Brenda Xu - Seasons and Emotions

Let's break the ice and talk about your first experiences in the recording studio. What was the first song you ever recorded? Can you also tell us how you write and record your music?

The first song I recorded is from my debut EP, “It’s True”, and it's called “She Knows”. I hadn't seriously considered the idea of recording my songs until six months before making that record. I think I've written my songs more or less the same way since I started. I begin with a chord sequence, then improvise a melody and lyrics over it, and work from that sketch. I always record my improvisations so I can go back and listen to them whenever I want. I try not to change the initial melody too much, because I feel that when I mess with it too much, the song loses its spontaneity and genuineness — it's missing something.

When did you realize that writing songs and making a living from music would be your path in life?

It took me a while to understand it. I put out my first two albums and then took a three-year break. Looking back on that period, I never thought I'd be capable of it, but during that break I realized I missed playing, and there was always this feeling of emptiness whenever I wasn't making music, so that gave me the push to go back to it. On top of that, I was working full-time for a company in San Diego. When I moved to Seattle, the company told me I needed to be physically present in the city or I'd lose the job. Since I didn't want to go back to California, that's when I told myself I'd try to make a living from music alone. That all happened about two and a half years ago, and I've been making a living from my songs ever since.

Let's talk a bit about "Overflow", your latest album. How did it come about?

I started writing the songs for the album right after I left my job and the apartment I was living in. It was a period of my life marked by huge uncertainty and chaos, and I think the record grew directly out of that, out of this feeling of being overwhelmed by the fact that everything was changing and nothing felt stable. Starting from those feelings, I tried to find meaning, beauty and truth hidden behind all that change.

Do you think the current political situation in the United States has also served as inspiration for your music?

Not yet, because it's all happened very recently and I finished recording the album about a year ago. It'll probably influence my next record!

You were born in Harbin, China, and then moved to and grew up in California. Do you think being a first-generation immigrant has in some way shaped your approach to music and songwriting?

I don't know if it has much to do with it, but we spoke Chinese at home, so English isn't my first language. When I write, though, I focus more on melody than on lyrics, because I think that's the most important part of my songs, the truest part. When I tried to learn other languages at school, like German and French, I was fascinated by their cadence and rhythm. Every language has its own cadence that sets it apart from the others. But there's also a kind of universal current, an undertow that runs beneath and transcends languages and nationalities. It's mostly something subconscious, but when I write, I try to tap into that current that runs through all music.

I read that you've lent your talent to the Acrs (Asian Counseling and Referral Service) cause. Can you tell us what it is, why it matters, and what it does?

It's an organization that helps Asian immigrants settle in Seattle. It provides a wide range of services: it runs a food bank, offers English classes, art classes, and has set up a mental health center. It also teaches people how to fill out forms and handle anything anyone arriving in the United States might need, so they can feel comfortable and learn how to get by. On top of that, since it can be pretty hard at first to adjust to the local food, the organization also serves Asian dishes for newly arrived immigrants.

What are your main musical and non-musical influences?

As for my musical influences, definitely Tori Amos and Aimee Mann. Looking at influences outside music, I think I've been really inspired by Barack Obama in recent years, especially the way he came through all the criticism and hatred he had to face unscathed, always staying calm and persuasive, never losing his composure or getting angry.

I particularly appreciated the way you've brought a varied, eclectic range of instrumentation into your songwriting, achieving a genuinely impressive atmospheric effect. Where do you see yourself, in terms of composition and sound, on your next album?

I have two directions ahead of me, and I don't know yet which one I'll take. The first would lead me to make a more minimal album, built essentially around the voice; the second would lead to a more electronic record.

Lastly, your albums have been released through crowdfunding platforms. Have you had any contact from labels? Is there a label you'd like to work with in the future?

I've had offers from small labels, but given what they were offering, it didn't make sense for me to accept. I'd love to work with a label, like Sub Pop in Seattle, for instance. That said, talking to other independent artists, what tends to come up is that it's often better to keep self-releasing, partly because to catch a label's interest and get a decent offer, you need to already have a fair amount of success, a fanbase and a solid career behind you. And even then, you can end up having to sacrifice your artistic freedom for support that often doesn't live up to expectations. So it's becoming harder and harder to find a label worth working with.

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