#iambraveenough to continue pursuing music, in whatever shape or form, despite being a “minority” - whether that be my race, history, or circumstance. As a young married couple @jou1es & I continue to hustle trying to make things work so that we can do what God has equipped us to do with our talents, opportunities, or skills.. “adulthood” can get in the way but we gotta fight for it all. Thank you @sarabareilles for such an amazing voice that you bless us with along with your stories! #braveenoughtour was a show not to miss. Thank you @jou1es for believing in me even when I hardly believe in myself. And thank you to all of you who continue to support me as a person.. Musically.. And spiritually #thankyou #brave #love #faith #takechances #music #believe #saywhatyouwannasay #dowhatyouwannado #beyou
“Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, people did not happen to believe that creativity came from human beings back then. People believed that creativity was this divine attendant spirit that came TO human beings from some distant and unknowable source for distant and unknowable reasons…The Romans.. they called that sort of disembodied creative spirit a genius… The Romans did not actually think that a GENIUS was a paritcularly clever individual,They believed a GENIUS was a magical divine entity who was believed to literally live in the walls of an artists studio.. who would come out and sort of invisibly assist the artist in their work and shape the outcome of that work… to protect you from the results of your work… from too much narcassism.. if your work was brilliant, you couldn’t take all the credit for it.If your work bombed, not entirely your fault!.. And then the Renaissance came..beginning of rationalism…People started to believe that creativity came completely from the self of the individual. For the first time in history you start to hear people referring to this or that artist asbeing a geniusrather than having a genius and I gotta tell you I think that was a huge error.I think allowing somebody, one mere person, to believe that he or she is the vessel, like the font, essence and source of all divine creative unknowable eternal mystery is just like a smidge too much responsibility to put on one fragile human psyche. It’s like asking somebody to swallow the sun, you know? It just completely warps and distorts egoes and it creates all these unmanageable expectations about performance. And I think the pressure of that has been killing off our artists for the last 500 year. And if this is true, and I think it is true, the question becomes:What now?… If we think about it this way (having a genius, not having to be the genius) it starts to change everything…Don’t be afraid. Don’t be daunted. Just do your job. Continue to show up for your piece of it whatever that might be. If your job is to dance, do your dance.If the divine cock-eyed genius assigned to your case decides to let some sort of wonderment be glimpsed for just one moment through your efforts then ole. And if not, do your dance anyhow and ole to you none the less…Ole to you nonetheless just for having the sheer human love and stubborness to keep showing up.”
Thank you for taking the time to “like” my page, “subscribing” on YouTube, “following” on twitter/tumblr & being part of my journey as a musician.
I have been in Korea now for 5 months & have learned so much about myself as well as the world around me. Not a day goes by where I don’t think about what kind of impact people have made in my life with their stories, songs, &journeys. I thrive to do the same & feel very privileged to be able to share with you all what has been going on & what is to come.
You win some, you lose some, but getting supportive messages & comments from people that I have never met face to face throughout the years since I was 17, & even starting to reconize usernames/names is so incredibly humbling & fantastic.
I plan on taking more time to not only develop myself as a musician, but also myself as a person.. as a soul amongst many other souls.
Many of you may be “used to” certain styles of music that I do, but I think it’s only appropriate for me to adapt to how my heart is being shaped. My music will still be mine, the voice, but with time comes growing pains, ultimately molding my heart to what it is meant to be as it is stretched through trials & joys.
I want to stay an honest writer & consequently, sings songs & sing them the way that is most honest in my form of expression.
Thanks so much for letting me be me. You all empower me, & I hope you are also empowered to do YOU the best way you can do you. :)
I was happy to have had the opportunity to collab with my bay area brotha Paul on this rendition of Take Care. Life is definitely about the ups and downs but all you need is to surround yourself with good people who will be there to continually encourage you! Big shout out to Anthony Bui for being a rockstar director. Had a fun day of shooting. More working together in the future I hope!
Have you ever heard a song or even a snippet of a song and thought, “what the heck did I just listen to? I can’t believe they call this MUSIC.”
I have. I’ve thought it, said it out loud (perhaps not those exact words or to that degree), and shared my opinion.
As individuals we have our taste in what we like to listen to and when we want to listen to it. My first taste of music was Korean Ballads played by my parents.. then some Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah, Celine.. then it led to Disney music classics.. Elementary school I was a big fan of Spice Girls, Britney, Christina.. middle school my ears opened to the beautiful tone of Frank Sinatra and jazz.. high school I then had a long love affair with Jason Mraz.. in college I listened to all that I just listed.. and let’s add some House in there. I love it all. If you look through the videos I uploaded on my YouTube page you’ll see that I’ve covered all types of genres.. some loved by many, some very few knew.
I’m the type to give most music a chance and I would say I have a pretty versatile music folder.. but as diverse as it is, I won’t take time to listen to EVERYTHING. There are musicians and songs I fancy and some I really don’t.. but at the end of the day it’s just my taste and opinion.
Most recently I had a conversation with a close friend about Lana Del Rey. Basically there’s a lot of heat about how she isn’t as authentic as everyone hoped she was.. coming from a wealthy family.. was already under a label.. had tried pursuing with her name “lizzy grant”.. and had a not so awesome performance on SNL. By the end of the conversation though, I was encouraged to think outside of my usual box. Despite what a lot of people say about her music and who she is, she fascinates people enough to be making a mark in the music industry. It may not all be “good” criticisms, but the girl is expressing herself and people are listening - like it or not. If that isn’t already a win, I don’t know what is. And yes, I watched her SNL performance.
Personally for me, the artists I look up to are artists I’ve seen perform live who have captivated me and continually inspire me through their music very timelessly. Here and there I have artists go in and out of my life who I dig during certain periods. I may not like all of their work, but if I like what I hear and it can help fuel my fire for my pursuit in music, I’m all for it.
We’re just naturally programmed to judge everything that is presented to us. As a musician there are so many factors in which we analyze music: the tone, voice, skill, presence, message, performance, arrangement.. etc. but people listen and look for different things. My strength as a musician is my vocals. I can’t play piano for shizzz or guitar for my life but I can belt a killer note when need be (depending on the note, that is) so when I watch a performance I concentrate on the vocals. Does he/she have control? Do they know when to take breaths? What’s the texture of their voice? Those things speed through my mind naturally, but as a performer I also appreciate anyone who has the balls to go on stage and give it all they’ve got. It can be scary up there especially when everyone’s eyes look like daggers pointing at you lol.
Basically.. what I’m trying to say is that I’ve been humbled very recently with my take on what “music” is. I applaud everyone who earnestly expresses themselves.. rookie or pro. You wouldn’t typically compare Beyonce with Lana Del Rey but somehow we find ways to do it anyway and discredit what both artists express in the process. “But Jennifer, it was the record label that created that music! Not Beyonce. Not Lana.” Okay, well that still doesn’t mean it isn’t music. Someone wrote it, orchestrated, and performed it. It was a piece of art. A more typical comparison would have been Britney and Christina back in the day, one may sing better than the other (this is also objective), but it doesn’t mean the other can’t dance her ass off with her UNIQUE voice which majority of listeners can easily tell it’s her. Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it isn’t music!
I hereby solemnly do swear that I will no longer judge something as not being music just because it doesn’t personally move me.
2012 is gonna be the year that I solidify MY sound. I know what I love and write what I know I can sing with conviction. I know “4 years & counting..” isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Some of those songs were written when I was 18, some of them when I was 21.. it was a wrap up and a thank you to those of you who have supported me the past 4 years and gave me a chance by listening to a song that I wrote. I will continue writing and performing thanks to those of you who give me a chance. You listen, and so I have a voice.
p.s. Lana Del Rey’s album is dope. I recommend: “National Anthem”. It’s been on repeat - that and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know”
“Where you’ll end up in life will always be a MYSTERY, but that surprise is what makes all of our lives so COMMON, SIMPLE, & BEAUTIFUL.” - Jennifer Chung
Just yesterday I received Jennifer Chung’s new album 4 Years & Counting.. Coming home at 4 in the afternoon to find the mail packet…
I am so happy to have stumbled upon this tumblr entry!
I want to thank you personally for having a heart and soul that believes in my music. You say that my songs are able to lift you up, but I must say that people like YOU are the ones who lift me up and help continue on pursuing this dream of mine!
All of us go through struggles and I know the best feeling is when I find a song that just encompasses what I’m going through and I hope that my music continues to soothe you and comfort you!
I pray that I will continue to write and pursue music for the right reasons. I want to be honest with everything and set not only myself, but others free through the process.
<3 <3 <3 I hope I get the chance to perform in front of you at a show!
