Lexy:
I noticed that your album just released earlier
in March. How does it feel to have your first EP
released? What all was going through your mind
as you were promoting your music and your
message?
Christina Chung:
I am incredibly excited about the release of
“Face to Face.” The project was a lot of hard
work, although even more work is yet to come!
I’m genuinely proud of the music, and I just
hope that listeners love it as well. Promoting
is very rewarding, but challenging – putting
yourself out there in anyway you can and trying
to spread the word is a grueling process. Every
day is different; some times I’m feel really
motivated, like I can conquer the world, and
other days I’m nervous and worried.
However, so many new opportunities have been
popping up, so I’m just really grateful things
are going well.
The underlying message of the EP is to be
confident and assertive. Know who you are, and
what you want, and don’t be afraid to say what
you feel or think. Meet your match face to face!
Hopefully I’m representing that message through
my career.
Lexy:
I’m feeling the few songs you have up on your
myspace so far and I like the fact that they’re
upbeat but have a message that most people can
relate to. What was the inspiration for each of
the five songs on your EP?
Christina Chung:
Prior to my EP, my songwriting was very serious
and emotionally intense. Some of the new tracks
on the EP still carry that intensity, but in a
more complex, bittersweet way. Those were
carefully written and crafted. Others are just
fun club songs that are metaphors about
relationships…the themes just popped up in the
studio and they were hot so we ran with them.
-
Worth It – As we navigate through
different relationships in our lives, we
leave pieces of our heart behind. I try to
live without regrets and simply learn from
my decisions. This song is about wanting to
justify leaving someone for a new flame, in
order to prevent that feeling of regret. It
was also inspired by a close friend going
through that situation…I definitely felt her
pain.
-
Pressure – This song is probably the
most provocative or sexy track on the EP.
It’s about resisting temptation…saying no
and saying yes at the same time.
-
At the Exit – You’re at the club with
someone and it’s way too loud, and you just
wanna go somewhere quiet and talk…or
whatever else you wanna do, haha! It’s a
metaphor for relationships – all the dating
games and confusion in the beginning.
Sometimes you want to cut that out and head
straight to the real part.
-
Ghost – Inspired by an elusive person
that I thought I kept seeing randomly in
public but then it wouldn’t be him. So
frustrating!
-
Take You for Granted – This song was
the most personal. It practically cuts into
my soul every time I hear or sing it. It
refers to God and the people in my life that
are always there for me, but I painfully
admit that I’m too selfish sometimes to
reciprocate that love and devotion.
Lexy:
You’re multitalented. You’re a musician, you
sing, you dance, you model and you have brains!
If I wasn’t so straight… Just kidding! :D But
really, you do so many things and it’s amazing!
But what would you say would be your “first
love” and what made you really want to pursue a
career as a singer?
Christina Chung:
Hahaha, thank you, you’re so sweet! I do have a
lot of different interests, but music will be my
first and foremost passion. I’ve loved
performing and singing all my life, and in high
school I decided that I wanted to be a music
major in college and see where it would take me.
After I graduated college, I decided it was now
or never, to really pursue what I wanted – to be
a recording artist. These days, artists have to
be multi-talented, which is great because I love
expressing myself through different avenues.
Lexy:
Who is your biggest inspiration when it comes to
music and fashion?
Christina Chung:
Ooh, hard to just pick one! I have a wide
breadth of musical influences (ranging from
R&B/soul, gangster rap, to classical, even
Brazilian music), but the one person I have
idolized as a singer and writer since I was a
kid was Mariah Carey. I actually cried at
concert in Madison Square Garden last year.
For fashion, New York
City is my biggest inspiration. It sounds so Sex
and the City, but it’s true! I learn a lot more
from observing the fabulously chic people
walking around in the city than from reading
Vogue.
Lexy:
What’s your opinion on American music industry
compared to the ones overseas?
Christina Chung:
Right now the American music industry is
struggling through a tough transition period.
The overseas markets are growing and catching
up. There is some spectacular music coming from
Europe and Asia. However, Americans have
retained this raw sound that is hard to
replicate. American artists have the ability to
be internationally famous on all continents, but
not vice versa – international artists have a
tough time breaking through in the US.
Lexy:
You’re extremely fit… Do you work out or are you
just naturally inclined to have a nice body?
Christina Chung:
Why thank you! Definitely boosting my
self-esteem, haha. On a weekly basis I take
dance class and go the gym if I have time. I eat
well and casually exercise more for health than
anything else. But before my EP photo shoot, I
was definitely hitting the gym everyday.
Lexy:
Last year, you mentioned in a blog that you
would be taking a new project that would take
you out of your comfort zone and explore a
different genre of music. What was going through
your head after you were told that?
Christina Chung:
When I wrote that blog, I had just had a long
conversation with my producer about the
direction of my music. He was like “I think you
should go electro!” At the time, my music was
heavily influenced by hip-hop. I went home and
listened to a bunch of different electro artists
and was thoroughly confused and distraught. I
went back and tearfully told him how much I love
hip-hop deep in my soul. So dramatic.
It was good to expand my musical horizons. In
the end, I incorporated a little bit of both
influences and came out with a really strong pop
sound that I was happy with.
Lexy:
How was it to work with Claude Kelly and Frankie
Storm?
Christina Chung:
Oh my goodness, it was incredible. It was a
great opportunity and perfect timing. Right
after I worked with them, they’ve been blowing
up. Frankie wrote Rihanna’s hit “Don’t Stop the
Music” which went #1 right after I wrote with
her, and Claude has been working with artists
like Mary J. Blige and Akon since then. They are
so talented...sick melodies and lyrics just flow
out of them. They are also such sweet, amazing
people, so it was so much fun. I grew much more
as a writer.
Lexy:
You love green tea ice cream… Is there anything
else that you crave for or absolutely cannot
live without?
Christina
Chung: I
could never live without pasta! I love cooking
and have a few good recipes up my sleeve ;o)
Lexy:
With having an Asian heritage, how do you think
that’s affected your career?
Christina Chung:
It has definitely affected my career
in a positive way. It gives me a fresh
perspective and a background that hasn’t really
been represented in American culture. I don’t
view my ethnicity as any sort of hindrance or
struggle in terms of getting a major label deal
or achieving my goals. If anything, it makes me
unique, and much more internationally
marketable.
Christina
Chung is a multi-talented artist making a big
splash on the independent pop music scene. 