Jasmine Chen is an exceptionally talented Chinese Jazz Vocalist, Lyricist and Songwriter. She is the hit jazz singer in China. She learned professional jazz knowledge from two famous UK jazz singers, Louise Gibbs and Tina May while she studied in Leeds College of Music in the UK and got the Bachelor’s degree of Classical music.
After her return to China, she based on Chinese traditional music and figured out a special kind of Chinese Jazz music that combined oriental music style with the western jazz music style. She was also the first Chinese singer who was invited to the 2011 North Sea Jazz Festival held in Netherlands. She had shared the stage with many famous musicians and bands from China and abroad, such the guitarist Jeff Peterson, who got the USA 2011 Grammy Music Award nominee, Brazile famous musician Filo Machado, Shanghai JZ Big Band.
She studied at Exeter International School, Liverpool Community College and Leeds College of Music for her BA(Hons) in Music. “The Color Of Love” album released in 2008 was Jasmine’s first independent music album, collaborating with American pianist Steve Sweeting, combining Chinese music with Western jazz style. “Shanghai Jazz 2” album was by Australian composer / producer John Huie’s 2nd “Shanghai Jazz” album, contains contributions from a cast of more than twenty talented young Chinese musicians, the leaders of an exciting jazz revival amidst the dramatic social and economic reform of the New Shanghai.
She did with Steve Sweeting “Harbor–Brazilian & Chinese Music Encounters” Concert (Shanghai) in June 2011. Chinese and Brazilian music concert at Shanghai Concert Hall.
Presented by Brazilian Consulate Shanghai, and Shanghai News Office. She also performed at North Sea Jazz Festival 2011 (Rotterdam, Netherlands) in July 2011. Jasmine and the Shanghai Peace Hotel Old Jazz Band.
She also performed at Taichung Jazz Festival 2011 (Taichung, Taiwan), Jasmine & Her Jazz Men brought Shanghai Jazz to Taiwan. She had memorable performances at “Shanghai Night” Concert Series 2012 (Denmark) Music tour at Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Sonderborg. Represented by Chinese Culture Department, Chinese Consulate Denmark, SMG Group. Jasmine Chen gave musical performances at “Shanghai Club” Concert Series 2012 (Melbourne, Australia) in March 2012 presented by Arts Centre Melbourne.
Jasmine Chen is an exceptionally talented Chinese Jazz Vocalist, Lyricist and Songwriter. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar President Women Fitness.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You are a jazz vocalist. You represents a rare instance of old-fashioned sophistication.Today you are one of Shanghai’s most captivating performers. What factors you consider are responsible for your such a spectacular success?
Ms. Jasmine Chen: Singing is always my passion, and jazz music has played an important role in my life, I always want to share my singing and music with people.
However, being a jazz singer in China hasn’t been easy, because jazz has never been a popular or well-known music form here, the only connection between Chinese and jazz was back to 1920s-1960s, the Americans brought jazz music to Shanghai, then several Chinese songwriters added jazz elements into their music, so the locals started to be familiar with the word “jazz”.
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In recent years, I started to do workshops in order to introduce jazz music to Chinese music lovers who are interested in jazz, and I also started singing on radio and doing TV program’s talk shows about jazz, I think it’s very important to share my music knowledge with people here. The numbers of local jazz listeners are growing in the past 10 years, they like to go to live jazz shows, the numbers of my fans are growing too, they like to come to my monthly show, and some are even from overseas. I am very grateful and glad for what I have achieved so far.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You came to wide public attention in 2008 when were featured with American pianist Steve Sweeting at the Zhu Jia Jiao World Music Festival and this propelled your singing career to the height where you have been at the top of the world as a singer. Tell us something about this professional journey in the world of music?
Ms. Jasmine Chen: Yes, it all started from the collaboration of Steve and I from 2007, both of us have passion in Chinese music, and want to do something about it. So we started to collect songs and re-arrange them, then perform them in public, the audience gave us very good feedback, after almost a year, we had quite enough materials for an album, so we recorded “the color of love”. Performing at Zhu Jia Jiao World Music Festival 2008 was our first big show, and it was very successful, it was a great platform to share our music.
Jasmine Chen on WomenFitness: I’m very happy to share my experience with all visitors, I hope all of you have a healthy lifestyle, always remain a happy, beautiful and young heart. Thanks to Women Fitness to give me this opportunity! |
Ms. Namita Nayyar: How did you react when your first album, “The Color of Love”, is a collaboration with Steve Sweeting and was released in August 2008 to glowing reviews. This album featured jazz standards with original Chinese lyrics penned by you and Chinese folk songs reinterpreted in a jazz style?
Ms. Jasmine Chen: I was really excited about it. Steve and I did it together from scratch, combining Chinese music and lyric in jazz style, including Chinese folk songs from my childhood, seven of my original Chinese lyric, e.g. Paul Desmond’s “Take Five”, Chick Corea’s “Windows”, Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Corcovado”, there are also songs that Steve and I wrote together, all of these are very meaningful to me. To the audience, it’s a fresh sound, old songs had been brought back in a new way, familiar western melodies with new Chinese lyrics, it’s a rare combination for them.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You began piano lessons at the age of four and continued on to study piano performance, contemporary composition and jazz vocal performance at Leeds College of Music in England, with education from Liverpool Community College and Exeter International School. How this learning and educational background helped you in sharpening and understanding the musical and singing skills you possess today?
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Ms. Jasmine Chen: My early classical piano education in China was definitely a great base for my later music studies, it influenced my music taste and style– old fashioned, and it helped me to understand being a musician is not easy, besides talent, it requires long hours of practice and focus. Being in England is like I stepped in to a whole different world, everything is different from my past experience, I got to learn a different language, music is the key, in Leeds college of music, I started to know jazz and immediate fell in love with it.
I love the sound of it, I love its freedom, and I loved working together with other music students as a band. The college gave us the freedom to choose what I like to do, we used college facilities to practice and record demos, the teachers gave me opportunities to perform in school and jazz clubs, these were my early experiences being a semi professional musician, and it was very important for me later, on becoming a professional.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You once said “I love Chinese music, but people don’t listen to Chinese folk songs much anymore. I would like to bring these songs back, except in a modern way,”. Tell us about this passion and endeavor of yours?
Ms. Jasmine Chen: I listened a lot Chinese folk music when I was a kid, because my parents were professional Chinese folk dancers, those folk melodies were beautiful, they were deep in my heart. when I was collaborating with Steve Sweeting, those melodies just came out naturally, it is such a pity that some of those were forgotten, so I suggested to him let’s try with a jazz and modern way, so there we go.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Tell us about the “Shanghai Week” Opening Ceremony 2011 at Sao Paulo, Brazil where you performed with Brazilian musician Filo Machado?
Ms. Jasmine Chen: The Shanghai Week opening ceremony was held in São Paulo Culture Centre Brazil in 2011, Chinese Ambassador to Brazil, Chinese Consul General in São Paulo and senior officials from Brazilian government attended the ceremony, together with hundred others. Filo and I performed both Chinese and Brazilian songs, it was actually our third collaboration, we had played two official concerts in Shanghai before, which were very successful.
The songs we chose from both China and Brazil, I had written Chinese lyric for some Brazilian songs, so Filo sung in Portuguese and I sung in Chinese, those were such wonderful times on the stage, the preparation and rehearsals before were also great, Filo is a master, I had learnt so much from him, I had a deeper understanding for Brazilian music and culture after I worked with him and visited Brazil.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Elaborate on your experiences of “Shanghai Night” Concert Series 2012 at Denmark, with music tour at Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Sonderborg?
Ms. Jasmine Chen: “Shanghai Night” series was for celebrating Chinese New Year at Denmark, I travelled together with the JZ Big Band from China, we were invited by China ministry of culture and Denmark government, performed Chinese songs mainly from 1930s to 1960s in jazz style in concert halls. Most of the local audience never heard Chinese jazz, it was a good opportunity to share our music with them during the special Chinese New Year time.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar: You went for “Shanghai Club” Concert Series 2012 to perform at Melbourne, Australia in March 2012. Tell us about this endeavor of your?
Ms. Jasmine Chen: “Shanghai club” series was organised by Melbourne arts centre and Australian performance company, I was invited to perform with a group of Australian jazz musicians, the band is called ” blue lotus”, we performed three nights together. This was my second collaboration with music director Nicolas Ng, who was teaching in Queensland conservatoire. We selected Chinese songs from 1930s to 1960s from Shanghai, using same idea as “shanghai night” at Denmark, but different instrumentations, and in between three sets there were dance acts, so it was a rather interesting show experience both for the local and musicians.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit. Specially with regard to your throat?
Ms. Jasmine Chen: I don’t smoke, drink socially, sleep about 7 hours a day, I think these are important for health and my throat. I like to have vegetables in every meal, eat fish, very little red meat, juice and fruits are the must.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Do you take some kind of skin treatment to keep it young and glowing and secondly what you do to your hairs to make them look so stunning?
Ms. Jasmine Chen: I don’t do special treatment for hair and skin, I think remain a healthy lifestyle is most important thing. I believe if the inside of body is balanced, the skin and hair will be naturally glowing.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you shall like to share?
Ms. Jasmine Chen: I ride bike in my neighborhood, and try to walk as much as I can, doing yoga about two times a week.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?
Ms. Jasmine Chen: I’m very happy to share my experience with all visitors, I hope all of you have a healthy lifestyle, always remain a happy, beautiful and young heart. Thanks to Women Fitness to give me this opportunity!
Women Fitness Team thanks Jasmine Chen for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and made this interview happen.
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2016 Women Fitness