[HA for DROKU] Artist You Should Know: Clara Chung

“I was a closet musician because I was surrounded by people who said that a musical career wasn’t good enough for me. There were also many friends who thought I was talented, but told me that I wasn’t good enough to make it anywhere,” says Clara Chung, whose passion for music was temporarily set aside as an “unattainable goal.”

“The cure was simple,” she says. “Find better friends.”

Over the last year, Chung has proven them wrong. She is now working on her first solo album, cooperating with a team of people willing to support her as she pursues her musical dreams.

Born in New York and raised in Los Angeles, her family encouraged creativity. Her parents sing in their church choir, her younger brother is a very talented in the kitchen, and her younger sister draws. According to Chung, her vocal talents come mostly from her father, who displays his most impressive musical skills “in a karaoke bar with some beer.”

After setting aside her hopes for a career in music, Chung decided to work towards her other passion: teaching. She was admitted into the University of California, Irvine, where she would go on to earn a degree in psychology and a minor in education. Since her recent graduation, Chung has been teaching and working with autistic children.

During her time at UC Irvine, Chung started to meet people and make friends who encouraged her to reconsider her plans.
“[They] pushed me to pursue the desires of my heart that had been stifled before,” says Chung.

In 2009, Chung entered and won the video contest for International Secret Agents, a concert organized by Wong Fu Productions and Far East Movement that brings several YouTube artists together on stage.

She then took the top prize at Kollaboration 10, a talent competition for Asian Americans.

Soon after, Chung released “Clouds,” a collaboration track with hip-hop artist Dumbfoundead and b-boy singer and actor Jay Park, which garnered well over half-a-million views on YouTube.

Chung’s rapidly increasing popularity gained her an invite to perform the National Anthem at the 2010 Korean Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, performing for a sold-out audience.

“I had seen so many amazing people perform [at the Hollywood Bowl] and I wanted to kiss the floor of the stage just to pay homage to the acts that had come before me,” she says.

“The crowd was amazingly responsive, and they shot off fireworks during my performance,” continues Chung. “I was all smiles. It was an incredible experience.”

Having helped organize ISA 2009, Jonathan Chang, her current manager, saw great potential in Chung. The two developed a professional business relationship and together they began the process of creating Chung’s first album.

From there, they put together a talented production team, including Chung’s personal friends Daniel Chae and Stephan Lee, and professional mixing engineer Wil Pong.

Pong, who has worked with hip-hop and R&B artists like Snoop Dog and Brandy, has nothing but good things to say about Chung.

“Even though she is a solo artist, one thing that we underline a lot is that this is a team, and you hear that chemistry and that friendship all throughout the record,” he says.

“In the beginning, I thought that I would do this completely alone,” Chung confesses. Working with a team, she discovered, is a lot easier and more fun than going at it alone. Her team, she says, provides her with a second opinion, extra brainpower and backup support in case she—like any other musician—has a mental meltdown.

“To have a family of people you can rely on is a huge blessing,” adds Chung. “Whenever a group of people come together to reach a common goal, it’s beautiful.”

When you hear her album, “Art in my Heart,” which she released in September, Chung says you should expect to laugh, cry and smile.

“It’s real and honest,” she says.

Just like her album, there is something real and honest about Chung, who is nothing but “ecstatic, excited, elated, and eternally grateful” for all of the opportunities that have come her way throughout her journey. With her warm smile, charming personality and unique vocals, we’re expecting big things from Ms. Chung this coming year.

Tags: Clara Chung