[EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW] Getting To Know Jason Chu

HypnoticAsia’s exclusive interview with Jason Chu! All the information you need to know about the artist and his upcoming album “Millennial.”

Chu is an Asian-American hip-hop artist based in LA with the mission, “to speak about the world he sees, a world filled with the struggle between joy and cynicism, greed and hope, hurt and healing.” His music is sincere as he talks about his own journey through his tracks as well as problems in the world. He tends to invite the audience along in his songs as he reaches out to make a difference.

Chu is also a member of the rap crew ‘Model Minority’ alongside duo, ‘The Fung Brothers.’

Though this interview, Chu explains how he got into music and what inspired him to write the lyrics for his new album “Millennial” which is due for release on the 7th of February!

Check out the interview below:

HYPNOTICASIA: Please introduce yourself to the readers at HypnoticAsia.

JASON CHU: Hey guys, I’m Jason. I’m a hip-hop artist in LA by way of Beijing and originally Delaware.

HYPNOTICASIA: Where does the inspiration to write your lyrics come from? Are the songs written from personal experiences?

JASON CHU: The songs that made it to this album all came from me asking – what are the parts of my life that I’m most emotional, defensive, or scared to talk about? Then I took a second look at those places, and tried to see where that fear, pride, or whatever came from.

HYPNOTICASIA: How old were you when you started music? Did you always know you wanted to do music or was there someone or something that inspired you?

JASON CHU: I was 6 when I had my first piano lesson – I was 25 when I realized that maybe music could be a way that I could share something with people who needed it. Guess I’m a slow learner, haha.

I was working in Beijing and doing these little underground rap shows for 150, 200, 300 Chinese kids, and I saw the way they looked at me on stage and came up to me after the show, like even though we didn’t speak the same language, they could still see my heart. And that experience, plus encouragement from my friends Paco and David (from The Fung Brothers), got me to start believing that my music could be powerful. And helpful.

HYPNOTICASIA: Tell us more about your mission, “to speak about the world he sees, a world filled with the struggle between joy and cynicism, greed and hope, hurt and healing.” How did you come up with this mission?

JASON CHU: In my own life, thanks to my friends, my community, and my own personal faith journey, I’ve gone from being very cynical and hopeless to being very cynical, but also hopeful. In anything I do – music or not – I want to speak to people who are where I was, to let them know that, yes, we’re all broken in deep ways, but that doesn’t mean there’s no future for us. Hope is real.

HYPNOTICASIA: Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?

JASON CHU: I grew up on the east coast, so I love grimy New York hip-hop: Rakim, The Wu-Tang Clan, Redman, most of all Aesop Rock – this underground rapper with the craziest lyrics. Straight up rappers like Em, Nas, Lupe. New blood like Kendrick, Drake, Macklemore, J. Cole. And some other stuff – this electronic singer-songwriter from Canada, Lights, I’ve been listening to her a lot.

HYPNOTICASIA: We heard you were releasing your album “Millennial” on February 7; what inspired the title of the album?

JASON CHU: I wrote the songs on MILLENNIAL over the course of a little tour I did in Hawai’I. While I was out there, I was performing for a lot of high school audiences, and I found myself reflecting on who I was when I was their age, and the things I was going through. I feel like there have been a lot of think pieces recently – New York Times, blogs, etc. – on the “Millennial Generation”. But always from voices that are talking ABOUT us, not speaking FOR or even WITH us

HYPNOTICASIA: How did you come up with the design for the cover of the album?

JASON CHU: Funny you ask – I actually had a totally different cover planned, but I showed it to my friends Carl, Will, and Tim, and they all responded: this isn’t honest. The album’s about being real, truthful, vulnerable, and I was trying to look cool on the cover. So they pushed me to show something that’s true to the album – and this picture (me in 2002) came immediately to mind.

HYPNOTICASIA: What would you say is the genre of this upcoming album?

JASON CHU: Reflective, forward-looking hip-hop

HYPNOTICASIA: If you had to describe your album in 5 words, what would they be?

JASON CHU: Honest. Vulnerable. Self-aware. Hopeful. Surprising.

HYPNOTICASIA: Is all the music on your upcoming 11 track album written by you? Anyone help produce this new album?

JASON CHU: 100% of the music is NOT produced by me. I’m proud to have worked with some incredibly talented collaborators on this album: ElyonBeats, Chucky Kim (Taiyo Na, Magnetic North, Beau Sia), Chase Flow and Will H from Philly, and my secret weapon (and live bassist) Andrew Coulter.

HYPNOTICASIA: Of the 11 tracks on your album, which are you most excited to release? Would you say it’s your favorite?

JASON CHU: I’m excited by how real Red Lines (cutting) and no angels (porn/sex addiction) are. I think they have the potential to really heal and help some people. I can’t wait for my homie MC Jin to hear Letter to Jin.

My favorite to listen to is Shine With Me. I think the beat, flow, and chorus came together in a special way. It’s a super rappy, beat you over the head, pumped up flow.

HYPNOTICASIA: Is there an artist out there that you’d like to collaborate with?

JASON CHU: Kendrick! The China market is the next big thing. Get at me, dawg.

HYPNOTICASIA: If you weren’t making music, what do you believe you’d be doing instead?

JASON CHU: Finding ways to speak about hope and healing in this broken world. Same mission by any means necessary.

HYPNOTICASIA: If you could give advice to an up and coming artist, what would it be?

JASON CHU: Don’t stop working on your craft until you know it can move people’s hearts. Don’t be afraid to release something just because it’s not perfect. Know your strengths, and your weaknesses.

HYPNOTICASIA: If you had an unlimited budget, what kind of music video would you have, who would be in it, who would direct it, etc…

JASON CHU: Hmm. That’s tough. I’d have my friend Jon shoot it, who directed my Battle Scars video. And the rest…. I’d leave that up to Jon. I trust him.

http://youtu.be/DDYiCV8Vna0

FUN QUESTIONS:

The first thing I do when I wake up is… Check my phone.

The last thing I do before I sleep is… Check my phone.

My most prized possession is… My phone. Ha. No, actually, this ring that my homie Paco gave me. There are only 9 in the world, and only guys from our little rap crew in Beijing have them.

My biggest pet peeve is… Slow internet.

My catchphrase would be… man, I got no idea. If you do, tweet them to @jasonchumusic. If I use it, you get bragging rights.

The song that should play when I enter the room is… Don Omar – Danza Kuduro. Turn up.

The best way to cheer me up when I’m down is… book a show, go out there, and rock out. http://tiny.cc/bookjasonchu