Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview Jason Qiu
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
I remember being in kindergarten, and the rest of the kids would be playing, but my brother and I would gaze all day at the record player in the corner. Nothing else in the classroom fascinated us more than the vinyl spinning round and round, making the music we were hearing.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
It was the year 2000. My brother and I both saw the sheet music for the melody of a song called “The Willow Song,” sung by Desdemona in Shakespeare’s Othello. My brother decided to compose the background music on his keyboard. Somehow, we decided to use a microrecorder to record the keyboard and vocals separately, and then we would playback the audio into our computer’s microphone so that we’d get a WAV file to work with. From there, we taught ourselves how to use a simple DAW.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
I’ve written a number of songs, but I don’t know what to do with them yet. Thematically, the lyrics touch upon how living in this world for me has always felt like fitting a square peg into a round hole. They’re the result of a lot of navel-gazing as an attempt to figure out the best way to exist and make peace with the many sides of myself. It’s not exactly original but hopefully it’s relatable. I’ve asked a lyricist from Hong Kong to help me write the Cantonese and Mandarin versions as well, so it might end up as a three-language EP.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
I’d say it’s a blend of pop, electronic, and folk-pop. I tend to go for the layered, ethereal and atmospheric.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
I’ve learned that if I can’t finish writing a song in one session, it’s better to abandon it, because any time I’ve revisited old scraps of ideas, they feel rancid, and I no longer have any drive to complete them. For me, when inspiration comes, it’s relentless, and it’s like a Red Bull that keeps me writing until I finish an entire song, usually within a few hours.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
I don’t have much technical prowess when it comes to demoing, so my process is rather primitive. When I first learning DAWs, I started with Cool Edit, which later became Adobe Audition. I used Reason to create MIDI tracks and then I’d bounce the audio back to Audition, where I would begin laying down vocals. I’ve since learned to use Logic Pro, but again, it’s still just the basic MIDI piano and vocal track.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Back in the 90s, there was an indie shoegaze band named Rose Chronicles. I don’t listen to new music at all.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
I don’t know if my melodies and chord progressions have changed much over the years, but my experiences have most definitely shaped the lyrical content of my music, which in recent years has started to lean towards having hope after times of turmoil.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I hope they feel less alone. I also hope that my songs help them make some sense of their pain, as they do for me.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Music has taught me the importance of having a creative and emotional conduit. Without them, we may be more prone to finding outlets in less desirable things like substances or compulsive behaviours. I think it’s incredibly important that we know where our avenues for expression are.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
The Orpheum Theatre in my hometown, Vancouver.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Annie Lennox. She’s my hero. Before I could even speak English, I was singing along to “Missionary Man.”
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
https://www.youtube.com/@jasonqiumusic
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
My dream is to produce my own recordings from start to finish, instead of relying on producers to flesh out my vision. I’d love to get into an audio engineering or production course, but I’m a busy parent these days, so that dream may have to be delayed just a bit longer.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
I hope they hear, through my music, that I’m just another fellow human being trying to understand myself better, and that I’m fallible to the same pathologies and issues we all face.
