{"id":3719,"date":"2009-02-28T17:03:00","date_gmt":"2009-02-28T17:03:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-15T13:25:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T13:25:35","slug":"wendy-wang-the-sweet-hurt-s-splendid-treat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=3719","title":{"rendered":"Wendy Wang – The Sweet Hurt\u2019s Splendid Treat"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the millions of wannabe rock stars out there, it\u2019s no surprise to find young hopefuls flocking to the city of lights each year with big hopes and dreams. Some want fame, some want fortune and shamelessly, there are those who just want their fifteen minutes. The mega hit show American Idol has managed to secure a following of viewers from all around the world. In the process it has produced a cast of pop stars, some who have found celebrity status. A far cry from Idoldom madness is Wendy Wang of The Sweet Hurt. This unassuming twenty-something grew up in Southern California and has an Economics degree from UCLA. She\u2019s so close to being a CPA that you may want to call her come tax time! But don\u2019t let the normalcy fool you. Wang is a musical virtuoso and a hidden gem in the industry. She has been writing and producing her own music for some time as well as collaborating with many other bands. Her acoustic style and melancholy songs are sweet envy to anyone\u2019s ears. With that, she exudes a pureness in her voice that\u2019s undeniable. Check out her latest EP In the Shade of Dreams available now. Wendy Wang; smart girl, smart music, the way it should be. <\/p>\n

Asiance sat down with Wendy as she shared her thoughts about her band The Sweet Hurt, role models, and life\u2019s little joys like kickball, really.<\/i>
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\nI don\u2019t want to say that only Asians are practical but I guess I see more non-Asians going for what they\u2019re passionate about than Asians.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Wendy Wang<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

ASIANCE: How did you start The Sweet Hurt? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> I\u2019ve been playing music in LA for a little bit, then I got musicians I knew, who I like to be around with, and I asked them if they would play with me, so yeah, it\u2019s a pretty supportive community so..<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: How did you ask other musicians to be in TSE? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> Through bands that I\u2019ve played in or performed with, everybody\u2019s kind of friends and I\u2019d be like ok I need a drummer so I\u2019m gonna ask this guy\u2026.friends of friends, or if I joined a new band and then I meet a bunch of new musicians and then they\u2019d recommend people.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Is TSH the only band you\u2019re in or are there others? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> I sit in with a bunch of bands. So I\u2019m not like an official member of a lot of bands but I was a member of Lets Go Sailing, Honeyhoney, and Correatown. I’m in Obi Best, The Bird and The Bee, The Californian, and I Make This Sound now.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Where did you grow up? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> I grew up in Los Angeles, in the suburbs. Aren\u2019t they all suburbs though? Yeah, I grew up in Southern California and I went to school here, pretty much have been LA based my entire life. It\u2019s kind of cool.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Did you always know that you wanted to be a musician? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> Not really, because I never thought it could be a feasible like occupation. I wasn\u2019t ever the bomb at the violin or I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d ever go to college for performance or anything like that. Yeah, I didn\u2019t know anybody who was a working musician when I was growing up so I didn\u2019t have somebody to look up to and think \u201cwow, they can do it\u201d Everybody had professional service jobs, like a lawyer, a doctor, an accountant, from an Asian background. I know so many lawyers, doctors, and accountants, it\u2019s really funny.<\/p>\n

Watch the music video for “Bright Ideas”<\/b><\/p>\n

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ASIANCE: Did your family ever pressure you into doing traditional jobs? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> Oh yeah! My parents obviously want me to have a secure job where I\u2019m making good money consistently. They strongly encouraged me to take certain routes and study certain things for school. I went to school for accounting.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Did you really? That\u2019s very different. <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> Yeah. I\u2019m so close to being a CPA it\u2019s really funny. I really liked my accounting classes and econ (economics) classes. They were great. They were really analytical; I really like that kind of stuff. <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: What does your family think about you pursuing a music career? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> They\u2019re really supportive. I think they\u2019re just worried that I\u2019ll starve. Ha ha. They\u2019re really cool. I feel guilty that they\u2019re so supportive. I sometimes think if following my dream is selfish sometimes\u2026not selfish but too into my thing, not looking a head.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Do you think that is due to your Asian background? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> I guess I\u2019ve always been pretty practical. I don\u2019t want to say that only Asians are practical but I guess I see more non-Asians going for what they\u2019re passionate about than Asians.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Where did you go to college?
\nWendy:<\/b> UCLA. I totally stayed in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Did you play in any bands during college? And when did you start The Sweet Hurt? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> Around 2003. My friend who I met at a music internship encouraged me to put a band together. I sent him demos that I did at home.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: What\u2019s your ethnic background? Are you full Asian? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> Yeah. <\/p>\n

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\nIt\u2019s kind of interesting because my first language was Chinese but I grew up in a mostly Caucasian neighborhood.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Wendy Wang<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

ASIANCE: I assumed you were mixed. <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> Why, is it because I\u2019m pale? Ha ha. My parents are both from Taiwan.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Do you speak Taiwanese? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> I don\u2019t really speak Taiwanese; I know a few terms and phrases. I can speak Mandarin. That was my first language. My parents moved here and I was born here.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Are people surprised to find out you\u2019re Asian after hearing the album? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> It\u2019s kind of interesting because my first language was Chinese but I grew up in a mostly Caucasian neighborhood. I\u2019ve heard from others or friend\u2019s of friend\u2019s who commented, \u2018I didn\u2019t know she was Asian.\u2019 But I haven\u2019t gotten too much of that. People just assume I grew up here.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: The Sweet Hurt, what\u2019s the meaning behind the name? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> My friend in college who was an English major got to read a bunch of stuff that an Economics major wouldn\u2019t get to read. We were going through a bunch of different names and one day he suggested The Sweet Hurt. He read it in a Spanish poem and thought it would fit me. I heard it and thought, \u2018that\u2019s kind of awesome.\u2019 It has a kind of Gothic feel to it, but I\u2019m not really Goth. When I was little I was really into the Cure. I always talked about how I liked the juxtaposition of it. I think it fits. I\u2019m going to give that credit to my good friend Mike Liu, a great guitar player.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Who were your musical influences for The Sweet Hurt? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> I listened to a lot of Ramones. Pop slash punk. Music that wasn\u2019t too aggressive. I really like pop music. I really like this guy, Nick Drake. He was really popular in the sixties. <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: How does the whole process work in creating an album? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> Let me think about this. It\u2019s interesting actually, now looking back at it, how everything got thrown together. It was over the span of a year and a half. It took six months before I recorded after my last EP. The first one, I just demo-ed it out and then my friend who produced it helped me flush it out. Then I got my friend to come in and play drums on it. The second song, I just demo-ed it out and then basically got my friends who are studio musicians to come in and just play what they thought would be cool. We experimented a lot during the recording process. I have the luxury of recording at a studio I work at. <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Do you have any Asian American role models? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> Everyone in my family. The guy who did the artwork on the album, he\u2019s half Taiwanese and half white. The art work was actually an inspiration of the title of this EP and song number five (In the shade of dreams). His name is Josh Cochran. My friends totally inspire me.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Are you conscience about being an Asian American role model? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> I hope Asian kids can feel like they could do something besides going to law school or medical school. It seems like a lot of people are going to med school these days. Yes, I\u2019m aware. I hope I\u2019m saying a lot by just going out and doing it, even being a girl and leading a band. I found that Asian supporters are really supportive. <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Do you have any siblings? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> Yeah, I have two older sisters. They\u2019re big influence in my life. I\u2019m the baby and I get to do whatever I want! Ha ha.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: What do you have to say to the Asian-American woman out there trying to pursue their music career? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> First of all, be realistic. A lot of people go on American Idol and say \u2018everyone tells me I\u2019m awesome.\u2019 They have to be able to hear that they\u2019re not that great. They can\u2019t just claim to be the next \u201cBritney\u201d or whatever. Number two, they have to practice and work really hard. You can\u2019t just get everything by image. You have to practice your art, which means taking lessons and playing with someone who\u2019s awesome, who\u2019s going to teach you something and not just make you feel bad about yourself. Do everything with integrity. Are you just doing it to be famous or are you doing it because you love it? If you\u2019re doing well not just in the Asian scene but the scene in general, it\u2019s a good sign that you should consider doing this. It\u2019s not easy. Most musicians have a day job too. Another thing is, you should listen to your parents because that\u2019s what the Bible says. They probably care about you. Convince them by your actions and your dedication.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: You mentioned the Bible. Are you active in church and is that something you grew up with? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> I\u2019ve been active in church since I was a kid. My mom strongly encourages us to go.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: When you\u2019re not working on music, what do you do for fun? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> I like outdoor activities, like riding my bike, skating, and going on walks, kickball, games, and really dorky things. Haha. I like working out. Once you get started you just can\u2019t stop. I really think music\u2019s a lot of fun so it\u2019s hard for me to think outside of that. I go to shows, I do that a lot.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: When you\u2019re not playing a show, who are you going to see? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> There are so many! I see a lot of local bands. Occasionally I\u2019ll go and see someone bigger. I like Justin, Christina, and Beyonce. I really like Feist. She\u2019s really amazing. I like main stream pop music. I\u2019m shameless!<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: What do you see yourself doing in the next few years? <\/h3>\n

Wendy:<\/b> I want to be more active in producing other people. I want to collaborate with other people and write. More writing and producing.<\/p>\n

To find out more information about Wendy Wang and The Sweet Hurt go to: www.thesweethurt.com. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the millions of wannabe rock stars out there, it\u2019s no surprise to find young hopefuls flocking to the city<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":670,"featured_media":72448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[2113,1],"tags":[2121],"class_list":["post-3719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-news","tag-career"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x150.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","large":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-highlighted-post":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-featured-post-medium":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-featured-post-small":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x90.jpg","colormag-featured-image":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-default-news":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x150.jpg","colormag-featured-image-large":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-block-extra-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-grid-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-grid-small-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-grid-medium-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"cjvilliaroel","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8887a28ecb848b8bc12e73a60bef1dbaf4b30eee083aae5df5f604c3b271d4c?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"With the millions of wannabe rock stars out there, it\u2019s no surprise to find young hopefuls flocking to the city","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["Career","News"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":144,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":10,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg",113,170,false],"medium":["https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg",113,170,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x150.jpg",113,150,true]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"cjvilliaroel","author_link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?author=670"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8887a28ecb848b8bc12e73a60bef1dbaf4b30eee083aae5df5f604c3b271d4c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"Career<\/a> News<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/670"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/72448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}