We were lucky to catch up with Chloe Tang recently and have shared our conversation below.
Chloe, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
It took a very long time for me to grow into my personality. When I was in preschool, my mom told me I never spoke. I was the shyest kid in the class and one time I said something out loud and another girl goes “she can talk??”. I was scared to be seen for most of my life and for that reason I think the person who misunderstood me the most has always been myself. Up until a few years ago I struggled with my identity- especially when it came to making music that represented me accurately. I never understood how some people could just be themselves unapologetically because I knew somewhere deep inside me, there was an outspoken bad b*tch..I just didn’t have a role model to look up to that could set an example of that. I slowly began to explore ways to feel more confident in myself and over the years broke more and more “rules” of what people around me followed. I realized my own mindset was what was getting in the way of me understanding myself.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Chloe Tang aka @Beefjerkybih. I’m a Chinese American Millenial/Gen Z cusp Pisces with a big heart and a bigger attitude. From looking different in elementary school to questioning my career path, I’ve been through some shit when it comes to finding my identity, and I’m here to rep anyone who feels the same. With some early 2000s- inspired percussion blended with sultry pop melodies and deeply rooted empowering messages, my music is 100% satisfaction guaranteed to get you bumpin and feelin like you can take over the world. Make room bitches!! She’s cute, vicious, and ready for business.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
For musicians and artists- support indie artists!! They need your support than any major label artist does. Most artists are choosing to become indie these days anyway. Buy their merch if you can, but there are also a lot of ways to support that don’t require a budget! Besides streaming their music, you can also tell your friends about them, go to their shows, make it a point to discover new artists versus continuing to listen to music that is convenient (on major playlists or what plays on the radio). You can also comment/like/share their posts for engagement, enter in their contests/giveaways, and interact with them as much as possible! This helps more than you think and it does not go unnoticed!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The full circle moments. I’ve been having quite a bit of those lately and I think they are physical proof that even though sometimes I don’t feel like I’m progressing, I definitely am. The first time I felt this was when I opened for Dua Lipa in 2018 at the venue I previously worked security at. More recently, I finally played my dream showcases at SXSW after trying to go to the festival since 2020. All the years in between, COVID or my plane turning around because of weather conditions had stopped me from making it. In a few weeks, I’ll be opening for UPSAHL, who I went to middle school with at Arizona School for the Arts. It’s crazy to say these things because on a daily basis I keep my head down and am pretty much fighting demons every day that tell me to quit music and get a real job. But for every year that goes by, somehow I’ve gotta one of these full circle moments and I’m addicted. I can’t stop chasing it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beefjerkybih/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beefjerkybih/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/beefjerkybih?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmXhsRcal_qPZWC41h9geNg
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4uwIzZYa9X7krqWld1B7JV?si=FNTb5jbWRP-5ZyhXXyvISw
Image Credits
Red Jersey and tennis court photos- Sig Live Show Photo- Deanie Chen Magnifying glass photo- Kiss Sundara