We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Zion Jeng a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Zion, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
The music industry is built on team work and collaboration. All the moving parts of the team work together to achieve the best possible result which helps establish concrete individual roles. Personally, I do not intend to stand out, I intend to serve the music I’m making.
In my journey as a musician I have encountered many different genres of music and people and it has taken me time to realize that I can’t always be good at every style or genre and have had to find my niche.
Everyone has a different and unique take on music and I value learning to respect and understand their visions and create a comfortable space where artists can freely express themselves.
Music has existed for centuries, in every culture around the globe and has immensely evolved. I aim to carry that forward and embark on my own personal journey.
Technological advancements have made it very affordable and convenient for anyone to create and distribute music and I am proud to be part of that community.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Zion Jeng is an LA-based 27 year old singer-songwriter and producer. Born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, Zion was introduced to a variety of musical genres under the counsel of his father. Some of his primary influences include Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake and Guy.
This promising musician is making waves in the live music scene, having played recurring shows at the legendary Whiskey-a-Go-Go, The Viper Room, The Black Rose and other notable LA venues like El Cid, Madame Siam and more. Along with these established appearances.
Jeng graduated from Musicians Institute, College of Contemporary Music in Hollywood, Los Angeles with Certificates in Keyboard performance and Electronic music production and is presently working as a freelance keyboardist in various artist projects and bands like IZORA, Zana Messia, The Snifters and more. He is also working as a producer for a few artists and for his solo projects. Zion is on a steep upward trajectory, his versatility is setting him up to become a well-established name in the industry.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Persistence and perseverance! These two qualities are in my opinion extremely important. I am originally from Taiwan and I moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles when I was 25 where I got degrees in Keyboard performance and Electronic Music Production. Music drove me to push myself out of my comfort zone, I remember when I was getting my Bachelor’s degree for Applied Music in Taiwan, we would have to transcribe music by Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and many more great musicians which more which was a solid learning experience and tested my abilities as a musician. I would play at jam sessions with seasoned musicians which was initially nerve wracking but I eventually found my place.
I now play with many different artists and bands locally in Los Angeles and am very grateful for the experiences I lived through when I was younger.
Consistency has also been a very important part of my journey. Not giving up and always delivering to the best of my ability has helped me grow closer to my goals as a musician and as a person.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
A lot of people from the Asian community can probably relate to this, growing up in Taiwan, I was taught to deal with things alone. Asking for help or assistance was never really an option and was rather frowned upon which naturally made me isolate myself. This in many ways impaired my basic human need for a sense of community. I only recently have started working on this by surrounding myself with a supportive group of friends and creatives. It’s definitely challenging but I am learning to appreciate the people around me and also the power of collaboration.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thezionjeng/
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thezionjeng
