We were lucky to catch up with Kelvin Yuen recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kelvin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I am currently working professionally as a composer and music designer. My expertise lies in scoring for films and games. My passion as a film composer is primarily rooted from my young exposure to the music scene and my fascination with cinema magic. I constantly push myself to take an unconventional music composition approach and create a unique style of music that moves people.
I started learning cello and piano at 9. Classical music constituted a big part of my early age music influence as I played them in orchestras. Any kind of bombastic or lush pieces by composers like Mahler and Rachmaninoff were my favorite. I was not a prodigy nor a highly skilled virtuoso player yet I enjoyed every moment I got to perform with my friends. During college, I was in an acoustic band doing some music cover on YouTube. We occasionally do street busking as well. That was the time I learnt all kinds of hard skills related to modern music and score production such as composing, arranging, mixing or even filming.
On the other hand, the door of film scoring didn’t open up until the age of early 20. One of the bandmates used to work at a local movie theater, where we got free movie tickets and popcorn. There was a clicking moment when I was watching “Interstellar” by Christopher Nolan. The combined force of music, sound and picture was simply breathtaking and unimaginable. There’s something about being inside a cinema that feels ritual. I was deeply fascinated by the cinematic storytelling. Later I see the possibilities in combining both my interest in music and film in one career – scoring for pictures.
Kelvin, 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?
Born and raised in Hong Kong, I came from a middle-class family where you were never told that you can have a career as a composer. Even though I knew my passion in music, I followed most teenagers’ path of picking a rather stable career. I worked 3 years as a geotechnical engineer, responsible for building tunnels in Hong Kong. As days went by, I knew that the job nature never allowed me to fully express my creative voice.
Switching careers was never an easy choice. I honed my early skills in music composition and production through self-learning. I am glad that I didn’t give up applying for music grad school even being rejected for the first time. Attending NYU’s master program marks a new beginning of my career as a composer. Over the years, my collaboration as a composer with filmmakers has yielded many successful productions, including student Oscar and Emmy winning documentary “Eagles Rest in Liangshan”. I also have the opportunity to collaborate with Cannes Palme d’Or winning director Tang Yi on her AFI Fest winning short “Yokelan, 66”. On the other hand, I extended my expertise in the aspect of interactive music by joining PlayStation Studio as a music designer in 2021. Alongside numerous internationally acclaimed awards in game music, I have received the 70th MPSE Golden Reel Award in Music Editing for the game “God of War: Ragnarök”.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My career goal is to become a film composer with a unique style that reflects my own heritage. From Park Chan Wook’s “Decision to Leave” to The Daniel’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, I am especially inspired by the rise of Asian filmmakers in recent years. I see this as an opportunity of our era to showcase our talent and contribute to the movement. I believe that by infusing my music with elements of my cultural background, I can create a unique and memorable sound that stands out in the industry. It’s all about passing the torch to the next generation.
I am also dedicated to collaboration. I am confident that if there’s “the best piece of music” ever created in the world, it must be created from the ideas clashing in the collective minds. For thousands of years, impactful music has always been played by a group, whether it is the chanting of war troops or gospel choir. By dedicating myself to collaboration, I can be constantly inspired by others and create great and emotional music pieces.
Ultimately, my goal is to become a recognizable figure in the industry. I see how Hong Kong movies by Wong Kar Wai and Stephanie Chow once used to export our culture and identity into every corner of the world. By building a strong career foundation as a composer here in LA, I am hoping to break into the film industry like Bruce Lee once did. It will be a great honor for my music to become the nostalgia of many generations to come.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
There’s a constant dilemma of being an artist versus being a worker in LA.
LA has always been the most desirable place to work in terms of opportunities in the scoring industry. There are several key positions that exist in scoring including the composer, arranger, orchestrator, copyist, music editor and mixing engineer. As you can see, it has a great division of labor and the system has been used and inherited for over multiple decades. It is not hard to imagine that these positions are filled with tremendous minds and top-notch professionals. It is a great structure for someone who wants to be trained in a specialized position and do one thing perfectly. Say if you want to become a good orchestrator, you can only work for orchestration gigs and be really good at it.
It seems to be an ideal scenario for a young artist who is pursuing a better craft right? Not really. Since there’s not much room for trial and error, which I think is the essential part of becoming a “good” artist. There always seems to be some certain rules, whether explicitly or implicitly, in the scoring industry that you have to follow in order to be successful and be good at what you do. In a competitive land like Hollywood, when you fail to perform a task correctly, you mostly won’t get a second chance as one is pathetically easy to be replaced.
Furthermore, the standardization in the LA scoring industry has hindered the development of an artist who wants their own voice. Taking composers as an example, when you are working for a network TV show/commercial film in Hollywood, you mostly get temp tracks with a style that is audience-favorable. While you looking at some composers who have their unique and charismatic voice such as Hildur Guõnadóttir, Alexandre Desplat, Johnny Greenwood, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Gustavo Santaolalla, etc., these artists have never been trained (correct me if I am wrong) under the habitat of LA scoring industry during their early career. Yet, they have all achieved a highly-regarded career as a film composer by sticking with doing what they always do as an artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kyuenmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelvinyuen_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kyuenmusic/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelvin-yuen-music/
Image Credits
Instagram: kayan.is