Christina Chung, the New Pop Royalty

What do you get when you combine Beats, Brains and Beauty? Well you get triple threat singer/songwriter Christina Chung. Don’t underestimate this artist on her petite size alone; she is not your average fly-by-night Korean pop singer. She has a great hold on this pop genre, nationwide performing experience, and a great potential to break the blond pop-princess mold.

As a songwriter she has co-written songs with seasoned award-winning industry heads, such as Frankie Storm who actually wrote Rihanna’s hit “Don’t Stop the Music”. Also others, she has worked with, have written and produced for artists like Mary J Blige, Akon, and Danity Kane. But, her talent doesn’t stop there… As a singer, she is willing to expand diversity in her musical horizons. From hip-hop, R&B, electro, and even Brazilian music, her sound is an incorporation of many influences that is totally her own.  As a model, she has stylized for Stella McCartney and MTV, she is also a gifted pianist and skillful dancer.

Interesting facts about this upcoming star, she was a music major during her studies and is a Graduate of Columbia University. She has great insight to what is going on in the western music industry and how the overseas markets are expanding. She is very aware of the spectacular music coming from Europe and Asia and feels Americans have retained something that is hard to replicate. It is a widely known fact that American artists have the ability to be internationally famous on all continents, but not vice versa… but this is not a obstacle for Christina.

“(being Asian) has definitely affected my career in a positive way. It gives me a fresh perspective and a background that hasn’t really been represented in American culture. I don’t view my ethnicity as any sort of hindrance or struggle in terms of getting a major label deal or achieving my goals. If anything, it makes me unique, and much more internationally marketable.” she says in a early 2008 interview with jizo-entertainment.

This past Friday I was very lucky to attend her very exclusive performance at TheCircleNYC, the newest party place on the *Kyopo front, in New York City.  The dance floor was wall-to-wall full of people, in anticipation, for her three song set. Her first song of the evening was “At the Exit”. It is going to be easy for everyone to predict that this is going to be the new club classic. How can it not be? The song has a great beat, a lyrical chorus any club go’er will relate and want to chill to. She followed up with the song “Pressure” a smoother dance song that has great synth intro. Her last song which is my favorite is entitled “Ghost”. (This is the one that’s playing, on repeat, on my Mp3 player currently.)

Yet, Christina’s music is not superficial-club-scene theme music; these songs of hers come with a message. “Know who you are, and what you want, and don’t be afraid to say what you feel or think. Meet your match face to face!”  In fact Face-to-Face is the title to her LP released in March and available now on Itunes. Most of these songs, plus remixes and others from her latest LP, can be heard on her Myspace.

Be sure to look out for Jason Linetsky’s follow up one on one with Christina coming and his photos of her performance this week!

*kyopo - Korean word for Koreans born outside of Korea.