The talented instrumentalist Siyi Chen with singer Kiri Wu has established a cross-culture musical saga with blissful Chinese melodies. She has recently made headlines with her divine melodic number, ‘2 Moon’ released on major streaming platforms. The song features the power-packed vocal performance by Kiri Wu intermingled with a serene Rhodes-style chord. The Guzheng tunes add a beautiful tranquillity to the symphony. The passionate composer as well as producer has agreed to sit with us for an interview revealing unknown details about her music and career.
Congratulations Siyi Chen on the release of your brilliant new song, 2 Moon! Thank you for answering our questions and doing this interview with us.
Daily Music Roll: Tell us about your musical journey, when did you first start singing?
Siyi Chen: I produced it and invited my friend, Kiri Wu who currently studies in the UK, for her PhD degree. She is a great and talented singer.
As for my journey, at the age of seven, I began studying Guzheng under the tutelage of my mother.
Daily Music Roll: Do you play any instruments? If yes, then tell us about it
Siyi Chen: I became very interested in piano when I was nine years old. Since then, I’ve discovered the source of my happiness: music. Those instruments and practices kept me busy for the majority of my childhood. I considered myself a musician then because I could feel my love of music. I studied Guzheng with a well-known professor, Dr. Ding Shengfu, and piano with Renmin University Professor Dr. Xiao Yuanwu in Beijing since 2005. At the beginning of 2019, I launched my film composition and music production journey in New York City with film orchestrator Sonny Kompanek ( Twilight: Breaking Dawn) and Grammy-winner music producer Tony Dofat. I’ve become a professional composer, songwriter, and producer.
Daily Music Roll: What kinds of instruments did you use in your latest creation, 2 Moon?
Siyi Chen: I utilized trumpet, guitar, Synthesizer, bass, drums, cello, keys.
Daily Music Roll: Do you think a Chinese language song could make an impact on the western music industry?
Siyi Chen: From my perspective, it is not just a Chinese language song but Chinese music elements that could make an impact on the western music industry. Music is a world language and I believe no matter where the listeners come from, they will understand a song in a foreign language that had been seriously produced and feel the emotion of the producer.
Besides, it has always been my goal since I started my musical journey in New York City. I have been exploring pertinent approaches to introduce Chinese music elements to western films. I intend to capitalize on the unique sound of Chinese instruments and extract fitting musical elements from electronic music, jazz music, and Chinese music elements and combine them. For example in my latest upcoming instrumental filmic album Blossom, Chinese pentatonic and hexatonic scales are usually performed by orchestra band while some Jazz progression, chords, and rhythms are played by Guzheng or pipa. It is such an interesting approach to explore, and it is so meaningful for me to see Chinese and western music elements collide.
Daily Music Roll: What is the subject matter of the song and what message does it convey?
Siyi Chen: 2 Moon not as it communicated my state of intellect, but moreover shows the method of my self-reflection, overcoming depression and uneasiness amid the difficult period in 2020.
Daily Music Roll: What is the inspiration behind such a rhythmically rich and lyrically refreshing musical number?
Siyi Chen: At whatever point I see up at the moon, I continuously think of the moon in my hometown. That’s why I named it 2 Moon — There’s a moon within the sky whereas another virtual moon in my heart, at whatever point I feel forlorn and confounded, as long as I see up the moon. The virtual moon in my heart would provide me the correct heading.
Daily Music Roll: How does it inspire the audience to overcome their difficulties in life?
Siyi Chen: From the perspective of orchestration, to audience who doesn’t recognize Chinese, 2 Moon itself is a very gentle and warm song, the mild guitar, airy synthesizer, somber trumpet along with the melodious women vocal could comfort audience.
From the perspective of the meaning of the song. The moon has a very special meaning for many people, for people like me who are working in a foreign country, the moon in the sky carries my miss of my hometown and family. whenever feel anxious and painful, just look up at the moon, think about those warm people who encouraged you or still company you, think about your passionate attitude to life
Daily Music Roll: Which musicians have inspired you to become an excellent Guzheng player and singer?
Siyi Chen: I’m a producer and film composer than a singer. Two people inspired me a lot.
Film composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto. I can see how such a brilliant film composer understands and pursues the natural sound and feels the connections between nature and music’s purity. I always hope to find the inner peace of the musical world and myself.
Guzheng performer: Changjing. Chang Jing is an outstanding Guzheng performer and a musician in China who is always seeking to find a way for different instruments to interact. She impressed me when I first heard the song Farewell My Concubine composed by Chang Jing. The Lustrous and metallic violin harmony, the somber and weighty piano arpeggio, the mighty, full, and dark Chinese drum beat along with Magnificent and tense Guzheng melody, shocked me straight away. I fondly remember her saying, ‘I don’t want just to be a player who plays how well, I even want people to forget who is playing when they listen to the music and just immerse themselves through the music and pay attention to nature and feel inside.’ She inspired me a lot.
Daily Music Roll: Have you experimented with other genres? If yes what are the genres and how did you combine them in your music?
Siyi Chen: Hiphop, soul, R&B and classical music.
In my song “shake to the sunrise”, I utilized jazz along with hiphop elements. It was a small success, the song had I introduced jazz and electronic music elements to Chinese people, most of whom are not very familiar with those two genres.
Daily Music Roll: 2020 has been very tough on the entire world. What did you do in 2020 and how did it affect your musical journey?
Siyi Chen: As an international student, I could not return to my home country and faced various problems and injustices in New York in 2020. Such a particular time forced me to think seriously about my inner thoughts. I could not go out as much as I usually would have, but this provided me with the opportunity to focus on my creative work at home. I studied film scoring techniques with my advisor Sonny Kompanek, and worked with game producer Rachel Li three times to create music for her game, the original game soundtrack will be released this summer. Through a lot of music production practice, my music production skills have improved by leaps and bounds, and I’ve met more great producers. I am open to discovering different kinds of musical styles and I just want to float in the great music.
Daily Music Roll: What are your plans for the future and what do you want to take your musical career in the coming years?
Siyi Chen: I would collaborate with film directors and game producers, in the future I’ll prepare to apply for PhD in ethnomusicology. I hope I can be an inclusive musician who is always forging ahead, learning from great works and great producers, making great pieces and introduce my work to the world.
Daily Music Roll: Are you working independently or with any production house of a record label?
Siyi Chen: I’m currently working independently.
