Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zion Jeng. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Zion thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
Oh my god. Of course! I guess most of the artist or creator has came up with the idea of getting a regular 9 to 5 jobs, especially in the early stage of the career. I still remember when I just start gigging in Taiwan, I had to bring my 20kg keyboard, 30kg with case downstairs, (by the way I’m still not used to pounds) and it was also a apartment without the elevator,, and I had to get an Uber to the restaurant for a two hours gig, I only got paid 20 bucks……, I was like…, you know…, frustrating. The living cost in Taiwan is way lower than LA, but it was still really low. Though I was very upset for not really able to make a living by just being a musician at that point, I just can’t get over the feeling of that connection between the singer and the musicians, the connection between the band and the audience, when you’re expressing yourself through music, there’re always someone who can feel the same feeling that you’re feeling, laugh together, cry together, be mad together, it’s truly beautiful. So to answer the first question is yes, I’m really happy to be an artist.
Zion, 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?
I moved to LA after working professionally in Taiwan for a few years. I’m a music producer, keyboardist, Bassist, vocalist, music director. I started working in Taiwan after I got my bachelor degree in applied music, focusing on production and keyboard, then I wanted to pursue continuing education, so I came to LA. Playing and working with artists all around the world is definetely a new experience for me, I always feel like there’re something new to learn, and I’m just really excited to see where life is going to take me.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Since the internet is very easy accessible, simply just like and share their music or art work. If the artist has a show, try to show up and support, go and say hi to them after the show, or even bring a few friends with you and have a good time over there. It’s very important for an artist to see there’re actually someone out there really cares about them, and wanted to see or hear more.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me I feel like the more I create, I learned a little bit more about myself. It’s very interesting how much I have to dig into my past life to be able to create something that moves my own heart and hopefully moves others. There’re aways something in our lives that we haven’t fully realized, and when writing a songs, doing a production really gave me a chance to dive deep into my past and revisit the moment again.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thezionjeng/