Meet Yuka Yu

 

We recently connected with Yuka Yu and have shared our conversation below.

Yuka, we are so deeply grateful to you for opening up about your journey with mental health in the hops that it can help someone who might be going through something similar. Can you talk to us about your mental health journey and how you overcame or persisted despite any issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

When I first moved to the United States, I left my family friends and life in Taiwan behind. My English wasn’t very good, and I didn’t really know anyone. It was exciting at first, but soon I became homesick, depressed and suffered from culture shock. I didn’t know how to drive and couldn’t get around easily and wasn’t used to the food and environment.

I worked as a student assistant making minimum wage and was full of doubt whether I made the right decision to move to America. It was also not easy for me to find DJ gigs and pursue my passion.

When I first arrived, I mainly took English as a Second Language classes at the local community college. I started to take classes in entrepreneurship, music, and fitness. I slowly started making some friends and my English improved slowly. I would take the bus for two hours from Sonoma County to San Francisco to take UX design classes each week.

Exercising and focusing on design and music helped me overcome my depression. I also made sure to eat healthy and started being more social and going out more and meeting more people and making friends. After living in California for 7 years now, I’m not sure I would be used to living back in Taiwan. Now I get reverse culture shock when I visit home.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I have been DJing in the Bay Area for the past 7 years. I have DJ’d in London, Berlin, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Taipei, New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Portland, and Las Vegas. I also have gigs all over Northern California in Napa, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Oakland, Marin and San Francisco. It has been a joy to be able to perform in so many places. I have a residency at the Lion’s Den in San Francisco Chinatown and DJ regularly with live musicians who play the Guzheng (古筝), violin, bass guitar, trumpet and didgeridoo. Immersed in a multi-cultural and conflicted atmosphere, my experience in Eastern and Western cultures inspires my creation of music.

I’m excited to be performing at the Moon Festival in San Francisco’s Chinatown this year on Sunday September 15th, 2024 with my friend Xiao, who plays the Pipa a traditional Chinese Plucked instrument. I am also excited that I’ve been selected to perform a few of my own unreleased tracks at this year’s Music Arts Showcase of Kearny Street Workshop’s APAture 2024 on Sunday October 13th, 2024 at DNA Lounge.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Persistence, hard work, and my design skills. At first, I DJ’d for free at whatever gigs I could find, sometimes I’d have to drive over an hour to play at an open decks or free gig. I slowly built up some experience and was determined not to give up and stick with it. Eventually I started getting paid and the gigs improved. I have seen other DJs stick with it and eventually get better and better opportunities as well. It can be hard, but it’s important to stick with your passion and believe in yourself.
I worked hard from Day 1 and spent countless hours listening to music and coming up with the best song selection I could. I remember one of my first gigs was at an open decks night in Berlin and it was a vinyl gig. The owner of the bar could tell I was inexperienced but was impressed with my song selection and asked me back. Finding gigs is hard work and so is preparing for them and playing them. I had a wedding gig in LA this summer where I started setting up at 7:30am for the ceremony and lunch reception and then played the after party until midnight. I also had a gig that was 6 hours straight once. It can also be hard work producing one’s own events, from negotiating with the venue to booking other DJs to promoting the event.
As a designer, I’ve been able to design my own website and flyers which has helped a lot. Take an assessment of your own skills and see how you can apply it to your artistic endeavors.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I am always looking for live musicians as well as other electronic music producers to collaborate with. Singers and rappers are welcome as well. I’m also always open to working with dancers, comedians, or other performing artists. Anyone interested in collaborating can email me at yukayumusic@gmail.com

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Kitsune Kreations

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Perspectives on Being an Optimist

We’re often asked if we’ve seen a pattern of success among the many thousands of

Leadership Development
Mastering Communication: Stories & Lessons

“Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.”

Productivity
Perspectives on Staying Creative

We’re beyond fortunate to have built a community of some of the most creative artists,