We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Calista Wu. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Calista below.

Calista, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I love singing, writing songs, and creating music. I’ve done it since I was little, in one way or another. But 2020 was the first time I decided to go all-in on music, and it was because the “why” behind my passions became too strong to ignore. In the midst of the pandemic lockdown, with the rise of anti-asian sentiment, I realized that there needed to be more representation for Asian Americans in entertainment, particularly in music, so that people could have a better understanding of who we are to foster more empathy and unity in an organic way via pop culture. Not all Asians are alike, and some of us are born in America and other non-Asian countries. At the same time, so many people grow up being told, and then end up believing, that they need to stifle their creative talents and that there is no possible way for them to pursue their dreams.

I left the law firm life to start Cali Star Entertainment, a multi-platform entertainment company, to inspire others to pursue possibility. What does it look like if you take a risk and believe in yourself? What does it sound like if you release the songs inside of you and share your story? I became the pop artist CaliStar and have been releasing songs since then. My hope is to encourage others to ask themselves what their purpose is and to help signal to them that perhaps they have within them the faith and the talent needed to take that next step,

Three years later, the journey hasn’t been easy, and my dedication has definitely been tested. But my purpose remains the same, and I’ll keep on pursuing the same path.

Calista, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a recording artist, attorney, entrepreneur, and web3 builder.

As the pop artist CaliStar, my songs have been featured in Rolling Stone India, METAL Magazine, Vents Magazine, Music Connection Magazine, the Amazon Music Mixtape Asia playlist, and the Ones to Watch Spotify playlist. I am the founder of Cali Star Entertainment, a multi-platform entertainment company created to inspire others to pursue possibility. The company is focused on breaking barriers and redefining empowerment through music, art, fashion, and community.

As an attorney, I have clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, worked in Big Law, been selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star and Best Lawyers in America Ones to Watch for Banking/Finance Law and Mergers and Acquisitions, and I’ve co-written the LexisNexis Cross-Border Banking and Finance Guide for California. I’m currently still practicing as an attorney, mainly doing deals in entertainment, tech, music, and fashion.

As a community advocate, I am General Counsel for Hate Is A Virus and a board member for Asian Americans Advancing Justice – SoCal. Based on my support for various causes and non-profits, I was awarded as Asian Hustle Network’s Top 50 Unsung Heroes in 2021 and was selected by Clubhouse to be an app icon in 2022. In these capacities and more, you can often find me as a speaker and host for various company events, including ABC News, Bank of America, Apple, and University of California at Irvine.

To combine my management consultant background and my love for innovation, I am passionate about emerging technologies. In recent years, I’ve served as an active web3 advisor and builder, including as Head of Growth for several web3 projects.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

l’m a web3 degen, and I believe in NFTs. To give some context, I’ve traded them, worked on projects to help launch them, advised companies about them, been a part of communities because of them, and utilized the IP rights from my ownership of certain NFTs to make additional IP. At the time of this interview, we are experiencing a bear market for NFTs. Floor prices and volume on NFT projects are down, and there is arguably very little liquidity in the crypto markets. Many projects have given up, and once vibrant communities are now quiet.

But (NFA, NLA, DYOR), I still believe in NFTs because I’m a believer in technology and innovation, and there are still use cases for NFTs and other blockchain technology that are being explored and refined every day by others who are passionate about finding new ways to further develop and build on the technology. I don’t think we’re anywhere near mass adoption yet (and as a lawyer, I’m interested in what happens with regulation in the space), but recently I’ve been seeing some unexpected use cases for NFTs. The space moves fast, and there are those quietly building even during this market. I’m curious to see what the next cycle will bring.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, I grew up living with fear and the feeling that there were things that I couldn’t do or become. I was taught to put my head down, to not speak up, and to just be a good worker. I was told, often not with words, that my value was based on the value others placed on me, based on what I could do for them or how useful I was to them. I don’t want to say that these lessons were untrue or that the people who told me these things were wrong, because it’s not black and white like that. Sometimes life can be hard, and we all do the best we can with what we know and have. There’s wisdom in that.

But I do want to say that things have changed, or, perhaps, that I’ve changed. I’m learning every day how to become bolder and stronger. I’m learning how to value myself more, separate and apart from the value I’m able to bring to others or the external prizes that society sometimes bestows upon me. I’m learning that there’s value in growth and being in process, not just in arriving and claiming that victory or being in the spotlight. I’m learning how to say no, how to draw boundaries, how to say yes, and how to say not yet. In doing this, I think that I’m shedding the fear and the limitations that others shared with me and that I accepted for myself. Hopefully my transformation and the ongoing process comes through with my music and my other platforms.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.calistarentertainment.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caliwu/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calistarmusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caliwu/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/calistawu
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/calistarmusic
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3sc9RgG4kDSMtmfhxTGu8O Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/calistar/1585186857

Image Credits
Cali Star Entertainment, LLC