A serendipitous journey for USC singer
Things always seem to fall into place for senior Kenton Chen.
His performance Friday at Café Metropol, as part of this weekend’s first Asian American Jazz Festival in Los Angeles, will be no different than the serendipitous events of his past.
In tune · Senior Kenton Chen will be performing at the Asian American Jazz Festival this weekend. His debut album will be released in December. - Photo courtesy of Kenton Chen
“My life has been a lot of beautiful coincidences. You go places and you end up in different situations you never think will put you in the perfect spot until you realize here you are,” Chen said.
Music managed to always find Chen, a Southern California native and USC senior, at various stages of his life. In middle school, a friend who did not want to audition for a musical theater class alone urged Chen to try out with her; in high school a scheduling mishap left him in a choir class he was convinced he would dislike but ended up loving.
He entered USC as a math major thinking he wanted to be a math teacher, but immediately dropped the major and dabbled in theater, psychology and business, until he returned to music — the inescapable kismet in his life. Now he majors in jazz studies and creative writing.
“My goal in life is to forever strive to be the consummate artist, whether it’s writing music or writing words,” Chen said.
Earlier this year, Chen worked on a small singing gig for the Café Metropol booker. In May, the booker, returning the favor, invited Chen to take part in the three-day premiere event that will highlight the unique cultural influence Asian and Asian-American musicians have brought to the jazz world.
“As time went on, I realized how big of an endeavor I signed on for, and I’m just super excited to be a part of such a promising event,” Chen wrote in an email.
He will croon an hour-long set of familiar jazz tunes and one original song from his album — a year-long project that will be released in December.
“The project was suppose to be small, it was suppose to be something small and simple for me. And it just got bigger and bigger and bigger,” Chen said. “A year later, all of a sudden, I’m telling this story that I’m dying to share with the world.”
The album, Something about Love, draws from Chen’s personal experiences and tells a story about the complexity of falling in love through 14 songs.
In May he held a concert previewing songs from his upcoming album, but all the songs have changed since the preview performance. Chen says he likes to play with his music, especially with words and instrumentations.
His songs might be ever-changing, but his before-show routine remains the same. Chen admits he is always nervous and rarely eats before performing. But before he goes on stage, he reminds himself that it’s not about him.
“Really it’s about the music. It’s about having fun and conveying the message and really relating to the people who are coming,” Chen said.
Although Chen would not label himself as just a jazz musician, his innovation of the genre makes him a fitting performer for the festival, which seeks to highlight Asian artists who bring different backgrounds to jazz but are still connected by their shared identity as Asians.
“It’s hard to place me inside a particular genre because I don’t quite fit into any of it. I never really was that much into jazz, but as I listen to it more I really do fall in love with the genre,” Chen said. “However, I do like to take things out. The way that I sing jazz is very pop influenced and the way I sing pop is very jazz influenced.”
When questioned about his plans for after graduation, Chen waves his hand while a breeze goes by and answers, “I want to be an unhinged individual and let the wind carry me wherever it is. I love the wind I think it’s a really great metaphor for how we should live life.”
He then lightheartedly adds, “After all, if the world is going to end in 2012, I better start cracking.”
Having grown up in Irvine, Calif. Chen admits he does not know much outside of his home state, but hopes to live in Seattle and New York at some point in his life.
Although his future location is uncertain, Chen knows that music will inevitably be a part of his life’s blue plan.
“If there’s anything I’ve learned in college it’s that I cannot give live music up,” he said. “It’s just intrinsically part of me. I will never get away from it.”
The Asian American Jazz Festival will take place Friday through Sunday. About a dozen artists will perform at Café Metropol and at the Japanese American National Museum’s outdoor amphitheatre.