Interview: Victoria Li and Yuang Chen
Victoria Li and Yuang Chen, 2T2 WB
Q: Tell us a bit about yourselves and your involvements in music.
V: I’m in second year right now. In terms of music, I’ve been involved with Daffy since first year where I played the clarinet. This year I was one of the music directors in Daffy where I conducted and arranged music. Outside of school, I love singing and playing the piano as well as just jamming with my friends. Recently I’ve been taking my interest more seriously, so I started a YouTube channel!
Y: Music started as a hobby for me as well. Back in grade 6, I pieced together a band piece from my random knowledge of wind instruments, but my band teacher told me it was no good—I didn’t compose for a year after that. Later, I started learning music harmony and music theory because I was doing piano, so I dabbled in composing again. I actually liked it enough that 2 months into life sciences at Queen’s University, I switched into music composition without telling my parents. They actually didn’t find out until I graduated. After getting into UofT med in the class of 2T1, I did a cover of the song “Shelter” (by Porter Robinson) on my YouTube channel and it went viral. At that point, I told faculty I wanted to take a leave of absence to work on my music career and they granted it. I had to redo my first year as a result so I’m in the class of 2T2 now, and I’ve just been continuously working on YouTube and publishing on Spotify.
Q: It seems all your life, there has been some degree of conflict between your pursuit of music composition and science. Can you tell us a bit more about how you integrate and balance between the two fields?
Y: Very early on, I actually hated music. It was a chore for me because my parents forced me to play piano and I would play piano and play game boy at the same time. It wasn’t until later when I started writing music and had a bit more of a music foundation that I began to enjoy it and seriously consider music as a career. But by that time, I was already very science and medical school bound. Eventually, I went into school for a science program because it was the easiest way out of the huge conflict I had with my parents about career path, interests, and financial sustainability. But once I was at Queen’s, I wasn’t having the greatest time doing the science courses. I figured I’d rather take a chance with music. So I switched into music composition which I really enjoyed, but then I also started to miss the human to human interaction I would have experienced in healthcare. This reignited my interest in medicine and is basically how I got to where I am now, which is doing both medicine and music at the same time—although I still have trouble finding a balance.
Q: Victoria, you also have a significant and growing music involvement. How do you find the balance?
V: I have a similar starting story. My parents started me on the piano when I was really young, but I quit in grade three or four because I really didn’t enjoy being forced to learn something. I grew up in Taiwan, and it wasn’t until I joined the band in middle school that I fell deeply in love with music. In Taiwan, the public school bands train very intensely. You have to come in on weekends to get mandatory lessons from professional musicians. It was my first experience to be professionally trained in something I absolutely loved doing, and I was genuinely so happy. I think it was then when I realized music has become an integral part of my life. Afterwards, I started to explore other instruments and taught myself how to play them. I also got back to playing the piano, and got started on the guitar, flute, and clarinet. When I was in undergrad back at McMaster, I tried to immerse myself in all of the musical opportunities I could find. I often collaborated with other musicians on campus to do gigs, usually singing and playing the clarinet. Now in med school, I seek out to be involved in all kinds of musical opportunities such as Daffy and clubs outside of medicine like Appassionata (performance arts club).
I’m passionate about many things in life. I’ve always wanted to have a career in science, but I also know that music is a passion I want to carry along with me through every stage of my life. Right now I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to incorporate music along with my future career. Music has already played a big role in my medical school experience, and I think balance for me comes from learning to prioritize one over the other at different times. For example, during the summer or when school work is lighter, I would take a couple of days off my usual schedule to prioritize in producing some music; but during clerkship, my priority will likely be medicine and learning about the knowledge I need for my career.
Q: Yuang, you mentioned that music is a personal passion, but you missed the human interactions you would have in healthcare. Do you think there is a way for music to help you connect with others?
Y: Speaking from the perspective of someone who is active online, the majority of my listeners are on YouTube and Spotify. I actually didn’t meet any of my viewers in person until I met Sheila (violinist in Daffy) who had listened to my music before she met me through Daffy. With my work being online, I can see the number of people listening to my music and also how it plays a role in their lives, . whether it’s them listening to my music on the way to work or in the background while they study It means everything to me as a musician and composer, but in reality, a lot of composition is also me sitting in a dark room staring at a screen and writing music . a solitary art for many hours until you release a track. In that sense, it’s hard to experience the impact of the work in person because you’re not talking to your audience or engaging with them in person. As a human being, that means you’re missing a really important part of what gives you satisfaction. Back when I took a leave of absence, I was actually struggling with depression because I was writing music for months on end with no social contact. And even though I was getting millions of views, it didn’t really help me personally in terms of making me feel completely satisfied with my work. That made me really enjoy medicine because it is all about being with patients and coworkers and it is very much not a solitary art form. I find the mass effect and personal aspect of medicine and music very complementary.
Q: Why did you choose YouTube as the space for you to express your interest in music? What sort of content are you personally planning out and what do you see yourself putting out in the future?
V: I’ve always liked playing and improvising on the piano while singing to songs I like. I’ve followed a lot of YouTuber-musicians who do that and have always admired their ability to interpret any music in their own style regardless of how different the original song sounded. These artists inspired me to embrace improvisation and find my style, so one day I just decided to make an arrangement of a song that I was listening to. It was very tedious in the beginning since I had no idea where to start. After watching many YouTube videos to learn more about music theory and mixing techniques, the process got a lot easier and was incredibly enjoyable. Recently, due to the stay-at-home situation, I had a lot more free time to officially produce some of these arrangements and post them on YouTube. I only just started posting a couple of weeks ago, but I think this is the beginning of an exciting journey for me! I have only made arrangements of C-pop songs so far, but I’ll soon be attempting some different genres.
Y: YouTube started entirely by chance. At the end of every year on Dec 31, my family always meets with two other families for our new year’s party. One year, my family friends pulled up someone’s orchestral cover of Porter Robinson’s “Shelter” to show me how amazing it was. At the moment, I thought it was really bad and when I told them, they made a bet that I couldn’t make a better one or get as many views. I thought I’d give it a try so I arranged my own Studio Ghibli orchestra rendition of the piece and published it on YouTube. I ended up winning the bet. So that’s all to say that my YouTube channel started on a stupid bet. I had no intentions or prior planning. In terms of content I’m making right now, I’m doing a bit of my own original work, as well as covers. I do electronic covers and Japanese EDM music, and I also do my own releases which are more calm orchestral cello and piano works. They’re both popular amongst their own audiences.
Q: What drew you to the types of music you arrange and compose? Why do you like those genres?
Y: “Shelter” itself is a type of electronic piece. A lot of initial subscribers were already listeners of this genre. I sort of followed with that because that’s what my listeners were looking for and I liked it as well. So I stuck with that genre as the centre and it expanded outwards. Yeah, it is more like I landed here, I enjoyed where it was, so I didn’t really try to relocate.
V: I truly enjoy listening to all types of music, but pop ballads have a special place in my heart. Growing up in Taiwan, one of the biggest cultural activities among students is karaoke. It was my favourite after-school activity, and it was how I bonded with some of my closest friends through our love for singing and music. Karaoke was also the reason I started singing in the first place. The majority of songs at these karaoke places are C-pop, and the C-pop scene is full of ballads. The current style of my YouTube content is significantly influenced by the hundreds of pop ballads I have repeatedly sang throughout my childhood and teenage years.
Q: What is your most memorable or favourite music moment?
V: I’ve always thought there will be other musical moments that’ll trump this, but the first ever performance I had with my middle school band in Taiwan still remains my favourite. For the 13-year-old me who had been brought up in a society that emphasized school work and stellar grades above all, bonding with classmates who enjoyed playing music as much as I did was an interesting and incredible experience. Like I mentioned, these bands in Taiwan are very intense. A week before our competitions, we would rehearse together day and night, bonding over our love for music. By the end of it, my bandmates were like my second family. I can still replay the moment when we finished the performance in front of the judges and stood up together as a group as the conductor bowed. The strong sense of accomplishment and belonging we felt as a group was phenomenal. Each of us felt like an important and necessary part of this greater project. Collectively, we knew how much we had progressed and were so proud of each other for it. It was such a profound feeling of connection that I still remember to this day.
Y: I second what Victoria said. I played with the Ottawa Youth Orchestra for many years and it was an amazing experience. Everyone has worked so hard and the performance is the culmination of this concerted effort, which is beyond description of words. Another experience that I found memorable was when I got a random email one day. The person was saying “Hi, I found your work on YouTube and I really enjoyed it. I’m an agent for Carly Rae Jepson.” I was like, “woah is this real?!” I googled the person’s name and he is actually real and an agent for Carly Rae Jepson. I kept reading the email, and he said that he wanted me to do a rendition of Carly Rae Jepson’s new song “OMG” with Gryffin, this other pop music artist. And that’s how I ended up with my first collaboration with Carly Rae Jepson and Gryffin.
Q: How do you feel your involvement with music, whether through Daffy or through YouTube, has influenced your experience of medical school?
Y: Daffy is definitely one of the most memorable experiences for me in med school. I think it really helps you see the wonderful artistic talents of our class and get to know people that you wouldn’t have otherwise met yet in your class. I know a lot of people who came into Daffy as complete strangers and came out of it as best friends. It’s a way of getting to know people who are alongside the medical journey with you beyond just the specialties they want. It allows you to see them for who they are outside of medicine.
V: I totally echo that. And personally, music serves as a source of happiness but also as a coping mechanism. Sometimes when I feel stressed and don’t want to study anymore, I’ll use music as a motivation to finish my work, and it works every time. It co-exists nicely with medical school studies.
Q: In terms of external pressures from parents or school, how do you manage that and convince others to be supportive of what you want?
Y: I’m still not done answering it to this day. My parents are still a bit apprehensive towards my music career, and they still think it’s a lost cause in many ways. It hurts me on the inside when my parents brush off my music career, but I’ve definitely learned to take that better through the years. That being said, I still care very much what my family feels because they are the people who got me started and who love me unconditionally, so I try to address their fears. I tell them the realistic stats in regards to my music career and also talk to them about my future plans for medicine—or whatever semblance of a plan that I have so far. It doesn’t work all the time, but it’s better than saying nothing. I definitely don’t want to cut off my parents, that’s the last thing I want to do.
V: Yeah I agree with Yuang. My parents have always been supportive of me doing music as a hobby, but if I try to take things further, such as taking lessons, they would ask if it was really necessary. It’s been easier after coming into medical school now that I’m on track to a stable career. I really respect their views, so I think it’s important to reassure them that music is beneficial for my well-being and that it actually helps me get through medical school. Recently, they’ve been showing support for my new channel which I’m really grateful for.
Q: How do you deal with the pressure from being on the internet and receiving any negative comments from your audience?
Y: I think people should be able to say what they want as long as it’s not advocating for violence. For me, that includes people who are derogatory towards my music. I will dislike the comment, but I will never delete it or block the user from my channel. That being said, I always reply to their comment to ask for more specific feedback. Sometimes, people will reply and explain that they “disliked X part for X reasons,” to which I can say, “thank you for sharing that with me, I will think about it for the future.” I definitely take a look at criticisms, constructive or otherwise, because I think that’s part of a musician’s job, but I think it’s important to keep a thick skin especially when putting yourself on public domains such as YouTube. You have to have the confidence to believe in your work.
Q: If there is anything—a message or a song—what you would want our readers to discover?
V: I want people who are in art to know that if something means a lot to you and gives you immense happiness, even if you can’t find the time to pick it up, try picking it up! Being in medicine doesn’t mean you have to put a pause on your hobbies and passions. There are no limits to how many passions one can have. Surely, your career will become a huge part of your life, but it’s important to look inside and uncover the other things that are worth making time for. In fact, art or any other hobby can help you drive your medical studies and discover a new part of yourself, and maybe in the process you’ll find something you want to take along with you on your long journey in medicine.
Y: Something that is generic but worth mentioning because it is so true is that you have to take risks. Whether it is taking risks in scheduling time or submitting works in competitions, conferences, contests—you have to put yourself out there and at the risk of failure or being criticized if you want to go further. The beautiful thing about creative pursuits is that it is a double edged sword. Because it is subjective, two people can have very different opinions on the same piece of art. That’s what makes it such an attractive and unpredictable field. If you want to be a successful creator by any standard—your own or someone else’s—it takes risks and failure before you can get there.
Q: What are your YouTube channels?
V: My YouTube channel is Victoria Li (Wei-Ya). Come check it out if you want to hear me sing and play the piano, or just to see my face! Also, if you have any song requests, please let me know!
Y: I go by the artist name Seycara. I am active on both YouTube and Spotify. Apparently we are a very popular choice of background music for studying, so please check it out if you have the time!
