Question for Vi An

[Bryan]

How did u get so famous? U muz be really good ;D But like did u go to the shopping centre to perform on ur own? Omg if they invited u then it'll be so kewl n.n Ur practically a celebrity!!! n.n

[Vi An]

Hey Bryan,

*Haahahahahaaa*. I guess around here (in my city) I am pretty "famous" and some thing like a local celeb because I am pretty recognizable when I am out and about. I often get people stopping me here and there asking me if I'm that girl who plays that long stringed instrument or harp..

I have worked SUPER HARD to get to where I am todate. I owe it to my mother who helped me purchase my first duo crane DUNHUANG guzheng and the store that carried it because since I was 8, I always dreamed of one day learning guzheng. My family was very poor and unable to support my artistic nature and creative intentions, but my mother especially never just out right forbid me to do anything I wanted with art and music. She was always supportive (to a certain extent) because she really kept me grounded and reallistic about my dreams and my goals in life. She made sure I finished school successfully before I can concentrate on the guzheng at all. Ofcourse though, secretly I would always be making music and producing music in my small bedroom when I lived back home.

When I finished highschool in '97 I used to always carry the instrument in its hard case -- by hand walking to the bus stop and then when I reached the stop to get to the venue I would be playing for I'd have to walk some more to get there. Everyone here knows how heavy a guzheng is housed inside its hard case and you can only carry that puppy around short periods of time.. I'm talking 10 - 20 minutes of walking sometimes back and forth and all around down town with this thing. My arms got so strong and my legs got so muscular because of it!

I started playing in avant garde performance art events held inside art galleries, showing off my instrument and my discoveries on it. Collaborating with performance artists who would jump around and make noises! *Hahahahaa*. Shortly after that, people who attended would contact me for my first gigs with guzheng to attend weddings, various functions and corporate events... At these various events I started making more contacts and I started to learn the in and out of a potential self-employment path I should take, because it was really starting to pay off. A lot of people would come up and ask if I had CDs for sale because they wanted to take the music home with them but at the time I didn't actually have anything recorded of guzheng. I was inspired! In '98 I commenced on producing my first guzheng experimental CD I entitled "Rhythmic As Melodious" which my friend Jim Kent so gladly helped me record a few of the tracks for me out of the goodness of his heart and he even played on most of the tracks using various percussion instruments from all around the globe!! The album took 2 years to finally complete and most of it was mastered in my small room in my parents house. I started researching about the potential of sharing my music on the internet and discovered mp3.com when it was arround and made a ton of contacts and sold nearly 1000 CD-Rs of that album all over Europe and Asia!!!

Around this time I was exposed to world music and what was known as "world-beat" and "world-fusion". Around 2001 was when I moved out of my parent's place and into my own tiny appartment where I converted it immediately to a small studio and home :-) Started to produce my next album "Kuan Shi Yin" and this time instead of burning my own copies, I had enough money to get it pressed!!! I pressed nearly 3000 copies (WOW it is so expensive)! Now I have only around 145 CDs left of this album..

I love most to perform in public, so the market place (indoors) where I regularily perform at, is a really really great place to people watch and a really great place to make good contacts and sell CDs. Get the word out about what I do! Because I am my own promoter, producer, manager, agent and roadie! *Hahahahahaa*. It is a lot of work, A LOT OF WORK, but I can finally say now that it is paying off. It sure beats working for anyone and I have a lot of vacation time! Many people know of me by now and the word of the guzheng girl has spread wide and far so I get a lot of invitations to grand openings and bigger events where they treat me royally! Other times I actually do approach an establishment and drop off my BIOs and demos to propose performing for them. For the most part now I just sit back and get calls and I make decisions for myself as to which events take presidence etc...

I perform guzheng and made it a career for myself purely out of love. It is the best path for me because I am constantly learning new things and constantly discovering new techniques on my own. The Chinese music community here is very conservative and private and traditional. It has been hard to try and work with them -- but other musical communities especially in the university have been most appreciative of what I do! I have made it as an independent musician in a very harsh city (when it comes to art and music) only through my own huge dedication and drive. I have huge support from those around me, my friends especially are a great help, driving me around, spreading the word and offering me such love, motivation, justification (at times when I feel a little dispare) and admiration!

I encourage anyone who has a dream to become an independent musician to go for it! To strive and work super hard for it because it is soooooooooo worth all the effort!! As long as you really love it and you are crazy about what you do, it will shine through and the people and the support will come pouring in :-)

All the best success,

Vi An.

[paulv]

Vi An,
That's a great, inspiring story about yourself -- thanks for sharing it with all of us.

Regards,
Paul Valente

[Charlie Huang]

Bloody Hell, Vi_an-san! You've definately taught me that is still possible for me to be an independant musician!

*applauds*

Any future plans? Ideal dream? Playing in front of the queen?

[twilight]

hey Vi-an

Since this topic is "question for Vi-an", I'd like to ask how your new song is coming along? We heard the first line... and I still havent forgotten it. I would love to hear the rest of the song

[Vi An]

Hello twilight,

:-)

The rest of the song "Delighting In Simplicity" will be included in my latest CD due for release as soon as I can. I will give a little more tease and then the rest of it by the time the CD is released. This forum will be the first to hear it all ;-)

Much respects,

Vi An.

[Bryan]

Omg this is so kewl!!! n.n