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

Alright, January Yucheng thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was when I was around four or five years old. My uncle introduced me to pop music and gifted me my first MP3 player. Along with it, he recommended a singer whose voice he admired: Jolin Tsai. The song “Love Love Love” instantly captivated me. From that moment, I became her biggest fan, persuading my grandparents to buy me DVDs of her performances. Every morning, I’d play her music while dancing and singing along as if I were on stage.

One day, I took things further and hosted a “concert” in our living room, inviting relatives and even my cousins, who joined as my backup dancers. I’d hold a microphone, sing, and perform Jolin Tsai’s songs while playing her DVDs on TV. I even danced to music from loudspeakers at malls whenever I heard a catchy beat. It was during these early childhood moments that the dream of becoming a singer first sparked in me, and I began to envision holding my concerts one day.

In elementary school, I started taking singing lessons and learning to play the Cucurbit Flute (Hulusi), a traditional Chinese instrument. My teacher’s praise for my singing filled me with pride and strengthened my love for music. By middle school, my passion expanded as I discovered Western pop artists like Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Sia, Adele, and Sam Smith. Their music opened my ears to new styles and inspired me to dream of not just performing but creating my own songs.

In 2020, just before the pandemic, I finally took the first steps toward that dream. I studied music theory online, wrote my first song on the guitar, and arranged it using FL Studio. The creative process was deeply fulfilling, and it solidified my resolve to become a songwriter. That same year, I fell in love with orchestral music while watching a Thai TV series. The soaring string melodies of its score moved me to tears and brought the scenes vividly back to life in my mind. I realized how powerful film scores could be—they could carry deep emotions and elevate storytelling. Listening to pieces from movies like The Legend of 1900 and Life is Beautiful, I found myself profoundly touched even without watching the films.

This experience ignited a new passion: I wanted to create orchestral music that could move audiences and convey emotions just as these soundtracks had done for me. My dream is now twofold—to become a composer crafting emotional film scores and a singer-songwriter sharing heartfelt music with audiences, whether through the silver screen or from the stage.

January Yucheng, 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 January Yucheng Li. I’m a composer, singer-songwriter, and producer, currently based in New York City. My journey in music started at a young age, deeply rooted in pop music and traditional Chinese music, both of which have become integral parts of my identity as a musician. Over the years, I’ve combined this cultural foundation with a passion for storytelling through music, leading me to pursue a career in film scoring and songwriting.

My introduction to music began with pop music. As a child, I fell in love with the works of artists like Jolin Tsai, whose captivating melodies and performances ignited my passion for singing and performing. Later, my musical tastes broadened to include global icons such as Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Lady Gaga, whose songwriting and artistry inspired me to explore pop music further. This early fascination with pop music remains a driving force behind my creative expression, particularly in songwriting and music production.

Simultaneously, I was drawn to the sounds of traditional Chinese music and film scores. I began playing the Hulusi at eight and performed on various stages, from high school concerts to international exchange programs in Holland and university concerts in Ningbo. These experiences deepened my appreciation for the textures of traditional Chinese music and inspired me to integrate Eastern and Western musical elements in my compositions. A particularly transformative moment for me was discovering the work of Ryuichi Sakamoto in The Last Emperor. His ability to fuse Chinese pentatonic scales and traditional instruments with orchestral music inspired me to aspire to create scores that transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries. Combined with my early fascination with film scores, such as those from The Legend of 1900 and Life Is Beautiful, I’ve come to view music as a powerful emotional language that connects people across diverse backgrounds.

Today, I specialize in composing music for films, video games, and music libraries, as well as songwriting and music production. My work spans various styles, including orchestral, pop, emotional, romantic, jazz, horror, action, electronic, and traditional Chinese music.

In recent years, I’ve worked on several short film projects. In 2023, I composed the score for A Letter from Future, a short film that won multiple awards, including “Best Student Short Film,” “Best Women Director – Short Film,” and “Best Fantastic Short Film” at the Indo French International Film Festival, as well as “Best Student Film” at the Paris Play Film Festival. I also scored a hybrid score, combining orchestral and electronic instruments for Journey, a short animation nominated for “Best Visual Effects” at the Beijing Film Academy Animation Academy Awards and selected for the Beijing Student Film Festival. Additionally, I composed for Human, Is That You?, further honing my skills in emotional storytelling through music. This year, I worked on Life Is Like a Dream, a short film with an emotional and orchestral score. The project was an official selection at the Beijing International Film Festival’s Reelfocus section and also featured at the Beijing Student Film Festival. These experiences have been pivotal in shaping my identity as a composer, enabling me to explore new creative directions.

Currently, I am pursuing a Master of Music in Music Theory and Composition: Screen Scoring at New York University, where I have had the privilege of participating in several recording sessions each semester. These include ensembles such as string quartet, string quintet, woodwind quintet, electric guitar, percussion, world winds, the Budapest string orchestra, and full orchestra recording sessions. One of the highlights of my NYU journey was the Unsilent Film Concert held at the university’s Paulson Center, which premiered my score for the short film A Letter From Future, directed by Zijing Jia. I am deeply grateful to my incredible musicians who rehearsed tirelessly for the concert, resulting in a beautiful performance that I will always treasure. The ensemble featured Qianyang Zeng (piano), Hongjin Li (alto saxophone), Faith Youn (violin I), Hinata Nakamura (violin II), Phoebe Ro (viola), and Dafne Del (cello).

Whether I’m composing memorable melodies or crafting intricate arrangements, my goal remains the same: to create music that resonates deeply with listeners and enhances the emotional depth of the stories it accompanies.

This summer, I collaborated with my friend Alan Lecheng Chao, who is an amazing music producer, and we made 12 original songs that explore various styles, including dance-pop, synth-pop, and singer-songwriter. Over the past four to five months, I have been recording vocals and re-producing these songs with Alan. It has been a wonderful experience to combine the skills I learned in film scoring and MIDI mock-up production with pop songwriting and music production.

On November 8, I performed seven unreleased original songs alongside Alan on drums and other band members: Zekai Liu on guitar, Silas Sui on keyboard, and David Wang on bass. The performance took place at the Music Tech Invasion event at NYU Brooklyn, and it was an unforgettable and remarkable night for me. I am excited to announce that I will be releasing my first pop album next year, marking an exciting chapter in my musical journey.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

If I could go back in time, I wish I had discovered music production software earlier in my creative journey, such as Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs). Before my junior year at Ningbo University, where I studied Business Administration, I had no idea that I could write and produce music on a computer. It wasn’t until 2020 that I was introduced to DAWs through some online videos, and that moment completely transformed my life. Before that, I had always admired musicians who could write their songs and scores, but I thought it was an impossible dream for me.

From a young age, I dreamed of being a singer and performer on stage. I started learning to sing at age 9, and high school marked the starting point of my focus on pop singing, which I have pursued ever since. While I found online courses for vocal training, I had no idea there were accessible tools that could help me bring my musical ideas to life. For years, I believed that writing music was out of my reach, even though deep down, I aspired to be a composer and songwriter.

Discovering DAWs was a turning point that opened the door to songwriting and composition for me. It showed me that creating music wasn’t as unattainable as I’d imagined, and it gave me the tools to start crafting my own songs and scores. Looking back, I wish someone had introduced me to these resources earlier, but I’m incredibly grateful that I found them when I did. Learning to write music on my own has allowed me to pursue a career as a composer and songwriter—a path I had always dreamed of but never thought possible.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

A story that illustrates my resilience stems from my journey to pursue a career in music despite the challenges I faced from my family and the doubts surrounding my abilities. Throughout my undergraduate studies, my family never supported my passion for music, believing it was a career with no future and not financially viable. When I decided to apply for the Master’s program in Screen Scoring at NYU after completing my undergraduate degree in Business Administration, my family questioned whether I could get accepted. They were skeptical, as no one in our family had worked professionally in the music industry.

However, my passion and dedication to music were unwavering. Eventually, my family relented and allowed me to pursue my dream, but on the condition that I also apply for a business master’s program in the UK alongside the application of the Screen Scoring master program. I agreed, knowing how much music meant to me. During my junior year of college, I began experimenting with songwriting and composing scores, and after graduation, I focused entirely on honing my composition and music production skills.

For a year, I isolated myself from social life and dedicated every day to researching and writing film scores, learning how to compose in multiple styles to build my portfolio. I took private composition lessons two to three times a week, and my instructor provided detailed feedback on my work. I often felt disheartened when my compositions were critiqued and needed extra revision, especially when weeks of work seemed to be far from perfect. At times, I doubted myself and even felt close to breaking down. But I didn’t give up. I pushed myself to deepen my understanding of music theory and actively listened to soundtracks from different genres of films and video games to expand my creative range and to find some inspiration.

After a year of intense work, I created a diverse composition portfolio that included pieces in Chinese, emotional, animation, orchestral, electronic, and jazz styles. I was thrilled to be accepted into NYU’s Screen Scoring program, and my family, once skeptical, was now excited and proud of my accomplishment. After receiving my offer, I also sought out collaborations and worked on composing scores for student films and animations. By the time I arrived at NYU, I had already gained valuable experience working with directors, and I had built friendships that would continue to support my journey.

This experience taught me the importance of resilience—the ability to keep pushing forward, even when faced with self-doubt and external skepticism. It reaffirmed that persistence, passion, and self-belief are essential to overcoming obstacles and reaching one’s goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yuchenglimusic.com/
• Instagram: @january_lyc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yucheng-l-6aa65629b/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@januaryyuchengli?si=Z8spo25xlBx-oFjd
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/yucheng-li-january?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Image Credits

Kaihan Sun, Leona Sigmund, Alan Lecheng Chao, Jinge Yang, Lixin Cao, Rent Stabilized Photography