September, 2022
Breaking Boundaries: On Music,
Identity, and Empowerment
Amanda Sum
Amanda Sum shares her journey of blending folk, jazz, and pop influences into her music, highlighting her evolution from acoustic guitar to piano-driven arrangements. She discusses the importance of representation, the urgency behind her album focused on the experiences of young Asian women, and the intersection of music and performance art in her creative process. Amanda also reflects on how her work challenges stereotypes, empowers marginalized voices, and sparks vital conversations through her unique sound and music videos.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to the creative process
Amanda describes the process of creating a new project, starting with writing songs for voice and keys or voice and guitar. The artist then demos the songs and collaborates with the drummer and bassist to arrange and create the band arrangement for the songs.
Chapter 2: Exploring themes and narratives
Amanda discusses how she incorporate narrative techniques from theater into their songwriting. Amanda explains the importance of analyzing the first and last lines of a script and how it informs their lyrics and arrangement. Amanda gives an example of how they use this technique in their song "Different Than Before" to convey a sense of change and progression.
Chapter 3: The urgency and necessity of the project
Amanda explains the urgency for starting this album was not only about the themes it explores but also about the process of collaborating with a team of women who share their identity. They express a desire to be heard and recognized in an industry that is often set up for others to succeed. The artist believes their contribution to the discussion and conversation is important and powerful.
Chapter 4: Challenging conventions in music videos
Amanda discusses her aversion to lip syncing in music videos and their exploration of how to make it interesting and narrative-driven. Amanda shares her desire to investigate and challenge their own preferences and create visually engaging music videos.
Chapter 5: Mixing poetic and pedestrian language
Amanda reflects on her use of expressive and poetic language in the album, blending it with more everyday, pedestrian language. She appreciates the combination of these different styles of language and find it interesting.
Chapter 6: Reflecting personal experiences and societal issues
Amanda explains how the lyrics and visuals of the album reflect their personal experiences as a young Asian woman. She shares the importance of addressing systemic underrepresentation and misrepresentation. Amanda also shares a specific story from the music video where an actor's experience contributed to the overall message of the song.
Chapter 7: The complexity of the songs
Amanda expresses gratitude for the opportunity to discuss their project and reflect on its meaning. She appreciates the thought-provoking questions and the chance to revisit the themes and ideas behind the album.
Transcript
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