The Piano Pod Season 3 Episode 3: Jolynn J. Chin -- Award-winning Crossover Pianist and America's Got Talent 16

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Welcome back to The Piano Pod with Clara Zhang and Yukimi Song. For anyone listening or watching our show for the first time, welcome back. Yukimi and I are both classical pianists and piano teachers from New York City. This podcast is for anyone who plays the piano for fun, loves listening to piano music, or for someone who is currently pursuing a career in piano or works in the industry professionally.

In each episode, we interview a guest speaker who has been breaking exciting new ground in the music industry. Before getting started, we want to thank our amazing fans and listeners for tuning in today. Please rate our show and review it on Apple Podcasts because Every rating review will help people find our show.

So Yukimi, this is going to be a very fun episode, huh? I'm very excited about the guest of episode 3. Yeah, of the season, Jolene J. Tin, an award-winning crossover pianist who was also a participant in America's Got Talent season 16.

I know, I'm so excited too. So in the past, we interviewed pianists like like Jolyne, like crossover neoclassical contemporary pianists like Black Bog, Claire-Marie Lim, AKA Dolltrek, Jonathan Ong from Australia, and of course Ray Mack.

That's right, Ray Mack. They were so cool and so fun to interview. I just remember, yeah, I was really inspired by their creativity, just how they go beyond what's considered normal and master their artistry, you know, while their audience and how they engage with their audience Yeah, I know.

And now with our new guest, Jolin, I saw a few music videos by her and wow, the production quality of the video is just totally another level. I mean, have you checked out her latest release, Lost? Have you seen it? The video? Yeah, right.

I love it. Yeah, I just saw it. She's definitely a new breed. I should say she represents the new generation of crossover pianists. You know, reaching out to the Gen Z audience by creating such high-quality video content.

Yeah, I know. And then when you visit her website, she also does film scoring and has some extensive teaching coaching business. And I can't wait to meet her and talk to her.

Well, she is here. Let's get the show started.

Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for Jolene J.

Chin.

You're listening to The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song, where we talk to the brightest minds in the industry about how they are bringing the piano into the 21st century.

Jolin J. Chen is an award-winning electronic dance music crossover pianist and participant of America's Got Talent Season 16. Known for her virtuosic arrangements, amazing piano dexterity, and eclectic blends of modern classical crossover styles with pop elements. Her album Beyond Classical EP has been considered for the 62nd Grammy Awards in the category of Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. Jolin is also a multi-genre film composer and music producer. Her work was nominated for Best Original Music in the short thriller film Echoes of Mind at the National Youth Film Awards in 2016. Born in Malaysia, Jolene started her music education at the age of 5. She has been classically trained under prominent pedagogues and concert pianists. Her classy style and aura of performance resonate with a style that touches on equal parts originality and familiarity and giving her audience a taste of something fresh and innovative, yet still relatable to her fans. So, Jolene, welcome to The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song with Yukimi Song. We're so happy to have you on the show. Yay!

Welcome, Yuki! Thank you so much!

Thank you!

It's such a pleasure and an honor to be on your show here today.

Oh my goodness. So I know you messaged us like a few weeks ago. Tell us, how did you discover us?

So it was a pretty interesting way that I don't think anyone would have expected it to be. I was actually kind of scrolling the feed on Instagram. I mean, I've been always doing this from time to time, a community of instrumentalists, particularly pianists, and, you know, groups and pages that support crossover music and stuff like that. And so one of the reels that I was scrolling up past was The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song. And I was like, hey, cool, because I saw this exact one interview I think it was with a pianist that was featured playing Liszt etudes. It could be somebody else's etudes, but I know it was like a set of etudes. And then that was how I found out about The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song with Yukimi Song. And yeah, hey, why not just try reaching out?

Yeah, we're so glad. And when we saw your videos and how you were engaging with your audience and on social media, we were like, we have to interview her. We couldn't wait. And so recently you released your first original song. So we're going to talk about that more. It's called Lost, and I saw the video of it. It was just, whoa, the production level is another level. And we were like, whoa, we really need to get to her. So yeah, we're so happy to have you. As soon as we saw your video, we realized, wow, you're really a good pianist. As in, not only you're naturally talented, and as you said in the introduction, it's that natural dexterity, but also We can tell the training you had is very classical. Yeah, tradition, right? Can you tell us your childhood and where you grew up and how you discover the love for music?

Yeah, so you're definitely right. I am classically trained the whole way. I kind of started with group music classes. It's not directly piano classes, but these are like kids classes where you kind of join and form a circle and play percussion. Instruments and stuff like that. And then from then on, it's typically those graded piano examinations where you start off with Grade 1 and then go all the way to Grade 8 and stuff. So that was basically part of my training when I was about 6, when I got thrown to start piano lessons. The most interesting thing for me was that my hatred that grew from those piano examinations and the whole idea of preparing for like these kinds of syllabus and pieces got me super bored because of the pressure and that whole system of just learning 3 pieces, your scales and stuff, and those technical studies. So I hated piano and I became 9 or 10 and then I went to my parents obviously and I was telling them like, hey, um, I just want to quit piano. And that was not an option at that time. Also because they're kind of like, you know, like it's kind of a waste of probably 4 to 5 years of music tuition fees. And so that was not an option. But what I did was I decided to find love and inspiration to just see what else I could do with this instrument besides preparing 3 pieces and whatever that was in the graded exam syllabus. And I found a lot of inspiration from instrumentalists and crossover artists like Vanessa Mai, for example, such a great violinist at that time. I think she just released her classical gas album, which I love so much right until this day. And crossover pianists, especially like Maxim. This first track that I listened to was "The Flight of the Bumblebee." Producers like David Foster, they really got me inspired so much that it was like a flick of a switch. I was just like, okay, I can do so much more of this instrument and it doesn't even have to matter if I had to prepare for exams. It created this sort of burning passion and fuel to be this person at the end of the day when I grew up, somebody who would eventually create crossover music between classical style playing. I didn't really care what it was at that time, if it was gonna be a classical piece 'cause I was super young, but I knew I wanted to do my own kind of virtuosic compositions with modern beats. And at that time it was kind of like pop electronic music. At that time, rock, I guess, that was pretty popular. And it was kind of like the whole idea of creating something out of what I can do and play on the piano, plus all of these genres as, something that brought it all together at the end. And, you know, just imagine myself going to own and produce music like this and perform in front of thousands of people, um, this sort of music. So it was pretty much how I started off.

Um, that's such a success story, you know. I, I just— because, you know, I, I mentioned that I'm also actually Chinese, so when I came to New York, you know, or the US, and then as I used to teach in college, but when I started teaching children, you know, I did have a lot of students' parents who asked me, can my children, you know, take these exams? Now myself, when I was young, I only took one exam before I went to the conservatory, so like, I know of it, but I was never— so I am not huge on pushing the student. But now I realize some of my students are having experience when they go to high school. Everybody have had the exam. They might play really well, my students, but they didn't have the exam. So some of them are like— one of my students just took grade 8 just strictly and then passed it, you know, like got a high score. And he was like, well, see, now I have it. So now your story is such an inspiration for all of them, you know, even if they get bored. And I have had students who take like grade 2, grade 5, grade 8, you know, like, and yeah, it gets a little stuffy, you know. So yeah, look, so those students out there, listen to Jolene, you know, you can do something.

Yeah, something else.

Yeah, don't stick to the graded exam service.

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, well, that's great. So, but then your love for piano and music grew, and, but you had, and you have such amazing training from famous teachers and famous pianists, concert pianists, right? How was the experience with— like, I see one name was Dr. Ong. He is a Juilliard graduate pianist, and you had a training. How was it like?

I see Dr. Nicholas Ong as like my piano father. Because, you know, he was the one that picked me up when I was so young. I mean, I was— I remember being about 14 or 15 years old. I actually never really understood certain things, and that was how young I still was in, you know, piano studies. I just knew that I had to do things a certain way or like play a certain way. And, you know, he basically brought me to explore so much more possibilities technical-wise. And I really— I mean, I mean, I'm just so thankful to him because it's actually because of his way of carrying out some techniques on the piano and stuff like that and helping me understand it, especially when I was really young, is what brought me to be able to execute the most difficult passages or compositions that I would want to write. Sometimes those passages where I myself would think it would be impossible, but it just sounds great to me. And so I just write it down. But yeah, it's been great with him. There are times where he is really stern, especially when I don't memorize an etude that he asked me to memorize in a week or something. But I mean, it's all good. And he actually introduced me to many other amazing concert pianists out there, like, for example, Andrew Brownell. People like Lee Min-chiang who actually went to actual competitions. And I mean like Chopin piano competitions and stuff like that. And that's really hardcore. And I used to think that studying with my piano father, Dr. Ong, was pretty tough and intense, but that was till I went to those other master classes. That's like, wow. Yeah, it was a great experience. It was a great time.

As I am listening to you, I was admiring your studio and I recognize your studio because some of the videos were shot in your beautiful studio, right? So where are you right now? Are you in LA or—

I'm currently in Malaysia and I'm currently in my hometown visiting family and friends. I just flew back from New York about 2 months ago, almost close to 2 months ago. And I'm going back on the road again in couple weeks' time, middle of October or so, and just continue this whole performing touring thing and my nomadic performing life. This studio was actually made like, I think, 8 or 9 years ago. And at that time, I knew I had to do something and on a more serious level and, you know, for my artistic career, but I was really young. Um, you know, I was just like close to 20 years old and I didn't really have a lot of money actually, to be frank. I had no money at all. I remember having like maybe just like $100 in my bank account. So, and I'm like, okay, we gotta make a studio still because this is going to be my second home besides my bed, like literally my bed. And, um, we gotta find some place to just create, you know, like just create and not care about anything else. And that was how determined I was. And so I remember my friends and I just creating this whole DIY project with half of a mattress sheet, like a super cheap mattress sheet. And we literally ordered like maybe 10 or 20 of these. We actually cut them ourselves and we wrapped them with like super cheap thin cloth and fabric that we bought from the store in a market. And I remember sticking it with just like silicone gel. And yeah, that's the studio. That's a DIY studio. And many people think that, wow, this is like conditioned and stuff, but it's a DIY project.

Wow.

Great work.

I know.

Oh, God, I love that so much.

But Tocata was shot here too. Oh, yeah.

We want to talk about Tocata. So that was like sort of your breaking point, right? The song came out and you became big. So can you tell us about Tokata?

Well, Tokata was definitely a break, not only like music industry-wise for me and my music career, but as well as like a whole mental, you know, break free kind of thing because it has been so long, like we're talking about years since I wanted to always be an artist that, you know, like really just produce and came out with an album and your own music and stuff like that. So "Toccata" was the first single that was ever produced and it was sent to my music producer, Roger Montejano, who was a member of the Grammy Recording Academy. And that was my first session with a real music producer and recording it in a real music studio. So that was definitely a proof to my younger self, you know, that you actually made it. You actually made your own songs and stuff. Because I remember also, you know, just thinking about the whole thing when I was probably 10 years old and creating a cutout CD out of paper and then, you know, pretending that was my album and my songs in it. So Takara was definitely a breakthrough for me, not only like, you know, in my music life-wise, but also that mental breakthrough.

Yeah. Then I heard the song and then you were, of course, infusing famous Bach's Toccata in D minor or the organ, but in the middle you do a lot of cool arrangement, like a variation, but it's more like a jazz fusion. Have you studied jazz?

So basically when I was 13 years old, I started listening to Dave Brubeck a lot, and I started listening to so many of his music, you know, especially those Blue Rondo à la Turque that has crazy time signatures, you know, unsquared dance and stuff like that. It's like if you were to look at the score, I think it was 2 2 3 over 8 kind of thing. And so that inspired me to create those typical swing movements you have in the song break at that part of Toccata, but also playing around with time signatures. And that was how I came up with that kind of 5/4 rhythm.

Wow. I love it.

You are so creative and also actually very brave. You know, a lot of musicians really, you know, and then you were talking about with The vision board, right? Like, I mean, I had had certain of these, you know. I, I also, when I was little, I— there's no musicians in my family, so I just kept on saying, hey, I'm going to New York, you know. Like, I was just like— and I remember, and, uh, you know, of, uh, Horowitz. And then I was like, all right, that's where I'm gonna have my studio, like, on Upper East Side of New York. And then, you know, it happened. So it's kind of like a vision board, but when you were young because you don't even think about it, right? You're just like, okay, I'm just gonna do that, you know?

I'm gonna do that, right?

That's so great. And then I move on to ask, when did you enter the American Got Talent? You were on, right, for one— yeah, in '16, I believe.

Yes, it was season 16, which is last year, basically 2021. And that was the most— I think that was the most random thing I did, or random thing I would expect myself to do. And many people are just like, 'Hey, how did you get to participate on the show? Like, how did you send your videos? What did you do? How did you get on the show?' And I'm like, yo, I was just sitting down in my studio one day about to practice and stuff, and I got like emails, I got Instagram DMs, and I think it was— yeah, DMs on my Facebook from one of their casting producers saying like, 'Hey, we watched your videos, blah blah blah. Um, would you like to be on America's Got Talent next year?' And that was like, I think it was 2020. That was like a year before the year I was in.

Got it.

And they basically invited me to be on the show. Like, we're going to fly you in. We're going to give you like 5-star hotels and stuff. And I was just like, okay. Because I always knew, I always associated America's Got Talent to acts, like crazy acts, like people who could literally turn your backs 360 or something. And I was just there like, okay, like, what's a pianist gonna do there? And then I realized they actually contacted me because one of my viral videos went to their feed, um, and that was when I was mashing up, um, Ariana Grande's "Seven Rings" with— I think it was Mozart's Turkish March, something— no, it was Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. That was what I did. Okay, yeah. Um, I was playing them on two pianos at the same time, so that was what they literally wanted to, to have on the show. Um, so it was kind of like a, a Mozart piece and then create something else on the side. So we kind of agreed on Dance Monkey, and then that was, that was how it happened.

Oh my gosh. Wow.

Seriously. But you know how I planned like a full strategy of how to get on AGT? For some reason I'm like, I was just sitting down and like, I just got the email, you know. Good for you.

Good for you. But that's sort of the result of your work, right? Like you are posting a lot on social media and of course the, um, YouTube and you really put your effort and quality in quality, right? So that's why people see you. And then what was the experience like? The whole—

it was pretty intense. I mean, being on set, you don't really get to have breaks at all. But I would remember it's just filming, like just nonstop of filming the full day. And one of the best parts was that We shot my first round at the Pasadena Hall. I think it was the auditorium where Michael Jackson performed his first moonwalk. It was pretty cool. Oh my God. Pasadena City Hall or something. Or was it a city auditorium?

So that was pretty cool.

And what's pretty cool is definitely getting to meet and work with Terry Crews in person.

That's true. Oh my God.

And seeing Simon Cowell in person too.

Was he mean? Was Simon Cowell—

He was so nice. Oh really?

That was all act?

Yeah.

Oh my God. He was really different from— I mean, basically they're all different from what the camera portrays them to be. And anyway, I can't say much, but it is a reality show at the end of the day, and reality shows is a TV show. It's pretty much expected, but they're all really nice and they're really professional to work with. I think everyone on set is really professional. And of course, as you know, if you get to audition on stage and get to be in that area on set, you're basically working with many acts that are invited to the show. So you're basically working with professional people, making it fun and easy for crew and filming staff, so it's all good.

That is amazing. Oh my God, I love that story so much. You know, when we moved to the US, I actually entered this thing called— it's kind of like American Idol but the Chinese version, you know, Tui Xin Da Sai. I don't know if you—

oh, I didn't know about that.

Yeah, so at that time it was kind of like China Idol, you know, which I entered without even letting my parents know. But then last day, I went after audition and everything, I was actually touring in the US, and then my flight was delayed, so they waited for like 2 days. Oh wow. Like my, you know, but it's, uh, so I never got to really experience the final in-studio, you know, but you did it. So, so exciting that you came away from it.

Yeah.

And are you based in, still in Malaysia, or after the show, are you also based in US sometimes now?

You know, that's one of the hardest questions I always ask myself. Basically, you know, because of performing schedule and stuff, it's always depending on where my next performance is at. If I'm going to be performing in this next country, then yeah, I'll be staying here or be based in there for as long as I would be performing there for, you know, like could be like from a week or so to like maybe 2 months or 3 months and stuff. So, yeah, it kind of depends. I'm kind of like a nomadic person.

Wow.

That is a very exciting way of living. Yeah.

Ultimately, that's like the dream for all the artists.

Yes, of course. So I want to also, as you mentioned about Michael Jackson, so I'm a huge MJ fan, and I saw your Human Nature arrangement, and it's really beautiful. And that's a very hard song to play on the piano to begin with. And then, you know, of course you are mixing. And so I want to know your covers, right? So you not only the Human Nature, but also Blackpink, the South Korean, you know, female group. And then so you were using Ableton Launchpad thing, and I don't know how you use that, but also you were At the same time, what impressed me with the video was that you were using contemporary piano playing technique. So like, you know, plucking the strings and then glissandos on the— not on the keys, but on the strings. That's a really contemporary way of doing this. So where did you learn all these techniques? And also, like, tell us about that arrangement?

Um, I think it's just getting inspired a lot by, you know, pianists online like Peter Bentz, and a lot of— I feel like a lot of COVID pianists has incorporated things like that. And so, um, you know, me being someone who loves experimenting, I had to experiment with piano percussion a lot, um, and especially when producing stuff, I love to sample any parts of the piano that could create a different sound or add different textures and different timbres to the track. So that was what made me start, you know, experimenting with piano percussion. And basically, "Human Nature" was created out of a looping sequence with piano percussion, and that just makes the whole process easier. Because I always wanted to envision something that I could lay on top first with piano percussion and to create this whole track out of just parts of the piano alone. And so that was my whole vision for "Human Nature," just to have something that could loop on its own but is made from a part of the piano and then to just play on top of it basically. So that was basically what carried "Human Nature." I mean, you just have all these ideas.

And also you did mention when you were younger, you started with drum lessons as well, or drum playing. Did you say that in a group lesson there was a piano and drums?

Oh yeah, that was when we were 5.

Yeah, I see.

But I wonder if those, you know, all had some sort of impact of like mixing things, you know, feeling okay, it's okay to not just doing one instrument. And I'm curious of— I lately have this new obsession of I work out with BTS music, you know, late at night, like, okay, I'm gonna do my some little dance. So I, I know we know you did the BTS Butter, right? That was the one, and with two digital pianos and simultaneously, right? Is it more like just for entertainment purpose, or like two keyboards, or how did you produce all different sounds?

There was basically a whole structure of, of course, piano percussion and those EDM beats that I would usually lay on top of tracks. So that was just that. And the melodies were mainly the piano parts, but I had the synth with me at the same time. So the other keyboard was actually producing that synth sound. So it was definitely a piano sort of synth partnership going on where The Piano would play melodies and the synth would be accompanying, and then they do this switch of synth playing the melody and then piano would accompany. So that was what I had for BTS. I did that crossover cover because I got too many requests to do a BTS number at that time. Of course. Yeah, I'm an okay person with BTS music. I think many people could tell us I just made one cover of BTS and that was it.

But if there's a request, you would do it, right? I mean, they are popular. I remember last year in Milan, I arrived and I was like, are there concerts? And my friends were like, I don't know if there are any classical concerts, but the BTS is here. They have a concert. And I really love the arrangement. So jazzy and everything.

Oh, yeah.

So using two keyboards was not the entertainment purpose, but to have the different sound. So this keyboard has this certain setting and this keyboard has the certain— Yeah, purely technical. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

I mean, using two keyboards or like two pianos was never like entertainment purposes.

Oh, really? It's never?

Yeah, it looks really like No, that would just be— it would be too much work. But there are certain parts, of course, because during my shows and stuff, there are certain songs when it just requires me to play on one piano alone. And most of the videos that had one piano alone and I perform it in my shows, of course, it usually just takes one piano alone. But at that time, when you have two pianos on stage and I would usually tend to find a way to sort of utilize the other piano. Then I guess a certain fraction of these performances would be for entertainment purposes. But most of the time, if you see two pianos on The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song, it was definitely, you know, the other playing synth and bass, either a bass orchestral section and of an orchestral arrangement that I made with holding chords, long value note chords and stuff like that.

Hey guys, we are now officially on Patreon.

Yay!

I'm so excited about our next step on this podcast journey.

Same here. So dear TPP fans, we love what we do and it's been an incredible journey for both of us for the last 2 years, and we are now in season 3. And more than ever, we need your support to continue our work by bringing you highly valued content biweekly by interviewing a A-lister in the industry.

So please go to patreon.com/thepianopod and become part of the TPP community by subscribing to us. With your subscription, you will receive monthly subscriber-only exclusive content from our show.

That's right, and once again, it's patreon.com/thepianopod.

We can't wait to connect with you on Patreon very soon. As I am listening, and then, you know, well, I still have this strong impression of you told me about the story of this examination, how you hate it. I, I'm not here to oppose anything, but I totally can relate to the way you felt because at one point I felt like I was stuck too. But you know, something happened, life happens, and then you found your way. And one of the your ways was this amazing ability to utilize music technology. I love technology, although I don't know much about music technology-wise, like music world, but I love using different softwares, even like doing this podcast. I have to use a lot of editing softwares.

I love it.

I love it. But you are, the way you're doing is like, while you're performing, you're pressing this key and then looping and two pianos. Wow. So I'm very curious to know what you— because that takes a lot of not just your curiosity, but I think you have to have some sort of training, no? Because we, Clara and I interviewed Jonathan Ong from Australia. He's a streamer. And Clara Lim, her stage name is Dolltrix. She's like you. Using Ableton and all those music tech. And she went to Berkeley College and she's now a professor there, right? Right, right. So, and how did you start this journey? So, you know, my generation, I'm old, so I didn't grow up laptop with, you know, laptop right next to me. That came maybe much later in my life, but probably your generation laptop tablets, smartphones, those many, you know, all those game stuff, they are probably accessible everywhere. So maybe that's one of the reasons, but I want to know what sort of training you had or what was the introduction to the music technology?

I have to say it was a pretty intense and it was a very, very huge gap when I first started because I was classically trained. And anything of that devices, DAW systems and stuff like that, Ableton, Pro Tools, anything that has to do with electronic music or modern music was kind of always shunned in the classical music industry. So it was pretty hard to expose myself to any of these electronic stuff technology, audio technology basically, until I started pushing myself in the direction of being a crossover artist. And that was when I went to my music producers, got a music studio and stuff like that to work hand in hand to produce my first album, my first crossover music. That was when the whole branding shifted. I used to play a lot of classical shows and classical performances. I literally still have a lot of videos with me in a classical soloist gown.

Beautiful.

Yeah, I could send it to you guys later too. You have to see it.

I want to see it.

We're going to post it. We're going to show our audience.

Yeah, it was just a literal shift. I mean, a couple of months ago I was playing Ginasteras, you know, Danzas Argentinas.

Oh, yeah, I love it. Beautiful.

Yeah. And then, you know, when I got into this artist career more seriously, it was just an immediate shift. You know, I started changing the way I dress. Well, not basically me, but my music producer started rebranding me as, you know, a real artist to where I wanted to be. And from there, because I worked really closely with him producing my album, that was when he taught me how to compose. Compose and produce my own demos, you know, from the stuff that he does with my single on Ableton. You know, I would start, you know, writing notes here and there and, you know, try to learn Ableton a little bit. And he would also get me to help him and engineers in the studio hands-on. So I would like learn how to roll cables, you know, get the correct microphones, and he would talk about I remember he would talk about, you know, the different microphones that he was using to record Toccata because, you know, since Toccata was recorded on two different pianos and one creating resonance, he would explain how each synth wave flow and why he placed certain microphones there and what does it do, decibel counts, decibel measurements and stuff like that. So I think that was when I was really exposed, not only like physical-wise, with the whole way, you know, I was rebranded to look and also with that little bit of training I had here and there. That was how I shifted and transitioned into, you know, this whole new world of producing music instead of just that typical write and play and record kind of thing. But it was definitely a really big gap. But I think it's because of this physical and mental change in here. Well, no, just physically. Then that was how it sort of affected me mentally to adjust and adapt to this whole new modern world of producing music with technology instead. So yeah, it stemmed from there.

That's beautifully said. I love the adapt and adjust because that's what's all about, about our podcast show, how we are going to adapt and adjust into this new generation. And we're not totally abandoning the tradition. We are classical musicians, right? But I really— I love the way you described. But you know, you said it so easily, but it looks so complicated because, yeah, it just takes coordination. I mean, playing the piano itself is coordination, you know, using pedal, even though pedal has to be subtle. And while doing right hand, left hand, even parallel motion itself takes coordination because we're not made parallel, right? Then with that and pressing this button, Benny, you know, made this short— I don't know how to call it— track or whatever, and then looping. And all of a sudden in the middle of the piece, you switch the mood of the piece with the press of it. It just blows my mind. Did it take a long time for you to sort of learn how to coordinate? Because you're in a way, you're orchestrating everything?

When you— well, in the first couple tracks when I just started experimenting with what else I could do with the Launchpad, I actually didn't know what I was doing at all. It was a mess. But I remember my producer, you know, he was sort of like forcing me to get that, like, go get a Launchpad. And then it comes with, you know, when you get a Novation Launchpad, basically most of Novation's products come with a free version of Ableton. So that was his sort of excuse for me to, you know, like, you don't have to, you know, spend money on anything. Just get this Launchpad and it comes with everything that you can do and start, you know, producing and producing. Because to him, that was the only way to get me to just start off, you know, and start producing my own music as soon as possible. Um, and, you know, break into the music industry. So I just basically got that. I had no idea what I was doing. I was looking up tutorials like, "How do you loop on Ableton?" You know, stuff like that. And then how to actually connect the electronic piano as a MIDI controller to Ableton and trigger tracks, trigger loops just with buttons and stuff. And, you know, like just playing the piano while accompanying yourself with like these loops that you create. So that was basically how I started off with. It was definitely a mess, but I can definitely tell you when it comes to when I'm trying to create something on the spot now with these launchpads and things like that, basically these are just triggers. You don't need to have a launchpad as long as you have like a button to trigger these loops. For example, I just bought a 49-key Novation key station that literally has like 8 Launchpad buttons on top of the keyboard as well. So that's basically incorporating my piano and the Launchpad already to take with me. So that's basically a trigger button on that and then playing with it. And once you know how it works with Ableton, it's super easy, but I totally understand the part about multitasking. And I definitely have to say that it's actually no difference to, you know, if someone were to say, oh yeah, you know, the Liszt La Campanella is the most difficult etude on the planet, it's the most challenging thing. Like, if you— there's nothing compared to Morden. I don't like it when things like this are being compared because if you would understand how much it takes to produce something on the spot, like you're literally orchestrating, it doesn't have to be a real orchestra, but electronic instruments, electronic beats and stuff. On the spot while creating and mastering technicalities on the piano. That's also something in itself, you know. It was tough to master definitely in the first place. And, um, yeah, exactly.

Again, you know, I keep on coming back to this, that you have to be brave enough. You know, sometimes, a lot of times, I mean, I remember the first time I performed with my iPad, you know, to— so, so I don't have to— so I can turn the page with my pedal. But I remember it took me like like my 8 years or something, because I went to a concert and then this pianist, he's, uh, I think the pedal charger was off or something, and all of a sudden I was like, oh, I don't want to do that, you know. So, but eventually pandemic started, that we started to do concerts at home, and I was like, you know what, maybe I'm gonna try to explore finally. Yeah, so it really takes a lot. And now we want to talk a bit more of your touring, uh, career, you know. Now I know since last year you've going on tours, or has it been even before that, before the American Got Talent? And tell us more of your touring career. Also, I'm actually quite curious, how did you find your, uh, your— you said your producer, right, in the very beginning? This producer, I assume, is in Malaysia with you?

Oh, right, yeah. Um, well, basically I toured before, um, the pandemic. That was basically my, um, I would say the stuff that I would eventually want to do full-time at that point. And at that point, I was still working a 9 to 5. Oh, wow. I just started this whole art thing.

Yeah.

And I was a piano teacher. Like, I teach piano to classes, but that was like a bunch of classes in music schools where they just give you a timetable and you got to you know, go to work from this time to that time for like 6 days a week or something. That was so tiring. Um, but I gotta find a way to make this music thing work, and I needed the money. I mean, so I just try to make it work. And I remember, like, um, you know, starting off it was pretty easy. I just had to wake up super early in the morning to do my research and stuff. Um, how do I promote my own music? How do I become a successful artist? You stuff like that, tutorials on YouTube. How do I grow my followers? How do I maintain fan base? How do I get shows? You know, all of that research done. And then I would go to work, and then after 9 hours or so, I would come back, do that research again all the way till the night, like late at night, and then repeat the same thing, rinse and repeat. And then basically it went really well. I mean, Things from there just started as like, you know, going up and like, we just kept going up. And there was a point where I started getting more shows and I was kind of like, oh, but I can't fly off to this place because I'm working a 9 to 5, you know, it eventually became to that point. Um, but it was doing so well. I was ready to like, okay, we got to figure something out, you know? And then I started, um, touring in Singapore at that time and I was in Singapore. And we started, that was where we first started getting these shows. I was booked for like night festivals and headlining festivals for like 4 nights in a row on that particular COVID year, 20, I think it was 2020.

2020? Wow.

Yeah, 2020 basically. That was basically the start of where all the lockdowns happened. So I think it was in March or April, we got those confirmations, even jazz festivals and stuff. And I think about like 4 bookings in LA. Where I had to find an excuse. I remember at that time to write a work leave for just to fly there. And then the pandemic hit. That was literally the start of where everything I saw would, you know, just take off. And that was that moment where I would leave my 9 to 5. But the pandemic hit and we couldn't go to music schools. I couldn't teach in that music school, you know, physically.

Sure.

So That was when I discovered Twitch, the streaming platform. And that was when I told people, you know, like, you know, I'm not performing all of these things because of the lockdown, but I'm still willing to do shows for free, like virtually here, because it's a, you know, it's a platform where anyone can watch. And that really helped me. Twitch really helped me because through Twitch, people start subscribing for a certain amount of money. And they started tipping. So I think those couple of months I was streaming on Twitch before we started opening up, you know, was a, was a great thing for me. And then I started getting a couple of shows here and there after the pandemic. And then also that was the time when I got invited to AGT.

That's true.

Also the same time when my 9-to-5 contract was ending.

Okay.

And the school wanted to continue it and forced me to continue my contract. And I was like, uh-uh, man.

Uh-uh.

I'm done.

I'm living life right now.

I made it as a full-time artist. I'm not doing that anymore. But of course, I didn't tell them that. But yeah, and I think it's all because also my music producer, he literally, he is the one that made most of this possible today. Seriously. And got me shifted like, hey, okay, you got to do this. We got to go this direction now, away from the classical thing. And I met him in Singapore when I was actually looking for a decent recording studio and a professional one to record at. And he's actually from Spain, Madrid, and he'd recently moved to Singapore. And the timing is just so on point because He just moved to Singapore. And when I contacted that studio, they were just like, oh, hey, I think this girl really wants to do it professionally and stuff and go big. Let me ask this producer of ours that just arrived in Singapore and wanted to work in that studio. So he went to him and then he saw my bio and stuff and he was like, oh yeah, okay, let's start working. And that was how we met. Nearly.

Again, you took all the actions and things just come in.

I'm just impressed because I know the 9 to 5 job at music school sort of lifestyle. We all had to do it. And it's in a way, yes, gives us security. But sometimes the security becomes like a comfortable blanket. You know what I mean? But you You, on the other hand, you're very young, but you just, you still keep punching and you still keep going forward and rebranding yourself. That is admirable. And so then look where you are, just produced Lost. So I, we want to talk about Lost. And, you know, honestly, when I first saw the video, I quickly sent it to Oh my gosh, the production level is the next level. Yeah, we've interviewed crossover pianists quite a lot and I'm not comparing, but this is a new generation, right? Because there is this high quality video content, which is you are speaking to Gen Z. So tell us about Lost. So where does this name Lost come from? And then I'm still hearing the melody over and over. Because I was listening to this song over and over this morning while I was taking selfie and everything.

So you know that was a cool selfie song.

Yeah, but the, you know, in the middle of the desert you're playing, you know, the keyboard.

So tell us the story behind "Lost." Um, you know, for many years I've been known as the crossover pianist girl The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song that basically does these mashups, they call it, of classical composers' pieces and famous pieces that many people listen to but don't know the title of. Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, and stuff like that. And then, oh, she has a trap beat and she does it with Ariana Grande stuff. Those are pretty cool and stuff. But the ultimate goal at the end of the day has always been to, you know, create that dream of mine. I was 9 years old at The Piano Pod and how I wanted to actually have this crossover genre on top of my own original melodies, original compositions that are classically influenced, like classical virtuosic melodies and stuff. So Lost is basically the breakthrough of that, and basically showcasing what I've always wanted years ago. And so when I created this, I also had it with— I knew I wanted something from the EDM genre going into that because I connect with EDM so much. And one of my favorite EDM artists, Zedd, who is, you know, classically trained on the piano himself, is my inspiration. And recently I've always been in touch with the EDM genre of deep house and chillstep. So Lost is basically a combination of what I've always wanted, those original virtuosic melodies plus a deepstep beat to it. So that was how it came about. And when I created that melody on the piano, I added a lot of texture behind it. So it's not just the piano sound itself, and it's definitely not just a one piano sound, but it's basically a combination of different piano layerings and textures all into, you know, one whole track. It's basically my signature sound. And I also have my own presets of, you know, reverb and echo mixture to create this whole space, you know, because like it's lost. And I wanted to recreate this thing where it's like you're kind of in a path where you have tons of opportunities and you don't really have a certain place that you want to go or a certain thing that you want to do at a certain point in life. I say certain too many times, but—

Yeah, it's okay.

Yeah, basically recreating that whole vibe. And my initial plan of it was to create this whole emptiness which just has the melody so much space to breathe. And then you don't have that whole idea of thinking and space to think and reflect, and then boom, the beat drops and stuff like that. So that was what I wanted to create. And yeah, I mean, basically, if you have something like that, I mean, I'm really bad with title things, and to me, that's just what you get and what you kind of feel when someone's lost in a phase of life. So I'm just like, oh yeah, lost sounds cool.

Yeah, but lost doesn't mean you're lost, but you're maybe lost in your thoughts, lost in your work, lost in your creativity. I felt that way. And it was shot in the middle of a desert. And where was it?

Oh, yeah. So you're exactly right on that lost part. And that was the whole point of shooting in a desert. I want to make it feel like it's just so empty, like there's nobody around me. Empty. And I'm like, where else can we do that? Like, I don't think— because like, you know, when you— I literally imagine myself and placing myself in a field filled with like grass and stuff. And I was speaking to my video director about this and it's like, hey, like, you know, if we were to do it somewhere else like a national park, I don't really think it will work because, you know, it has a lot of elements in it, like nature elements such as grass, and it's— that makes it not empty. So when we were thinking about locations, you know, when my director suggested that we take it to the El Mirage Desert, I was like, it's just flat and it's a dry lake, right? So, you know, just placing the piano there against everything that's empty, that just fits the whole, you know, idea and representation of the track.

So where is this desert? This is in Asia?

Or this is in El Mirage in California.

In California, got it. Yeah, that's cool. And when you are composing all these music, you know, you compose for movies as well, right? And the gaming music, and that's really cool. And commercials, like, how do you just do it for your own enjoyment, or do you get contract, or people, you know, commission you to do these things? How does that work?

Oh, definitely contracts and stuff and by commission because creating these kinds of tracks, especially like cinematic tracks, takes a lot of time. But I remember there are, I mean, there are times when inspiration just comes and it's always good for me to keep a file or, you know, a list of cinematic music that I could use. Or sell off to clients and stuff like that. So that usually comes once in a while when I have inspiration to write thriller music, you know, horror music, sci-fi music.

Yeah.

And just produce it on the spot. But other than that, it's mainly when, you know, somebody asks for a thriller package, a horror movie package and things like that. And my specialty is thriller. And horror. So I tend to do that a lot, and a lot of my samples are of that genre.

I love that. Oh my gosh.

Next time I watch a scary movie, I have to think about how to think you wrote those.

That's amazing.

Eventually, I can see you standing on the podium of Academy Award accepting the award of film scoring. Right?

Yeah, hopefully.

Wow. You are such a— and have such an energy of, I don't know, just very inspiring. I really enjoyed this conversation. And honestly, we can go on and on and we had a lot more questions, but we're kind of sort of close to the end of our interview session. So you have to come back and tell us more down the road. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, so before we go, we have like a few traditions. So one is we would like for you to give younger— because you're young— so younger piano students some advice. What would it be?

Don't be afraid to break the rules.

Yes.

I love that. Break her. Just do it.

Okay.

Yeah, basically, yeah. I mean, don't be afraid to break the rules and whatever that you think would sound good may sound good in the end and may just be what the world needs at the end of the day and needs to listen to. So, yeah.

Now, before we go into the rapid-fire segment, we want to promote your Lost Lost. This, your first original solo piece Lost, is now available on all music services such as Apple Music, iTunes, and then Spotify and Amazon Music and all the other services, plus YouTube. And all the links are in the description section. So, um, dear audience, we would like for you to check them out. So, Jolene, before we go, we are going into the rapid-fire questions, and it will give you some fun questions, and then would like for you to answer with the shortest answer as possible for each question. Okay.

Oh, I'm scared.

Oh, don't be scared. Are you ready? Okay.

Alrighty.

Okay. Question number 1. What is your comfort food?

Oh, that's hard. Chicken soup.

Oh, good. Cats or dogs?

Dogs. What is your word or words to live by?

Fake it till you make it.

I love it. What is the most important quality you look for in other people?

Genuine. Is there a word for genuine?

Genuine.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm. So what is the worst quality in people you want to stay away from?

Fake people. No, wait, toxic.

Toxic.

That's right. Name 3 people who inspire you, living or dead.

Al Jarreau, Sade, um, David Foster.

Name one piece in your current playlist.

Louis Cole.

Thinking. Thinking? Yeah, thinking. Okay, thinking.

Okay.

All right, I'll check that out.

Name one book title in your library.

Rich Dad Poor Dad.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

A good book to read.

Yes.

You get only one song or piece to listen to for the rest of your life. What is it?

Has to be Libestrom.

Libestrom?

Yeah, Libestrom.

Oh, Liebestrom!

Ah, yay!

Wow, that is good. That is good. I see you love Liszt. So last question: music is blank. Fill in the blank.

Music is dope.

Music is dope. That is so cute. Nobody said that. Music is dope. That's so cool.

We're talking to the new generation.

I know, right? Oh my gosh.

Oh, that is so adorable.

Okay.

Thank you. So that concludes this episode of The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song with Jolin Jie Chen. Thank you, Jolin, for joining us today and sharing your stories and insights and expertise. And you can find more information about her on her website at jolinjiechen.com. And we want to encourage your audience to listen or watch her latest song called "Lost." All the links are listed in the description.

Thank you to our wonderful audience and the fans for tuning in today. If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review it on whatever podcasting platform you use. If you're watching us on YouTube, remember to hit the thumbs up button and be sure to subscribe to our channel. Thank you. Yes, you can also find us Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. The links are in the description below.

If you are interested in being the guest or recommending someone to be on our show as a guest, or you'd like to sponsor or collaborate with us, shoot us an email at thepianopodnyc@gmail.com or send us a DM via social media.

We'll see you for the next episode of The Piano Pod.

Bye everyone! Thank you, Jolene. Thank you.

Thank you guys so much.

Awesome.

Oh, I got to remember that. Yeah.

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