A classroom crowded with ten-year-olds reads their 武俠 (Wuxia) martial arts novels with a certain concentration that only a child immersed in a heroic fictional world could have. Of the 50 children, one would go home, pack up all of his belongings, and fly away from Taipei to the United States the same night. Some of his first bad guys would be the overwhelmingly fluorescent lights and mile-long aisles full of choices at Target. What kind of hero would he grow up to be in a seemingly new world?
Since packing up his possessions and flying to the United States, indie-rock singer and song-writer JOHN TSUNG has grown into a rising powerhouse artist that tells the tales of Asian immigration through a fresh light. “Taking of a Nation” marked the announcement and celebration of Tsung’s debut album released today, May 20, titled EMPIRE POSTCARDS. In “Taking of a Nation,” Tsung reflects on a punk attitude that he wishes his younger self had. This upbeat, head-banger of a song is complemented by slashes of guitar and echoing vocals that amplify the circulating thoughts that many young people may have today: the desire to rebel against being submissive to the world around us. The album itself is lively and comforting, with sounds reminiscent of the Beach Boys or Elvis Costello.
Though “Taking of a Nation” is angsty in nature, Tsung’s lyrical storytelling reflects a wide range of the Asian immigrant experience. More specifically, when Tsung began writing the frameworks for EMPIRE POSTCARDS, he approached his mother, who founded Rice University’s Houston Asian American Archive years ago. Initially, Tsung explains her motherly instincts jumped out, simply wanting to know if he was sleeping or eating well. Then, the two dove deeper into historically based perspective and conversation that would lend itself to greater accuracy in Tsung’s musical storytelling. The pair share a similar perspective that Asian Americans need to push past the defined roles and set stories that society lays out for them.
“While there isn’t a definitive Asian American experience, I think we both believe that the Asian American experience is broader than the dominant narratives we see in media and press, beyond model minority, fresh off the boat, or victims of discrimination. That it is up to us to tell our stories, to shape our voice and not let society define it for us,” Tsung said.
This sentiment is one that has shown through Tsung’s own upbringing and musical exposure. Beginning in the mountains of Taipei, Tsung has since lived in Houston and New York and describes his cultural heritage as a mix of Suzhou and Shanghai, Taiwanese, and “a whole lot of Texan.”
“My musical style is very much a mix of my surroundings. I grew up playing classical violin and learning composition at school and listened to a lot of modern classical music, like Stravinsky or Berio and Berg. When we moved to Texas, we listened to a lot of radio to learn how to fit in. And in Houston, the radio played country music, classic rock, and Norteno and Tejano music. So I went from Paganini to Lyle Lovett, ZZ Top, and Los Tigres del Norte. I’m somehow half classical and half American music in my heart,” Tsung said.
His music knows no bounds as he crafts his songs with a touch of each place he considers home. Through collaboration, Tsung expands this value into the professional realm by working with other talented creators. Of the many, Ray Suen, a Taiwanese-American and Lorde’s music director, plays violin and synthesizers on the album.
“Ray and I started two years ago talking about this album, and then overtime, started trading pictures of char siu he was cooking, and movies we both loved,” Tsung recalled.
Tsung hopes the album will resonate with listeners to consider Asian immigration stories in a new way that hasn’t been told before. He wants the audience to feel a sense of curiosity towards his songs. Tsung’s use of storytelling as a rallying cry is crucial to him; it provides a platform for those of today, as well as ancestrally long ago.
“Stories were how we remembered where we came from and who we are, our values, how to be kind, how to survive, how fleeting stability can be,” Tsung noted, “And I think they permeate everything I work on as an artist.”
