JIZO: Hi "At Last" and thanks for doing
this interview with us. How is your
tour in the "Lone Star State" going so far?
Dj: It's going great! I miss this place
after being gone for so long I realized how
wonderful this place is.
Hans:
We’re having a great time. We’re experiencing
southern hospitality at it’s best!
Justin:
And the barbeques are definitely living up to
the hype.
Mike:
It's been great. Been having some great shows,
met some great people, but I have to say, the
food has been the best part. All about the bbq
baby!
JIZO: Would each one of you please
introduce themselves to our readers?
What is your age, location, and ethnicity?
Dj:
Hi my name is Dj and I’m 25. I’m the only non
Californian in the group..I represent 972
straight outta Garland, TX.
Hans:
I just turned 30, originally from the Bay Area,
and I’m Korean-American.
Justin:
I’m Justin and I’m 26. I grew up in San Jose, CA
and moved to Los Angeles for college. I am
Chinese American.
Mike:
Hey I’m Mike, I’m 29 and I’m from Alameda, CA. I
am Korean American.
JIZO: How did At Last exactly come to
existence? Would you also please
elaborate on how Asian American actress Ming Na
(Joy Luck Club)
contribute to the formation of the group? I
understand that she is
currently the band's "manager"?
Justin:
We’d all been striving to get into the industry
for years before ATLAST formed. Hans and Mike
had been singing together in high school and
decided to come to LA for more opportunities. I
met them at an audition while in college and we
realized we had a lot in common in terms of
career goals and musical tastes. ATLAST was
formed shortly after. When we realized we needed
a fourth voice to complete the harmonies, we
found DJ, who came out to LA from Texas to
pursue his dreams.
JIZO: A lot of people believe you are the
first "Asian American" musical
group who has succeeded to break down the
typical stereotypes of Asians
and music in general. How do you feel about
that statement?
Hans:
Well, that’s a great honor. However, there have
been other groups and artists before us that
have made efforts to break the stereotypes.
It’s all about the movement and we’re just
trying to do something positive with our music.
Mike:
Well, I can't say we're the first. There have
been many groups that have been helping to blaze
the trail with us. From Kai, Innerlude, to Coco
Lee, there have been many other acts trying to
make a name for themselves and the Asian
American community. We feel proud to help lay
the path by doing what we love to do, make and
perfom great music.
JIZO: When and how did you guys hook up
with newest member "DJ Say" who is originally
from Garland,TX?
Hans:
Well, at the beginning of this year, we were
looking for a fourth member to complete our 4
part harmony sound. We held auditions and DJ
came and answered the call.
JIZO: Several of you left their
corporate jobs to be part of this band.
What made you want to make music your
profession? What kind of sacrifices did you have
to make to get to where you at today?
Hans:
Before I joined AT LAST, I was working at the
internet company, Yahoo! It was a great job,
but music has always been my passion. When I
joined AT LAST, I knew that’s what I wanted to
do with my life.
JIZO: Where does the term exactly "hip
hop a cappella" come from?
Justin:
Hip-hopapella is a unique hybrid of hip hop and
a capella styles. It's a perfect blend of old
school and new school, classic and contemporary,
familiar and fresh. For example, we love taking
an old motown song and "flipping" it by adding
new and fresh hip hop basslines and beatbox
under our signature At Last harmonies.
JIZO: You managed to expose your music to
millions of US viewers by making
it all the way to the finals of one of NBC's
newest and hottest TV
show called "America's got talent" . How do you
feel about whole entire
experience?
Justin:
AGT was a tremendous opportunity for us to share
our music and passion with the rest of the
world. We were excited to see how people would
react to hip-hopapella, and fortunately, they
ate it up! The judges were awesome and
supportive, and even though we didn’t win, we
did make it to the final round and gained a lot
of exposure from the #1 show of the summer.
JIZO: What is the biggest advice you
would give someone who wants to
improve their singing skills?
Dj:
Practice , practice, practice...if you have no
direction sing along to the radio.
Justin: I agree, a great way to start out
is to imitate your favorite singers. It will
help develop some fundamentals and eventually
you’ll find your own unique style.
JIZO:
Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? Have
you been offered
any major record label deal as of yet?
Justin:
I’d love to see us touring the world and doing
what we’re doing now, making music and
performing, just on a much larger scale.
DJ:
5 years from now I think i'm going be doing
something positive that is gonna make me happy.
JIZO: Are there any specific artists you
would like to collaborate with in
particular?
Justin:
I would love to work with Stevie Wonder. He is
such an inspiration both musically and in life.
Black Eyed Peas is hot right now too, that would
be a fun collab.
Hans:
I have such a wide range of music tastes, that I
would want to collaborate with a variety of
artists and producers from every genre.
JIZO: Do you have any specific message
you would like to tell our readers?
Dj: Cherish every moment you get, because
tomorrow your situation might change.
Hans:
Thanks for the support! And please check out
our website,
www.atlastmusic.com or
www.myspace.com/atlast and pick up a copy of
our new release, “Slow It Down”!
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