Just over a month ago at Singapore's Majulah Music Night, we were introduced to one of the brightest new additions to Asia's pop scene — singer-songwriter Jasmine Yen. But this was a debut that might not have happened had it not been for a bold decision that the rising artist made a decade ago.
The decision in question was volunteering to perform in front of 2,000 guests at her aunt's wedding when she was just nine years of age. What ensued was an experience that would give Yen — the daughter of film star Donnie Yen and model Cecilia Wang — a huge nudge towards pursuing a career in music.
Now 19 years old, what was once a dream for Yen has become a reality. In the time that has passed since that life-altering day, much has changed for Yen — she has signed with Sony Music Entertainment subsidiary RCA Records Greater China, released her first single 'idk', and most recently, launched her first-ever studio album, tbh, in addition to putting on a dazzling display at Majulah Music Night.
But there have also been things that have remained untouched by time, such as her great zest for connecting with people while she's on stage and her eagerness to show others who Jasmine Yen is — qualities that she displayed during her wedding performance.
"I’ve always considered myself a shy person, and at times, I do feel like it can be challenging to express myself with words. Since childhood, I've found music and songwriting to be my favourite method of self-expression," she shared in a press release.
In an interview with Bandwagon while she was in Singapore for her debut, Yen recalled how she found out that she wanted to pursue a career in music, talked about how her parents' advice has helped her along in her journey, and revealed her biggest musical inspirations.
Hi, Jasmine! Tell us about how you got into music. What were some of the first songs or albums that you fell in love with?
I have actually loved music ever since I was really young. When I was two, or three years old, I knew all the Disney songs. I loved High School Musical, and I loved Sharpay. All my friends loved Gabriella, who was like the nice, sweet main character [who was] very smart, but I liked the diva. So I think I was always drawn to very strong, powerful women performers. I think a lot of my idols right now, definitely Beyoncé (Queen Bee), [are like that]. I think I have talked about her like a million times already, but Beyoncé is truly a huge inspiration to me. And I also love Aretha Franklin. Everyone at Berkeley kind of teases me. Every time they hear Aretha Franklin they're like, "Hey, you're that Aretha Franklin woman. You know her stuff the best." And my go-to karaoke song's actually 'Natural Woman' by her. I love very strong women.
Despite coming from a family that’s well-known in the film and modelling realms, you decided to pursue a career in music. What led you to make that decision?
I just love music. When I was younger, like I said, two to three years old, [I was already] into music. But I always thought it was just a hobby, you know. I thought that every kid, when they're younger, they love to sing and dance, but as I grew older, that just never left me. I started writing songs when I was seven and my first ever performance was when I was nine years old. When I was nine, it was for my aunt's wedding for over 2,000 people. Yeah. My mom and my aunt were discussing and they were like, "Oh, who should we ask to guest perform?" And I remember I overheard and I was like, "Can I perform?" My mom was like, "Are you sure? Because there are so many people." Growing up, I was always very, very shy. I was very shy and I just never liked to speak a lot. My aunt, who loves me a lot, was like, "Of course!"
Literally five minutes before I went on stage, my mom was sweating. She was nervous. She didn't tell me she was nervous but she was like, "Are you sure? What if you went on stage and you freaked out because there are a lot of people?" But I remember I just told her, "Truly, I'm not nervous." So I went on stage and I sang two songs. The first one was a wedding song/love song called 'From This Moment' by Shania Twain. The second one was 'Rolling in the Deep' by Adele. I was a little diva. I was pointing to the guests and I was like, "We could have had it all." My entire family was so shocked and emotional too. They all cried because they'd never seen that side of me. I was just truly a different person. And that's when I realised like, "Oh, I do really love to perform."
As a young artist who’s stepping into the entertainment world, what are some pieces of advice from your family that you think will help you in your journey?
About my parents, I'm very grateful that they gave me a better opportunity to understand the entertainment industry a little bit better compared to other people. And that I'm very grateful for. They work really hard and stuff. But at the same time, they know that when I write my music [and] when I perform and sing, I'm very hard on myself. I'm very self-critical and I have high standards for myself. So the biggest advice they gave me was just to relax a little and to be myself.
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Congratulations on the launch of your first single ‘idk’! Tell us how you settled on the song’s sound, which draws from the pop and R&B genres, and its theme.
I wrote 'idk' in LA in January. It was the first day I arrived in LA, so I was so jet-lagged. And it was my first time writing a song with RCA, so I thought, you know, that also really represented the debut. It's the first song we've ever written together and it was the first time my A&R, Tat (Tong), met me. I was so jet-lagged [and] I was half dead. But I think sometimes writing songs like that is good because you don't think too much; you just say or express whatever you feel inside, you know. I was freestyling and I just sang, "I think we have a problem here." And Tat was like, "Oh, I love that." The first line of 'idk' is actually "I think we have a problem, boy". I think that really represents [how] it's authentically coming from myself.
Was making a bilingual track something that you'd always wanted to do?
Yeah, definitely. Because I think that also represents me as a person. I think this album really represents you know, how I am as a 19-year-old girl and what I'm feeling and the different sides to me. Growing up, I went to an international school, so I spoke English to my friends. But at home, I have very traditional Asian values. I speak Shanghainese at home because of my grandma, and so I think I just had to put in Chinese — English and Chinese together — because I think it just best represents my childhood.
Besides singing and writing your own songs, you are also a dancer and a multi-instrumentalist. What’s it like to be able to bring these different skills together while telling stories in your music?
My mom grew up in Peru. She grew up in South America so she speaks Spanish. My grandparents speak Spanish. I think growing up in such an open-minded environment allowed me to be open-minded with a lot of things. And I'm also very grateful to be able to play so many instruments you don't [usually] have the opportunity to. I do love telling stories and becoming different characters, and I think it's all thanks to my childhood. [I had such] a diverse [upbringing and I was able to] incorporate that into my music.
Other than working on your music, what were some things that you did to prepare for your debut as an artist?
I had actually prepared since the moment I first got on stage, which was 10 years ago. My nine-year-old performance. I think after that, it just kind of sparked something in me. I had a dilemma, though, because I love art, I love painting and drawing, and I, like you said, like to dance. So for the longest time, I didn't know which one to pick. Did I want to pursue music or did I want to pursue art? When I was 14, I remember very clearly that right before I went to bed, the lights were off and I was going to sleep. And I was staring at the ceiling and I was imagining myself in different scenarios — me going to an art school or me dancing — and which one [sparked my interest] the most. I remember when I imagined myself on stage, there was this feeling that I'd never had before. That was when I knew, "Oh, I really want to pursue music." So from a long time ago, I had already started preparing.
Let’s talk about your performance at Majulah Music Night in Singapore. Was there a reason for choosing this particular place to have your live debut?
It's definitely the right place at the right time, I think. I'm so grateful that Majulah Music Night invited me to perform. If it weren't for them inviting me, this wouldn't have happened. My debut song just came out and Sony's headquarters are here in Singapore, so I just think it's all fate. And I love Singapore too.
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Finally, a debut album serves as a full and proper introduction to a new artist. What do you hope listeners will learn about you after listening to your debut album, tbh?
I think it's more for them. I think the most important thing is that I just want to share my music with people and I just want to share the love. I really hope they can enjoy my music. In the album, there are different genres. It's not just pop and R&B because it does represent me as a person and there are different sides to me. There's like a punk rock version, there's a more R&B [version], and there's a ballad [one]. Hopefully, you can listen to a different song for a different occasion.
Stream tbh here:
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