We were lucky to catch up with Julie Yeung recently and have shared our conversation below.

Julie, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Learning how to produce music has been one of the most challenging, yet rewarding activities I’ve ever been involved with. In the beginning, it was an uphill battle, to say the least, and I would not be nearly where I am without the people and mentors whom I’ve been fortunate enough to meet along the way. Growing up, aside from learning the recorder in 4th grade, being the last seat trumpet player in 5th grade, and according to my parents, the “loudest singer in my Kindergarten class,” I did not receive formal music education. It wasn’t until college that I stumbled upon music production. Spending late nights pulling together loops on my iPad in Garageband, I was addicted to the seemingly endless possibilities and surprises — each new sound evoked a different feeling. Soon after, I found myself producing on my laptop in Ableton, and the rest was history.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My artist name is “Hidden Axis” and I’m a DJ/Producer who makes moody dance music. Through my project, I hope to create safety, kindness, and belonging while inspiring folks to pursue their “axis” or True North. As someone who grew up in the Bay Area, I had believed that I would be in a STEM-related career (science, technology, engineering, medicine), as did many around me. Both my parents are engineers and they provided strong recommendations for me to be a software engineer, so my passion for music (and in life) was initially “hidden.” As far as inspirations, Blanke and Illenium are among my favorites as they are both highly versatile producers and amazing DJs who have an incredible knack for inspiring both emotional and physical movement (headbanging) among their listeners. Despite being an EDM artist, I enjoy a wide spectrum of genres and artists and have always connected deeply with dark and sad moods, emotions, and soundscapes. Growing up, I would listen to genres like Electro-Indie, K-Pop, K-Indie, Alternative, and artists like Billie Eilish, The Neighbourhood, Banks, and more.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

It’s hard to pick just one…but if I HAVE to pick one, I would say that the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is having the opportunity to impact both “motion” and “emotion”: to compel people to dance, connect, feel something, and to inspire people to pursue their passion. I also believe that creating can challenge people’s beliefs as I’m a) always making something that previously had not existed, and b) creating something that has the potential to be incredibly cathartic, inspirational, connective, and healing. Another truly rewarding aspect is all the people that I get to meet along the way, whether it’s mentors, lifelong friends, or even fans who tell me that they liked a song I made or the DJ set I performed, because that shows impact and connection.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think something that non-creatives might struggle to understand is a) the “ROI” of pursuing an unpredictable field, and b) that creativity is a practice. It’s no secret that the outcomes for creative endeavors tend to be intangible until much later, often requiring years of hard work and perseverance along with a stroke of luck in order to be “successful.” But what is “success” anyway, and are the end results the only measures of success? In my opinion, part of being successful is loving the process and the craft. And while it is true that there are a lot of uncertainties, each moment that I get to live and create as an artist is a privilege in and of itself.
I’ve also heard several people mention to me that they are not “creative,” and I want to challenge that. While being creative comes more naturally to some than for others, I believe that creativity is a skill that can be cultivated through discipline, consistency, and perseverance. Through being curious and observant about music — finding samples, tweaking presets, dissecting our favorite songs — it’s possible to become inspired enough to create our own ideas and engineer our own sound. Personally, I used to feel regretful and disadvantaged that I had not learned an instrument at a younger age. I’ve come to realize that while background and training can certainly be helpful and provide tools and guidelines to compose songs, they’re certainly not prerequisites and can potentially hinder creativity in some instances. I’ve found that one of the most powerful ways to be more creative is to simply create without expectations, no matter how you do it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hiddenaxismusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiddenaxis.music/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hiddenaxisofficial
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/hiddenaxis
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/hiddenaxis
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenaxisofficial
  Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hiddenaxis.music

Image Credits

Chris Love, Instagram: @kitsunekreations
Alex Hong, Instagram: @_alexhong