about your studio setup and some of your favorite plugins/instruments?
My studio setup is fairly simple. I have two monitors, a pair of DT 770 studio headphones, and an AKAI MPK Mini Play midi keyboard. My favorite plugin is definitely Serum. There are just so many resources and presets for it making it one of the largest resources in my VST library. Serum makes it so easy and user friendly to test new sounds as well as modify them to make them sound like what you hear. Most of my projects feature at least 10 patches of Serum if not more.
Your music sounds very organic and authentic. Do you play any real-life instruments?
As mentioned earlier, I’ve played the guitar, drums, and piano. I don’t play any of these instruments professionally, however, and they are all just hobbies that I like to pick up from time to time. My favorite instrument is the guitar.
What are your musical goals for the future?
My biggest musical goal is to play my guitar live alongside the music I have created.
What are your goals for the coming months? Any upcoming projects we can get excited about?
I hope to continue releasing music consistently and to develop a fanbase that I am proud to stay connected with. I’m also looking forward to playing my first live show. That being said, I definitely have some upcoming projects coming out that you guys should look out for!
