Heather Park
Interview 14
September 2005
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Tell me about yourself, your background, family,
I’m a Korean-American, a lover of hip-hop, a
singer of soul, and a student of life.
I’m an only child, raised by 2 very loving parents who want only the best for me, but don’t necessarily
think that a life in music is it.
I’m a work in progress.
Tell me about the album, how long it took to get together, and the
> concept behind the idea. It’s your first album isn’t it?
Dream
in Pictures took 3 years to become what
it is. This is basically my
musical rite of passage. The album
captures me coming into myself as an artist. I met my producer Steve Francis 3 years ago, the title track
“Dream in Pictures” was literally the first song we ever wrote and recorded
together. So it’s a true
representation of my journey.
There was really no
concept driving the album. If
anything, it was exceptionally organic in its formation. We probably recorded over 30 songs and
what we ended up with seemed complete.
Tell me about your songwriting and what you draw from, personal experience and
observation.
Ironically, the natural
inspiration for creation is probably life itself. I’m fortunate enough to work with a producer who respects my
experiences and visions, so writing songs just flow. Most of the time they derive from personal experiences, but
they can be inspired by a book, like “Your Woman” which was inspired by Toni
Morrison’s Beloved….or even just a concept, like “Didn’t I”, where the “woman” who my man
seem s to be cheating on me with, is really a gun. Stuff like that.
Lyrical quality is
something I deeply value in songs, so I always like to make things meaningful.
How’s it going down – what tracks can we look out for/do you like. Tell me
about some of the places where you are getting good exposure
It’s hard for me to point out any one track
as a favorite because each song is a personal benchmark for me. Each song on the album truly made the
cut, since we recorded a lot of songs.
But for me, “Dream in Pictures” will always be very special. It was the first song that I truly felt
was my own. It’s truly a little
piece of me lyrically, intellectually and musically. Another personal favorite is “3 Meals a Day” because it’s
inspired by an old Dennis Brown song of the same title.
As for places where
we’ve been well received, it truly varies, but I would say the West Coast has
been particularly appreciative of the music. It seems R&B and live music still has a viable presence
out there, so the lyrics and music is not lost on the audience.
Tell me about your style, what you do and what do you add to the rest of the
stuff out there
It’s always hard for an artist to describe
her own style. I guess all artists
like to think of themselves as different to everyone else…it’s the creative
rebel that lives in all of us.
I don’t think I
make music to be INTENTIONALLY different, but I think the music I make
represents my personal feelings about what’s out there. I try to maintain a level of lyrical
integrity with every song. I try
to infuse harmonies with interesting dissonance so that it tickles your
senses. I try to keep it
intellectual.
But if I had
to…this is how I would describe my style: it’s sophisticated soul with cerebral
lyrics, rich harmonies and real music.
It’s not mainstream, but it’s not completely left of center. It can be smooth, it can be strong, but
it’s always steady and inviting.
Like a good woman.
Whats your show like, what gigs are you doing.
Right now, I primarily to shows to backing
tracks, though we have just put our band together and will be doing live
shows. Being in NY, it’s hard as an
R&B singer, as the live music scene is heavily rock/alternative, or
hip-hop. I’m definitely looking
forward to playing with musicians…it’s an invaluable feeling when you vibe with
other people’s energies.
Do you use the same people live as on your recorded material.
A lot of the recorded material was done with
1 or 2 musicians, so for our live show, the lineup will probably be more
varied.
Tell me about the team of people around you.
The “team” of people I have is small and
cozy. It was really important to
me that we did this project as an independent release. It was the first album, and maintaining
true creative expression was incredibly important to me. Perhaps I’m still a bit naïve.
That said, the team consists of myself and my producer Steve
Francis. I truly treat the album
as our mutual success, because it was with his guidance, patience and vision
that I was able to develop myself as an artist. I am truly lucky to have him as a mentor and as a friend.
Whats it like getting yourself heard, and getting stuff down as an
independent.
Making it in the music industry is probably
one of the hardest things to achieve.
Doing it as an independent, making music that’s not “mainstream”…we
definitely made it that much harder for ourselves. But, I honestly believe in quality. And the response we’ve gotten so far
has proved that to be true. I am
definitely looking forward to getting the opportunity to support this album.
Who are your influences, currently and from back in the day
My influences are really eclectic: Mary J. Blige, Amel Larrieux,
India.Arie, Sarah McLachlan, D’Angelo, The Beatles, Indigo Girls, Marvin Gaye,
Maxwell, Aaliyah, Alicia Keys, John Legend….the list never ends. I think there’s something to be learned
from all musical genres. Quality
cannot be denied.
Who else have you worked with
When I first started out, I had done some
work for Ruff Ryders on the Jin project.
I’ve also worked with Vincent Herbert on a song, as well as the producer
Nef.
What else have you done, how have you got where you are now
Since graduating college, I’ve really been
trying to pursue music. I was
supposed to go to grad school, and I backed out when I realized that nothing
would ever make me as happy as music.
I think I’ve gotten where I am by having faith. Faith in what, I don’t know….probably
having faith that whatever happens is exactly what is supposed to happen. I honestly believe that music is what’s
supposed to happen for me.
Fortunately, the universe must feel the same way.
Has music always been in you from an early age, you’re a classically trained
pianist but there’s a lot of musical influences evident.
Music has always been a part of me. My mom has cassette tapes of me singing
for hours when I was 1 ½ years
old. I was the shyest child you
could ever meet, but if you asked me to sing, I would get up on the table and
just belt it. It was undeniably
something that was in me that’s always wanted to come out.
Are you in it full time, at what point did you feel that music would be the
path you took – professionally that is. What else might you
have done.
It was right after I graduated college. I
was an Asian Studies & English major.
I spoke Chinese and was going to study in Taiwan. The summer after graduation, I was
working for my parents and I just felt miserable. I was like a shadow of myself. I didn’t realize why until a producer from Miami had heard a
hook I had recorded in college and called me and told me he loved my
voice. It was then that I realized
that Music was what was missing. I
knew then that nothing could ever bring me the kind of happiness that Music
would.
If I didn’t end up a singer….I would probably be a
diplomatic aide to China for the UN or something. J
What was the break tha ‘kickstarted it all’
Like I said earlier, it was really just a phone call that
re-ignited my love for Music. I
guess what really started things…
My parents kicked me out of my house, infuriated by the
decision to pursue music. I was
working in my cousin’s deli, and a guy walks in wearing a Bad Boy Entertainment
jacket. I asked if he worked for
the company, he replied “No” but that his girlfriend worked in radio and
received lots of promotional stuff.
I mentioned that I was a singer, and I handed him a CD with a few songs
recorded. He said he’d pass it
along to his girlfriend.
3 months passed….and nothing happened. I really didn’t expect anything. One day, a lady drops off her card at
the deli and insists that I call her.
The girlfriend was the Programming Director of Hot 97. Apparently, her boyfriend had been in
the living room and was listening to my demo CD. She walked in and was like, “Why are you listening to Alicia
Keys?” And he replied, “It’s not
Alicia Keys…it’s the little Korean girl who works at the deli across the
street.”
And so it began.
Tell me about Steve Francis, from the initial meeting to how he helped.
As a result of the incident above, I was
fortunate enough to meet Steve Francis.
While I was being taken around, singing things for various people…I
never felt like what I was singing was my own. Steve really took the time to get to know what I wanted out
of my music and had the patience and ability to bring out my voice. His musical insight, expertise and his
impeccable intuition made it a truly great creative match.
What other independent artists are
you feeling.
Off the top of my head, my most favorite
would be Amel Larrieux. There’s
also this local NYC band called Nitromusk who I love to go out and see. Goapele: I admire her energy. I most definitely feel much love for
artists who are trying to do their thing as independents. It’s a brave chance, but more power to
you, because it’s a labour of love.
What is your following like locally.
I’m fortunately to have strong support from
the Asian community. I think it’s
important that we support each other as a community and especially as artists,
as I think it’s an area where we’re under-represented and over-stereotyped.
What do you know about other markets, UK, Europe, Japan etc
We’re getting a good response from the UK
and Japan. One of the songs from
the album, “Is What It Is”, was licensed to a Japanese record company in 2004,
so we’ve also been getting buzz from Japan as well as Korea.
What are your ambitions
My ambitions: to be happy, to be true to my
beliefs, to be honorable, modest, kind and compassionate. My ambition is to try to be right with
myself as often as I can, because if we’re not right with ourselves, nothing we
ever do or make will be right.
Whats happening next, promoting or looking to the next phase
We’re looking to start touring on a regional
and colleges level to support Dream in Pictures. But we’re also starting
to work on the second album. It’s
a great thing to be constantly creating.
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