"Music is like a dream. One that I cannot hear." – Beethoven
Music transcends reality, akin to a dream, offering an idealized and imaginative experience, as Big B succinctly puts it, while simultaneously adding a bit of gallows humor to his predicament. Despite his inability to hear, Beethoven could "hear" music internally, illustrating the powerful role of imagination and how music, like dreams, communicates emotions and ideas beyond words, reaching into the subconscious.
The idea of embracing our emotions and imagination and expressing them sonically has been the life goal of our guest of honor here today, Zoey, an aspiring musician who has been with us since 202X and has shared an extensive catalog of outstanding songs here.
You have been with us for some time, but not as long as many of the long-time artists here; let's start off with a brief introduction to your personal experience with music, singing, and songwriting.
Well, my musical journey actually started off like many Chinese kids, being forced to pick up an instrument at like 5 or 6. I took up the piano; I considered the saxophone but ultimately chose the piano since it's like THE instrument. I actually did enjoy learning it, though, unlike many of my peers at the time. I enjoyed learning classical compositions and the tumultuous life stories of many of the big names in classical music, like Chopin, Mozart, and Beethoven. So that was a really decent start for me to get the hang of reading music, compositions, and, most importantly, actually putting the music in my mind into an audible form through my technical practices.
I have always liked singing, too, and learning the piano has actually complemented my interest since many of my friends practice wind instruments like the clarinet and the horn. I could sing while playing my intrument, which was funny to me, a slight difference in judgement changed my life bascially.
When I was proficient enough to write my own music for the piano, I began considering writing my own songs, too, since it was also at a time when an angsty teenager had a lot to say on her mind, like on a daily basis. When I first started writing songs at 13, my music resembled a teenage girl's diary, focusing on my personal life and emotions, like daily interactions with others and my family, and exploring new emotions like crushes and personal conflicts. Over time, I began exploring broader themes, including sexuality and social issues. One example is my song "Untitled," which I wrote to express my frustration as a young feminist in response to negative attitudes toward feminism in China. I just released my album this year.
Congratulations! Could you elaborate on your creative process? Just on a day-to-day basis and with this album in mind respectively.
On a day-to-day basis, I actually have specific tunes or lyrics pop into my mind regularly. I think it's just how I process my emotions and thoughts. When these manifest spontaneously, I do mental configurations. Putting this melody to that line of lyrics, and filtering out unwanted ones. It's almost like the automatic, subconscious painting process, like Miró or Ernst; I'm just wielding a different tool to express these ideas.
For my album, it's more or less the same process, just more focused on certain specific issues, such as feminism. I had to internalize a lot of new and sometimes even technical concepts, like intersectionality. Susan Sontag said, "Music is at once the most wonderful, the most alive of all the arts — it is the most abstract, the most perfect, the most pure — and the most sensual. I agree wholeheartedly with her; it's a living, abstract process that can instill the most real of emotions.
Could you elaborate on some of the themes you've been covering in your songs and what kind of those real emotions you wish others to feel? I know art is subjective and out of the artist's control when it's out there, but subjectively, you must still have some kind of expectations.
In this most recent album, I mainly explored social issues I've witnessed firsthand in China. Specifically, inequality, like educational inequality, which also exacerbated gender inequality and an attitude of indifference to these issues. I think during my angsty teenage phase, a lot of these emotional problems popped up because of the greater social issues, like my struggles as the role of the daughter in my family, a girl who pursues the seemingly frivolous road in music, and such.
I think songs can relay very specific messages through lyrics; words are the most powerful medium, after all. However, there are many songs that have completely different meanings if you read their lyrics and consider their sounds. Like Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen, which became an inspiring anthem of American society, was a scathing critique of American society. And even worse, like Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People, an upbeat sound with lyrics about school shootings. I think many listeners mostly care about the sound, so I try to convey my messages through the lyrics while making the sound fit the messages as much as possible. I know, ultimately, the message is out of my hands, but I do want to inform and tell these stories. Even if one of my songs helped one person who's struggling with these issues, then my pursuit is more than rewarding for me.
Thank you, Zoey. Do you have any advice for future young musical artists or who want to follow a similar path to yours?
I would say hone your craft and stay true to yourself, but I have something more important to say, especially regarding my own journey. Rejection is an inevitable part of any creative journey, yet it holds the power to transform us. When we embrace rejection, we open ourselves to growth and resilience. Each "no" or "boo" becomes a stepping stone, guiding us towards refinement and deeper understanding. Instead of viewing it as a failure, see rejection as a teacher—one that challenges us to reconsider, adapt, and persevere. That's an essential point that shaped my journey, and I hope it can help you, too. Thank you!