On The Rise

Blending Culture and Identity Through Guzheng

Chinese-Canadian guzheng master, Michelle Kwan, bridges Eastern and Western music with the sparkling sounds of the traditional ancient Chinese harp.  She talks about exploring her Asian Heritage, finding her voice, and growing into a deeper identity through the power of language and music.  She showcases one of her original accompaniments to the rock and roll song, Sweet Child of Mine, and lets listeners into the stories about collaboration, connecting, and dreaming along her musical journey.  
【About Season 2: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music】
Everybody listens to music, but not everybody has the chance to dive into the minds and lyrics of the artists behind the songs.  
Join singer-songwriter and host Gina Lam as she speaks with eight incredible female musicians who are releasing new music, reaching new audiences, and shaping their communities – all while discovering more about their Asian, Professional Artist, and Personal identities throughout the process.  
ON THE RISE: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music is a project supported by Jade Music Fest(https://jmfa.ca/).  A new artist is featured every week - you don’t want to miss an episode!
【Check the artist out】
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@MichelleKwan?feature=sharec 

Ebbing, Flowing, and Following the Process

Phenomenally inspirational sound artist, Mirabelle Jien, has an ethereal voice and writes poignant lyrics that will wrap you up, hold you close, and bring you deeper into the honest messages and intimate truths in our lives.  We talk about the connecting power of Languages, accepting the ebb and flow in all aspects of creative work, and the value in continuing to "follow the process" - whether through music, podcasting, photography, videography, and all things artistic.  Also, experience the dichotomy yet connection between hopelessness and hope in her indie folk song, Lighthouse. 
【About Season 2: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music】
Everybody listens to music, but not everybody has the chance to dive into the minds and lyrics of the artists behind the songs.  
Join singer-songwriter and host Gina Lam as she speaks with eight incredible female musicians who are releasing new music, reaching new audiences, and shaping their communities – all while discovering more about their Asian, Professional Artist, and Personal identities throughout the process.  
ON THE RISE: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music is a project supported by Jade Music Fest(https://jmfa.ca/).  A new artist is featured every week - you don’t want to miss an episode!
【Check the artist out】
Website: https://mirabellejien.com/All links: https://beacons.ai/mirabellejien 

Building Trust and Baring Emotions

Juno award-winning Jacqueline Teh reveals the many roles Musicians play, separately and yet somehow, all at once. As a songwriter, she shares her experiences with navigating vulnerability, boundary-setting, and trust-building when collaborating with other songwriters, and gets behind shaping the listeners' experience for her intimately heartbreaking song, Did. 
【About Season 2: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music】
Everybody listens to music, but not everybody has the chance to dive into the minds and lyrics of the artists behind the songs.  
Join singer-songwriter and host Gina Lam as she speaks with eight incredible female musicians who are releasing new music, reaching new audiences, and shaping their communities – all while discovering more about their Asian, Professional Artist, and Personal identities throughout the process.  
ON THE RISE: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music is a project supported by Jade Music Fest(https://jmfa.ca/).  A new artist is featured every week - you don’t want to miss an episode!
【Check the artist out】
Website: www.jacqtehmusic.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacqtehmusic/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jacqtehmusic?
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jacquelineloves2sing
 

Representing Current Truth

Aiko Tomi is a huge-energy, wholesome-spicy, playful, and wickedly authentic performer-dancer-singer-songwriter creating art for the sake of art.  Discover why this music project is her current truth and listen to the vulnerable, sexy, and powerful song, Handful, which celebrates and affirms feminine body image.
【About Season 2: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music】
Everybody listens to music, but not everybody has the chance to dive into the minds and lyrics of the artists behind the songs.  
Join singer-songwriter and host Gina Lam as she speaks with eight incredible female musicians who are releasing new music, reaching new audiences, and shaping their communities – all while discovering more about their Asian, Professional Artist, and Personal identities throughout the process.  
ON THE RISE: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music is a project supported by Jade Music Fest(https://jmfa.ca/).  A new artist is featured every week - you don’t want to miss an episode!
【Check the artist out】
Website: https://www.aikotomi.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aikotomic
Socials: @aikotomic, FB @emoemoji
Lyrics are all here: https://aikotomic.bandcamp.com/album/animals-awake
Album link: https://fanlink.to/animalsawake
 

Grounding Within Music

Songwriter, performer, producer, facilitator, and expressive arts therapist, Senyuè, makes music that allows the audience to experience grounding, centring, and connectedness while exploring meaningful themes about Chinese Canadian family legacy, history, relationships with ancestors, and queer identity.   They also bring us through the patient, personal, and purposeful process of creating Music Carry Me Home which uniquely entwines inspired spoken word and song. 
【About Season 2: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music】
Everybody listens to music, but not everybody has the chance to dive into the minds and lyrics of the artists behind the songs.  
Join singer-songwriter and host Gina Lam as she speaks with eight incredible female musicians who are releasing new music, reaching new audiences, and shaping their communities – all while discovering more about their Asian, Professional Artist, and Personal identities throughout the process.  
ON THE RISE: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music is a project supported by Jade Music Fest(https://jmfa.ca/).  A new artist is featured every week - you don’t want to miss an episode!
【Check the artist out】
Website www.senyueartist.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/senyue.artist/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/senyue.artist/
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/1jHPsKvk19Iy6xBs2hf8X6?si=cb8c877ca9ad46cd

Crossing Borders and Bridging Culture

Highly accomplished 21-string pentatonic guzheng and 2-string erhu player Amely Zhou bridges culture and community through performance, composing, arranging, composing, and teaching of traditional Chinese music in the Western world. Link to featured project The Borderless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f0qvCew_nc
 
【About Season 2: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music】
Everybody listens to music, but not everybody has the chance to dive into the minds and lyrics of the artists behind the songs.  
Join singer-songwriter and host Gina Lam as she speaks with eight incredible female musicians who are releasing new music, reaching new audiences, and shaping their communities – all while discovering more about their Asian, Professional Artist, and Personal identities throughout the process.  
ON THE RISE: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music is a project supported by Jade Music Fest(https://jmfa.ca/).  A new artist is featured every week - you don’t want to miss an episode!
【Check the artist out】
Website https://www.amelyzhou.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/erhutoronto
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/amelyzhou/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/amelyzhou
 

Vulnerability As Strength

Taiwanese-Australian Artist Kim Yang exemplifies what it means to be a courageous, committed, and inspired Singer-Songwriter on her journey as woman, partner, daughter, traveller, thinker, empath, identity seeker, and more, and tells the story behind her haunting and melodic piece, Fantasy. 
【About Season 2: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music】
Everybody listens to music, but not everybody has the chance to dive into the minds and lyrics of the artists behind the songs.  
Join singer-songwriter and host Gina Lam as she speaks with eight incredible female musicians who are releasing new music, reaching new audiences, and shaping their communities – all while discovering more about their Asian, Professional Artist, and Personal identities throughout the process.  
ON THE RISE: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music is a project supported by Jade Music Fest(https://jmfa.ca/).  A new artist is featured every week - you don’t want to miss an episode!
【Check the artist out】
Website www.kimyangmusic.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kimyangmusic/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kimyangmusic/

Music As Survival

Soul-Pop artist Chynna Lewis lets the audience in on her struggle as an immigrant, raises the question of how we cope with pain in our lives, and reveals a raw and powerful song from her recent EP, What Are Friends For. 
【About Season 2: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music】
Everybody listens to music, but not everybody has the chance to dive into the minds and lyrics of the artists behind the songs.  
Join singer-songwriter and host Gina Lam as she speaks with eight incredible female musicians who are releasing new music, reaching new audiences, and shaping their communities – all while discovering more about their Asian, Professional Artist, and Personal identities throughout the process.  
ON THE RISE: Behind the Lyrics, Beyond the Music is a project supported by Jade Music Fest(https://jmfa.ca/).  A new artist is featured every week - you don’t want to miss an episode!
【Check the artist out】
Website http://chynnalewis.com/
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrIRcxZ6Bl4S3IrEvhCmWGw
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chynnalewis/
Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@chynnalewismusic
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Chynna-Lewis-38235003660/
Spotify　https://open.spotify.com/artist/69ndDrJGFy55pmTGDqnJ0j?si=DDs-XaArQQaj6wkCbYL2vA
Apple Music https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/chynna-lewis/1493227469
Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/chynnalewis
 
 

Taiwanese Canadians know what’s up feat. LEO37 (Part 2)

Canadian born, and raised, Taiwanese rapper, singer, promoter, booker, producer, visionary, community builder. Hailing from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Leo37 has firmly established himself amongst Taiwan's elite music industry professionals. Listen as we travel through Leo's humble beginnings in Canada, to the rise of stardom in Taiwan's music ecosystem. It was all about family for Leo, growing up on the Canadian prairies shaped and provoked Leo’s understanding of himself and the world around him. Finding love, connection, and freedom through music helped Leo survive, and make his way to the top in Taiwan.  
For more information on Leo37, please follow these links: https://g.co/kgs/oSScfbhttps://www.youtube.com/c/THATSMYSHHH

Taiwanese Canadians know what’s up feat. LEO37 (Part 1)

Canadian born, and raised, Taiwanese rapper, singer, promoter, booker, producer, visionary, community builder. Hailing from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Leo37 has firmly established himself amongst Taiwan's elite music industry professionals. Listen as we travel through Leo's humble beginnings in Canada, to the rise of stardom in Taiwan's music ecosystem. It was all about family for Leo, growing up on the Canadian prairies shaped and provoked Leo’s understanding of himself and the world around him. Finding love, connection, and freedom through music helped Leo survive, and make his way to the top in Taiwan.  
For more information on Leo37, please follow these links: https://g.co/kgs/oSScfbhttps://www.youtube.com/c/THATSMYSHHH