New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Mavis Pan Official Website) For pianist/composer Mavis Pan, it started with the classics. Classical music, that is. The veteran New York artist has just released a superb new album, "On My Way Home," featuring original compositions that reach across generations and geography, unifying the technical precision and pristine beauty of classical music with the rambunctious grooves of East Coast jazz.
However, as a musician who grew up in Taiwan and then relocated to New York City, her songs also echo the cultural diversities of her background. She pays homage to her Asian roots on "Girl from the South Sea" while acknowledging her adopted home of Harlem with the relentless stomp of "Steps." Pan discusses the different worlds that have shaped her sound and life.
Q: What made you decide to become a musician?
A: I started piano lessons when I was four years old and then studied classical music in an intense specialized music program since middle school. However, growing up in Taiwan where classical music is not appreciated by the general public or sounds very foreign to its own culture, my main influence come from pop songwriters and singers; they inspired me to create something that speaks for my own voices.
Q: How old were you? And when did you get into jazz?
A: I always dreamed to be a pop singer/producer when I was a kid and was determined to be one when I became a teenager. However, after being exposed to jazz in my college years, my interest to pop music had diminished, but my love for music has being growing stronger ever since; I know it is what I am called to do.
Q: How have your views on music changed at this stage in your life now compared to when you were just starting out?
A: I believed music was everything in my life, and I spent almost my every minute thinking about it. It became my obsession and only way to achieve success or recognition. Right now I am trying to enjoy God's beautiful creations in the world such as family, friends, and other art forms like film, dance, and literature. I find inspiration among those things.
Q: What did you feel recording a song for the first time?
A: I felt I belonged in the studio; I wish I could stay there forever. I enjoy every minute of it and don't mind recording as many takes as it requires. There is great joy of bringing my music to life, just like giving birth to a child.
Q: What are your goals as a musician in terms of your art?
A: I hope my music has some spiritual impact on its listeners as it carries a message of beauty and truth and it reflects its creator's heart, soul, mind and characters.
Q: What are your goals as a musician in terms of it being a business?
A: To make a huge profit out of my art is not my ultimate goal or reason of making music, but I wish my music can reach as many people as possible. Hopefully, I could be rewarded both financially and spiritually from it.
