Baiyu Chen – The Soulful Songstress

For Baiyu Chen, music was a natural gift. Born and raised by musically gifted parents, Baiyu learned how to read and compose music since the age of six – and with no formal musical training. In addition, she participated in her school choirs, pursuing her passion. Aside from music, Baiyu later on became a model and an actress. She has modeled for Seventeen magazine, and she was a host of MTV’s television show,” The Freshmen,” for three years. However, music has always been her passion, and she has come full circle back to singing.

Baiyu recently released her EP, “B-Side,” and Asiance had the chance to talk to the up and coming songstress about her career and her debut music.

Asiance: You’re a versatile entertainer. Besides growing up in a musical environment, what was it about singing/music that made you pursue it as a career?

Baiyu: Growing up, I actually never thought that I was “good enough” as a singer to make it into the industry. My parents were always weary that I didn’t have any Asian American mentors to look up to or paths of success to follow. I’m not sure what it was that made me say, “Yes! This is the career that I want to pursue,” but as a determined young lady, I sort of just set my heart to it and told myself to go get it. Even if I don’t have the “perfect” voice, I have just as much heart, soul, enthusiasm, passion, and hope as any other singer out there. I suppose it’s the sheer love of music and hard core determination that made me want to begin my pursuit of singing as a career.

Over the years, I slowly realized that my friends and fans have shown me such overwhelming support that I don’t have a choice but to continue to write, record and perform. Slowly, as I grow into myself and into my voice, I’m developing my own style as an artist. Slowly, as I move forward with my career, I realize that I’m becoming that mentor that I was hoping to find in another Asian American artist. This is why I made it a point to continue singing as my career.

Asiance: If you weren’t pursuing an entertainment career, what do you think you would be doing instead?

Baiyu: It’s really tough to say, but perhaps I would have become a dentist. When I was much younger, I didn’t get a ton of toys outside of Christmas and birthdays, but I vividly remember getting little gifts and toys from my dentist whenever I went to get my annual checkups. It’s kind of silly, but he was my version of Santa, and I would have loved to make little kids smile just the same.

Asiance: You went to Princeton, but you also had dreams to become an entertainer. Was it easy or was it hard to stay focused on your studies instead of leaving your studies behind to pursue an entertainment career?

Baiyu: I can’t say it was easy, but it was manageable. I think that with all things in life, it’s about prioritizing, and doing the best that you can with what you’re given. Thankfully, my education and my music have become somewhat of a symbiotic relationship. Part of the reason why I got into Princeton was because of my diverse interests and pursuits, and part of what makes me so unique as an artist is my cerebral nature and business savvy. It’s very important to be book smart and street smart at the same time!

Asiance: This past summer you just got signed onto JMD/INgrooves/Universal. How significant was that moment to you on a professional level? On a personal level?

Baiyu: Getting distribution for my EP through JMD/INgrooves/Universal was a huge milestone in my career as an independent artist. To me, it meant that not only had I worked hard enough, and have garnered enough interest to warrant a deal, but that my music has reached such a level of professionalism that I have generated some label attention. Personally, I feel like it’s been a long time coming, and that I’m just so incredibly blessed and happy that I’ve arrived at to this point in my life.

Asiance: You just released your EP, “B-Side.” Can you talk a little about that?

Baiyu: So the concept for the name “B-Side” came from the idea of having an A-Side and a B-Side to a music cassette tape. The A-side tends to be more so catered to the masses, where as the B-Side tends to contain songs that are a little more introspective, and personal to the artist. For me, each song on B-Side is a Haiku of sorts providing quick snap shots of various experiences in my past that have impacted me as an individual. As a songwriter, I have chosen each word and note carefully to reflect my truest emotions. Hopefully as you listen to the songs, you will be able to share in the pain and joy of some of my stories.

Asiance: What are your plans/goals/resolutions for the new year?

Baiyu: My plan and goal for each coming year is always to just keep going. I constantly have to remind myself that as long as I put one foot in front of the other, the longest path is only so many footsteps away. I plan to continue to write songs, make music, perform, and connect with my fans. In terms of a personal resolution, I really want to take better care of myself by going to the gym more and eating healthier. I can’t keep living on the pizza and soda that ran through my veins during my college years.

For more information on Baiyu, please visit www.baiyuonline.com.