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

HEDONA, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’d known since I was a child I wanted to be in music but never allowed myself to pursue it cause of all the limiting beliefs I grew up with. Being a child of immigrants, I was told that pursuing music doesn’t pay the bills, so I played it safe and found a job in advertising. I’m a marketing consultant by trade and I remember sitting at my client’s office 4 years ago having to do another asinine task. In that moment, my soul gently nudged me and said it was time to start making music. I know it sounds crazy and woo-woo but when I get these taps on the shoulder, I always listen. That was the moment I knew, and that started my last 4-year journey with music.

I was so terrified at the beginning cause I didn’t, and still don’t, play any instruments, and I had no idea how to produce music. But I knew my purpose was tied to me pursuing my passion and that helped me through all the difficult moments throughout the last few years.

HEDONA, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is HEDONA and I’m an electropop artist and music producer. It’s difficult to describe my sound but if you imagined if Björk and Billie Eilish had a lovechild, it could possibly be me. I started producing music 4 years ago when I was 32 after working in the corporate world for almost 7 years, though I’m still a part-time marketing freelancer. Starting my music journey was a daunting process cause I had zero knowledge of how to produce or write a song, but I knew the alternative of not being true to myself would inevitably lead me to depression. I’m happy to say I’m so much more fulfilled now that I’m pursuing a life as a creative and musician.

I’d say what sets me apart from other people is my sound. After a lot of experimentation I was able to pinpoint what my sound is, and people who listen to my songs tend to say that they’re very original. When you listen to a HEDONA song, you know it’s a HEDONA song. I don’t fit neatly into box and neither does my music; I have an eclectic list of influences and you can hear it very clearly.

I’m proudest of how far I’ve come. I never imagined as a child I’d be chasing my dreams as an adult and that I’d be producing my own songs. It still blows my mind that I’m able to create music for myself. I had to unlearn a lot of limiting beliefs and work through a lot of fear in the last 4 years, but I never gave up. I’m proud of my resilience and the fact that I’ve come this far.

My music is very personal and talks about my relationship struggles, internal demons, hopes, all the things. I hope people will be able to connect with my stories and that I can help inspire others to pursue their dreams, whatever they may be.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I want to be a voice for Asian representation and to inspire people who never believed in themselves to follow their dreams.

Ever since I was a child, I deeply rejected my Chinese heritage. I created a story for myself in kindergarten that I wasn’t beautiful cause I was Asian, and from that moment on all I wanted to be was white. I look back and I feel very sad for my younger self. It wasn’t until my late twenties that I finally learned to appreciate my culture and now I’m really proud to be Chinese Canadian. My music has allowed me to embrace my roots even more and I’m hope that my story and my music can inspire other Asians out there.

There’s been a huge surge in Asian stories being told through media, but there are so many more stories to tell. I think representation in media is so important and I hope more faces that look like mine will become part of the norm. I want to be the next Asian Taylor Swift and I’m manifesting singing a James Bond theme, amongst many other things. I know my dreams are lofty but I’m here to change the world and inspire the next generation. There’s no room to dream small when you’re on a mission!

Whenever I feel discouraged or get in my head, I always remind myself of my why, my mission, and the fact that I have a story to tell. These reminders always help me push through the challenging times and they always keep me going.

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

There were a lot of lessons I had to unlearn but the fundamental one I had to unlearn first was the belief that I wasn’t good enough. I grew up in a household where academics were the only thing that mattered but I was never as strong at school as my two older sisters; my grades were always below standard and I was always told I wasn’t smart enough.

One of my sisters was always really talented at drawing and visual arts, and the other one excelled at piano. I was too afraid to express myself artistically for fear of judgement and because I always felt compared to my sisters. I was also told I wasn’t creative enough so I never felt good enough. I figured, why bother?

I’m still working through this limiting belief but I’m a lot kinder to myself these days. Learning production was really arduous at the beginning cause I had so much fear around failing and not being good enough, but I had to at least give myself the chance to pursue my dreams. I still feel like an imposter sometimes but what creative doesn’t have that feeling lingering around inside them? Thankfully my healing journey has allowed me to face my fears head on and not default to self-sabotage so they don’t block me the way they used to.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hedonamusic.com
• Instagram: @hedona.music

Image Credits
DannyGirl Hallas Stephanie Korski Dennis Zanatta