[INTERVIEW] Jason Yu’s Advice: Balance compromise in your art, while staying true to your original purpose

Jason Yu, a singer and songwriter from Singapore, recently made his return with new music by releasing his EP “Ideals”. On March 14th, Jason held a virtual showcase Journey To Ideals which helped introduce the tracks on his new album.

Last week, he accompanied the new release with a music video for his song “I Miss You”. You can check it out below.

Jason took some time to answer some questions for HypnoticAsia! The artist talks about the time he was busking and about his newest album, Ideals.

INTERVIEW

Please introduce yourself to the readers of HypnoticAsia!

Hey readers of HypnoticAsia! I’m Jason Yu, an artist and singer-songwriter based in Singapore.

You started introducing your music through busking on the streets of Singapore. What influenced your decision to go this route, and would you recommend other up and coming artists to try this method as well?

Early on, maybe 4 years ago when I had just started to dabble in busking, I didn’t really expect anything to come out of it. I was far from being a seasoned performer and I was just curious how the experience of busking on the streets would be like. Also, it was a lot less intimidating than approaching a bar or venue and asking if I could play for them, there weren’t much expectations put on buskers, so I felt like it would’ve been a good way for me to practice and hone my skills as well.

I’d definitely recommend other up and coming artists to have a try at busking. If you can get over the fact that you’re not playing on a “legit” stage, busking can help expose your music and art to so many people (if you pick the right locations of course). It is also is such a good way for you build your confidence interacting with a crowd, as well as developing a stage presence, because it definitely helped me with those.

Tell us a little about your new EP, “Ideals” and what listeners can expect from it.

Ideals is a collection of songs. Each track speaks of a unique experience, perspective and I guess behind each song, is a specific “ideal”. The different songs show a unique and different side of who I am, and I think that’s also what has made these songs very relatable to my listeners. Whether you’re falling in love for the first time, crying about an ex or reminiscing about home, there’s a song for everyone in the EP.

You held a virtual concert to introduce your EP. How did that go?

It went really well! While I would’ve preferred holding an event with a live, physically present audience, this was the next best thing we could do. Covid has really impacted the way events are done now. Even if I did hold a live physical show, the audience interaction would have been strictly prohibited. People wouldn’t even have been allowed to sing along if they wanted to. I thought the next best thing would be to do it online, on a platform like zoom because I could still engage with my fans through the chat feature and games. This was my first time holding a concert, be it online or physical, it was really really nice to see my audience engaging with my music! More than to introduce my EP, I just really wanted to give back to my fans, to entertain and show them a good time. We started the concert with 100 people in the audience and ended it with 135, so I think people enjoyed themselves!

Where did you get the inspiration for “I Miss You?” Any interesting stories behind the song making?

I wrote “I Miss You” when I was abroad in Melbourne, taking my bachelor’s. I don’t usually get homesick, but there was this one night, after returning to Melbourne after a 4-month break in Singapore, made me feel different about being away. I’ve always loved experiencing the foreign and embracing new things, but I guess once the novelty faded away, the familiarity and comfort of home was something that couldn’t be replaced.

To many people, home isn’t a place but the people in it, a person. In the song, I personified the idea of home, using words that related to a person rather than a place.

If you were to introduce just one of your tracks to someone who may have never heard your music before, which would it be and why?

It’s difficult for me to pick a favourite, but if I had to choose one it’d be ‘Now I Know’. I wouldn’t say it’s objectively the best song from the EP, but it’s the one I spent the most time and energy working on with my music producer, Edric Hwang, and it’d be the one I want people to listen because of how strong the intent and emotions in the song are.

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

I absolutely love video games and anime, so if music wasn’t my thing I could imagine myself being a game designer, or visual artist of some sort.

What advice would you give to someone trying to pursue music?

This is advice I’m subscribing to myself, and that is to constantly remind yourself why you’ve decided to pursue music, and to balance compromise in your art, while staying true to your original purpose.