1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:01,480 Speaker 1: Taking a Walk. 2 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:03,960 Speaker 2: When I was twelve years old, one of my best 3 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 2: friends was coming to visit me for my birthday, and 4 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:11,640 Speaker 2: she and her boyfriend were her like, not her boyfriend 5 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 2: but because we were like twelve, but like, you know, 6 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 2: her little boyfriend friend. They were hit by a train 7 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:22,639 Speaker 2: and killed, and I remember her sister called me and 8 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:26,240 Speaker 2: was like, Melissa, can't come to your birthday. She died 9 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 2: in a train accident, and it was so traumatizing, like 10 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 2: for me, and I immediately went to the piano and 11 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 2: just played Chopin for like five days straight. 12 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:37,959 Speaker 3: Welcome to the Taken a Walk Podcast, where Buzz Night 13 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 3: speaks with musicians of all types that are making their mark. 14 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:45,519 Speaker 3: Buzz is thrilled to be joined by a true musical trailblazer, 15 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:50,279 Speaker 3: Chloe Flower. Chloe is a world renowned pianist, composer, and 16 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 3: producer who's redefining what it means to be a classical 17 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 3: musician in the modern era. Known for her electrifying performances 18 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 3: and her signature popsicles sound a seamless blend of classical 19 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 3: and pop, Chloe's captivated audiences everywhere from the Grammy stage 20 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 3: to viral social media clips. Chloe is here to discuss 21 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,039 Speaker 3: your brand new album I Love Me More, and we 22 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:16,919 Speaker 3: welcome her right now to the Taking a Walk Podcast 23 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 3: with buzz Night. 24 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 4: Hi Chloe, thanks for being on Taking a Walk. 25 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 2: Thank you for having me. 26 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: It's so special. 27 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 4: So since we call this podcast taking a Walk, I 28 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 4: have to ask you if you could take a walk 29 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:37,319 Speaker 4: with someone living or dead. They don't have to be 30 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:39,640 Speaker 4: involved in the world of music, but they could be. 31 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 4: But it could be someone also important to you in 32 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 4: different ways. Who would you like to take a walk 33 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 4: with and where would you take that walk? 34 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 2: You know, it's funny because some of my best ideas 35 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 2: and my best thinking happens when I walk. And so 36 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 2: I recently sprained both of my ankles. Oh yeah, it's 37 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 2: been a struggle for me and I really didn't know 38 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 2: how much I missed taking those walks. So this is 39 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:15,880 Speaker 2: a great question for me. I think if I could 40 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 2: walk with anybody, it would be Rock mon and Off. 41 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:23,959 Speaker 2: And the reason I say that, like it's really hard 42 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 2: for me. I would always I would choose a musician, 43 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 2: but it's like between mozart Sister and rock monon Off, 44 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 2: like I can't decide. Basically, I would ask Mozart's sister, like, 45 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 2: tell me everything, what did you write, what did you 46 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:38,519 Speaker 2: really write? What did you not get credit for? But 47 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 2: you know, Rock Mononoff, really his story really interests me. 48 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 2: You know, he almost didn't write the Second Piano Concerto, 49 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 2: which is like one of the most the love pieces 50 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 2: in the world in the classical space. And actually the 51 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:54,919 Speaker 2: love for that piece extends so far beyond you hear 52 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 2: it in All by Myself, and you hear that theme 53 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 2: in so many pop songs in that I even took 54 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 2: that little theme and recreated it for my first album. 55 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 2: But he almost didn't write that piece because he went 56 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 2: through like a severe depression after his first symphony he wrote. 57 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 2: I think it was in the late eighteen hundreds. He 58 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:21,240 Speaker 2: wrote a symphony in D minor and it was a disaster, 59 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:25,080 Speaker 2: like everybody hated it, and he went into a severe 60 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 2: depression and almost never composed again. But he saw therapy. 61 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 2: He went to this doctor, I think it was doctor 62 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 2: dol And I want to know what they talked about, 63 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 2: because they don't ever tell you what was said. You 64 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 2: just have these letters written by him that you know 65 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 2: he was so depressed and he never was going to 66 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 2: compose again. And then oh, I sought help, went to 67 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 2: a hypnotist, which I think we call a therapist today, 68 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 2: and now you know, I feel re energized and reinspired, 69 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 2: and he wrote the most beautiful piece in the world. 70 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 2: And so I think for me, as an artist, I 71 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 2: would love to know how he coped with that, because 72 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 2: as an artist, especially in the classical space, we're so 73 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 2: subject to criticism and I would just like to know 74 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 2: how he dealt with that on such a large scale. 75 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 2: And I feel like that would take up the whole walk. 76 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 4: And I believe I've only spent a couple of minutes 77 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 4: with you. I believe you would uncover the secret in 78 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 4: the story. 79 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: It wouldn't take you very very. 80 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:29,760 Speaker 2: Long, I hope. Well maybe one day in another world, 81 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:30,839 Speaker 2: an there you go. 82 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 4: Maybe that's right. So what's the earliest memory for you 83 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 4: of playing music? I mean, I know you started at 84 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 4: an incredibly young age, but beyond the age of three, 85 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:47,279 Speaker 4: which is I believe when you started. Do you have 86 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 4: an earlier memory than that in terms of you playing. 87 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,280 Speaker 2: I started at two and my mother said that she 88 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:59,160 Speaker 2: actually corrected I did during the pandemic. I did this 89 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 2: zoom performance and she joined because it was my sister's 90 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 2: company and I was speaking and this was kind of 91 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 2: when people didn't understand zoom as well as they do 92 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 2: now it's like new. And she interrupted my talk cause 93 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:16,920 Speaker 2: I was talking about my first childhood, my first performance 94 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:19,039 Speaker 2: ever at three years but I thought I was six 95 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 2: at a nursing home and my mother was like, no, 96 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 2: you were three. Like she didn't mute herself, she just 97 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 2: started talking, and so it was funny, but it was news, right, 98 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:31,559 Speaker 2: So I was like, oh, I thought I was six, 99 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 2: but I was three actually, And I do remember being 100 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 2: in this nursing home in my hometown and sitting on 101 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 2: a telephone book because we had telephone books back then, 102 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:43,840 Speaker 2: and a little pillow and playing. I remember looking at 103 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:48,560 Speaker 2: at the audience and seeing everybody was asleep and nobody 104 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 2: was really listening to me play. But I remember afterwards 105 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:56,159 Speaker 2: like they clapped and I was such a baby. But 106 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 2: I remember feeling like, oh, this music is and this 107 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 2: music is healing. I remember thinking like, I don't sorry, 108 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:07,400 Speaker 2: my dog is here. I remember thinking like I don't 109 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 2: I kind of at a very early age, them even 110 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,360 Speaker 2: having me there made me understand and appreciate the power 111 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:19,719 Speaker 2: of music therapy and live performance for people and how 112 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 2: special that was, even though I was three and I 113 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:26,360 Speaker 2: probably didn't play very well. But yeah, so that's kind 114 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:28,200 Speaker 2: of an early I mean even earlier than that, the 115 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 2: very first memory I have. I remember stickers on the piano, 116 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 2: but oh, she hears her. 117 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 4: We welcome We welcome dogs to the Taking a Walk podcast. 118 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:40,480 Speaker 1: What is your dog's name? 119 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 2: This is Wolfy her her her full name is Wolfguardea Dang, 120 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 2: but Wolfguard the female version. 121 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 1: What kind of dog is Wolfy? 122 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,359 Speaker 2: She's a she's a Chihuahua. She's a rescue. She's my 123 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 2: ninth foster that kind of turned into I kept her. 124 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 2: But she's such a good girl, and oh she's beautiful. 125 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:02,479 Speaker 2: She's beautiful. So I got her at a very young age, 126 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:05,080 Speaker 2: so she has no trauma, unlike a lot of my 127 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 2: other fosters, so I really I'm grateful. But she just 128 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:13,040 Speaker 2: saw her boyfriend, so she's freaking out. 129 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 1: You can tell, right. 130 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:19,160 Speaker 4: Yeah, we're going to get into your masterpiece new release. 131 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:25,960 Speaker 4: I Love me More, which is just incredible. But I 132 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,640 Speaker 4: do want to talk a little bit more about you 133 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:34,160 Speaker 4: and your career. I have a question for you, though, 134 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 4: from a fellow musician who admires you. 135 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 1: His name is Black Bok. 136 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:41,680 Speaker 3: Oh. 137 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 2: I love Black Bok. 138 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:47,679 Speaker 1: He's a New Yorker, he is, he's a big fan. 139 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: And so here's his question. 140 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 2: Okay. 141 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 4: He said, classical music is known for its structure and tradition. 142 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 4: So what inspired you, as a trained pianist to take 143 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:07,400 Speaker 4: a different creative path instead of following the traditional concert 144 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:13,360 Speaker 4: pianist root and how has that sort of shaped your 145 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 4: art as a whole. 146 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 2: Wow, that's a really great question. I think you know, 147 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:23,000 Speaker 2: when you've spent your whole life studying classical music, it's 148 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 2: very rigorous, the discipline, the training, the sacrifice that you 149 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:34,080 Speaker 2: make to be a classical musician as a profession. It 150 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:38,360 Speaker 2: is a lot of structure, not just within the music, 151 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 2: but within the career space. And for me, I loved 152 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 2: the structure of classical music. You know, I love I 153 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 2: love classical music, but I also grew up loving pop music, 154 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 2: and I always compartmentalize those two genres like this is 155 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:57,960 Speaker 2: my pop life and this is you know, when I'm listening, 156 00:08:58,200 --> 00:08:59,960 Speaker 2: when I'm listening in my room, I can listen to 157 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 2: this when I'm not practicing. And often when I was practicing, 158 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:06,320 Speaker 2: I would practice two hours at a time and then 159 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:09,320 Speaker 2: I would take a fifteen minute break and then practice 160 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:12,320 Speaker 2: another hour or two hours, And during those fifteen minutes, 161 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:15,560 Speaker 2: I spent the entire time listening to pop music, like 162 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 2: you know, like top forty music. What was available to me, 163 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 2: you know, And we didn't have like Spotify and things 164 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 2: like that. We had YouTube, but we didn't have like 165 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 2: streaming services like Amazon Music and Apple Music. And I 166 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:34,680 Speaker 2: think like having done that like every day for my 167 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 2: whole life, it just naturally gave me this sensitivity and 168 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 2: feeling for pop music as well, not just not just 169 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 2: not just the aesthetic, but like the structure, Like pop 170 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:54,920 Speaker 2: structure is very different, but it still has a structure. 171 00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 2: And so I think for me, it was all about 172 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 2: not being stuck in this box. Like I loved music 173 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:07,560 Speaker 2: from the Beatles, I loved music from you know, pop artists, 174 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:11,079 Speaker 2: and I just always thought that I was going to 175 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:13,800 Speaker 2: be a classical musician and I couldn't do both. And 176 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 2: so as I got older, I was like, well, why 177 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 2: can't I do both? And I think part of the 178 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:21,920 Speaker 2: beautiful thing about music is being able to not live 179 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 2: in a box. I think that's the glory of music, 180 00:10:24,679 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 2: is to experiment. And it was hard for me, because 181 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:31,640 Speaker 2: you know, it was looked down upon. I was kicked 182 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:34,360 Speaker 2: out of a chamber group. I did a hip hop 183 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 2: concert in New York, and I remember my chamber group 184 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 2: was like, that's selling out. We don't want you in 185 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:45,439 Speaker 2: our group anymore. And so that, you know, I struggled 186 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:47,880 Speaker 2: with a lot of that, but that actually fired me 187 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:50,719 Speaker 2: up because I was like, that is not fair, and 188 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:52,640 Speaker 2: I don't think it's the right approach. I think if 189 00:10:52,679 --> 00:10:56,800 Speaker 2: you really love music, you can love all styles of music. 190 00:10:56,880 --> 00:10:59,719 Speaker 2: So for me, it was more it was almost like 191 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:03,360 Speaker 2: a bellion breaking out of that classical structure and doing 192 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 2: experimenting and doing doing things that I hadn't heard before. 193 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 2: And with that comes confusion, but also it's very exciting, 194 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:15,360 Speaker 2: and so I think I kind of fed off of 195 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:16,040 Speaker 2: that excitement. 196 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:19,839 Speaker 4: And you created a new path called popsicle. 197 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: Right. 198 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:24,480 Speaker 2: If I try to explain to you what popsicle is, 199 00:11:24,559 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 2: it would be so long and hard. So it just 200 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 2: found that word popsicle to be very like easy pop. 201 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:32,040 Speaker 1: But I think you just did. 202 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:35,440 Speaker 4: You just did explain it without me even asking you did. 203 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:38,360 Speaker 4: You did just explain it. There is a furthermore, by 204 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:41,640 Speaker 4: the way, I can't forget that black Bawk said, he said, 205 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:44,559 Speaker 4: and and furthermore, when can we collaborate? 206 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 2: That was his other Furthermore, as I love what he does. 207 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 2: He does great tiktoks, he does really cool things. He's 208 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,559 Speaker 2: such a swag. I love him. He's so he did 209 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:57,960 Speaker 2: a show over at Joe's Pub that sadly I missed, 210 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,440 Speaker 2: But I can't wait to collaborate. I love collaborating. You know, 211 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:04,200 Speaker 2: as a pianist, he would understand how solitary it can be. 212 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 2: We don't have an orchestra that we go to. You know, 213 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:08,559 Speaker 2: I serve on the board of the Manhattan School of 214 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,199 Speaker 2: Music and I just came literally just walked in the 215 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:14,040 Speaker 2: door from that meeting, and there we were talking about 216 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:17,440 Speaker 2: Aspen Summer Music Festival, and I was laughing that like, 217 00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 2: as a pianist, I was much less busier than the 218 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:23,720 Speaker 2: violinists because I was always alone practicing in my practice 219 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:26,840 Speaker 2: room as opposed to doing different, you know, orchestral sessions 220 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:30,400 Speaker 2: and stuff. So it's always nice to collaborate. 221 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:35,720 Speaker 4: Well, speaking of collaborating, your performance with Cardi b was 222 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:39,559 Speaker 4: a pretty amazing moment there at the Grammys. 223 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:42,079 Speaker 1: How did that come about? 224 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 4: And as you reflect on it now, how did that 225 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:46,680 Speaker 4: really impact your career? 226 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:50,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that obviously, you know, happened to twenty nineteen, 227 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:53,120 Speaker 2: and you know people are still talking about that and 228 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 2: wanting to talk about that, So I know how much 229 00:12:55,800 --> 00:13:00,200 Speaker 2: of an impact culturally and musically that performance had. But 230 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:03,560 Speaker 2: had I not stepped outside of that structure, and had 231 00:13:03,559 --> 00:13:09,840 Speaker 2: I not gone to another level musically experimentally, I wouldn't 232 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 2: have had that opportunity. I was actually on social media 233 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 2: just playing around with pop songs and just playing over 234 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:22,319 Speaker 2: top of them. That particular performance. Her team had seen 235 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:26,920 Speaker 2: me perform Humble by Kendrick Lamar over his playing some 236 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:30,319 Speaker 2: piano over his song, and when they heard that, that's 237 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:32,240 Speaker 2: when they reached out to me. They just called me. 238 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:35,280 Speaker 2: They got my number from my friend who's also a publicist, 239 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:40,280 Speaker 2: Lauren Chardini, and they reached out to her through They 240 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:42,760 Speaker 2: reached out to me through her, and yeah, and they 241 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 2: were like, we saw this Humble cover and we want 242 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:48,880 Speaker 2: you to come play with Cardi and it's amazing. I 243 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:53,800 Speaker 2: think had I not really openly stepped out of the 244 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:56,839 Speaker 2: box on socials and shown people and social media is 245 00:13:56,840 --> 00:13:59,599 Speaker 2: great because it gives you that platform to experiment and 246 00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:01,920 Speaker 2: I wouldn't have had that, and I probably wouldn't be 247 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:03,840 Speaker 2: talking to you today. Maybe maybe I would be, but 248 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 2: you know, maybe not. 249 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 4: There's always a reason, right that things happen, for sure. Yeah, 250 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 4: so let's talk about this fantastic project. You must be 251 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,440 Speaker 4: so excited about it. The world is excited about I 252 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:24,720 Speaker 4: love me More. There's so many elements that I want 253 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:27,640 Speaker 4: to talk about. First of all, how when you're embarking 254 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:31,280 Speaker 4: on such a project like that do you first consider 255 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 4: the specific songs and then how do you then like 256 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:39,600 Speaker 4: work through who the collaborators are going to be. 257 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:46,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, Actually, for a pianist, picking the music is probably 258 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:49,960 Speaker 2: the hardest part, I think. I think there's so much 259 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:53,240 Speaker 2: amazing repersoire it's really hard to narrow it down to 260 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:55,720 Speaker 2: like fourteen to eighteen songs. Like if I could, I 261 00:14:55,720 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 2: would record a thousand song album probably, But what I 262 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 2: have to do is first pick songs that I love 263 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:08,520 Speaker 2: because it's going to be a lot of time orchestrating 264 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:13,320 Speaker 2: and arranging and writing around these themes. But also they 265 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:18,160 Speaker 2: have to work on piano. So when you transcribe something 266 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 2: that was original like Flowers for instance, Flowers was written 267 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:25,240 Speaker 2: for a vocal and when I was arranging it for 268 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:27,920 Speaker 2: solo piano. I wasn't sure if it was going to 269 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:31,240 Speaker 2: work because without you know, piano doesn't have the ability 270 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:34,320 Speaker 2: to do like portamento or any kind of slides or 271 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 2: vibrato like a string instrument. So first I have to 272 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:43,920 Speaker 2: figure out while choosing songs if it's gonna work sonically, 273 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 2: and then you know, it's a matter of just narrowing. 274 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 2: It's always like fifty sixty songs I start with and 275 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:54,400 Speaker 2: then narrowing them down to tell a story. I think 276 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:58,880 Speaker 2: instrumental music is so amazing because there are no words, 277 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:02,840 Speaker 2: so you can really craft a story and you can 278 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:08,720 Speaker 2: really be creative when when picking repertoire. Yeah, and I 279 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:12,080 Speaker 2: always I always want to I for this album in 280 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:15,000 Speaker 2: particular and my last Christmas album, I wanted to include 281 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:18,400 Speaker 2: different genres. So we have you know, modern pop songs, 282 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 2: we have rama, which was you know, from the seventeen hundreds, 283 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 2: and then we have original music. So all of that 284 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:28,160 Speaker 2: was really important to me to include all of the 285 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:30,840 Speaker 2: genres that matter to me. But the song was the 286 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:33,960 Speaker 2: album was actually supposed to be a Valentine's Day album, 287 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:37,359 Speaker 2: and as I was going through the songs, I realized 288 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:39,480 Speaker 2: I was like thinking about Oh, I was like, oh, 289 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:41,360 Speaker 2: I listened to this song when I was going through 290 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 2: a breakup, or oh, I would listen to this song, 291 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 2: you know, when I was feeling really down. And then 292 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:49,160 Speaker 2: I thought, what would be so much cooler and just 293 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 2: more impactful for me is to make the album about 294 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 2: loving yourself self love, because you really can't love somebody 295 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:59,040 Speaker 2: until you love yourself right, and the most important love 296 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:01,040 Speaker 2: you have is the love you have with yourself. So 297 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:06,560 Speaker 2: I chose songs that were empowering, but also songs that 298 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:10,120 Speaker 2: I listened to when I was feeling down, and then 299 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:13,040 Speaker 2: a couple songs I wrote when I was feeling really down. 300 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:17,800 Speaker 2: So that was how I created the track list for 301 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:19,119 Speaker 2: this particular album. 302 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:21,639 Speaker 3: We'll be right back with more of the Taken a 303 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:29,879 Speaker 3: Walk podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast. 304 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:33,960 Speaker 4: The folks that you end up collaborating with, is that 305 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 4: sort of a bit of a trial and error as well, 306 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:39,080 Speaker 4: that you're going to bring them on board with the 307 00:17:39,119 --> 00:17:42,040 Speaker 4: project or does that just happen organically? 308 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:42,760 Speaker 1: You know? 309 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 2: I think for features, I was very intentional about my features. 310 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:50,560 Speaker 2: The features on my album. They are such pros of 311 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:52,960 Speaker 2: pro so we have Babyface, we have Jojo, we have 312 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:57,560 Speaker 2: Nicol Schers and request Love. They all brought something very 313 00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:01,359 Speaker 2: specific to the song that they worked on with me 314 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:06,440 Speaker 2: and performed with me. And as I was choosing songs 315 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:09,760 Speaker 2: and writing the arrangements, I didn't necessarily think I was 316 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:11,520 Speaker 2: going to be able to have features because these are 317 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:13,760 Speaker 2: huge names. There's huge stars like I don't know if 318 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:17,159 Speaker 2: they have time to come record with me. So it 319 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 2: had to work both without the vocal and with as 320 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:22,760 Speaker 2: I was writing the arrangement. But then, you know, when 321 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 2: I when I was listening, I would think who would 322 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:29,920 Speaker 2: be good for this song and who would be you know, Babyface, 323 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:33,960 Speaker 2: And yesterday was like perfect, you know perfect? 324 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:36,159 Speaker 4: And I know that you have a history with with 325 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:40,720 Speaker 4: him obviously, right he he he helped start things for you, 326 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:41,880 Speaker 4: didn't he absolutely? 327 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:45,000 Speaker 2: And yeah, yeah, having that history with him allowed me 328 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:48,720 Speaker 2: to really understand his vocals, his range, how he what 329 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:51,760 Speaker 2: kind of songs mean me mean something to him, how 330 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:54,359 Speaker 2: his how he sings. And I was like, oh gosh, 331 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:58,119 Speaker 2: if he did yesterday like with that falsetto, you know, 332 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:00,840 Speaker 2: it will be so angelic and and my version is 333 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 2: much slower than the original. And Jojo, you know. I 334 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 2: was actually with her at the opening of Sunset Boulevard. 335 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:10,399 Speaker 2: We were there to see Nicole Scherzinger for her opening 336 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:13,760 Speaker 2: night and we were talking during intermission and I was like, 337 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:15,280 Speaker 2: you know, I'm doing the very thought of you and 338 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:17,960 Speaker 2: you could kill that. I was like, you could kill it. 339 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:20,080 Speaker 2: Even though it's an f I'm so sorry, it's two 340 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:23,440 Speaker 2: whole steps above your vocal range, but I still feel 341 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:27,439 Speaker 2: like you can kill this song. And so basically I 342 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,760 Speaker 2: had recorded the whole album as is, without any vocal features, 343 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:35,320 Speaker 2: without any without any confirmation that these features were going 344 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:38,120 Speaker 2: to happen. Except Babyface. Babyface I knew was going to happen. 345 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:40,800 Speaker 2: He came to London with me. But the rest I 346 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:46,040 Speaker 2: really had to be very intentional about asking and sending 347 00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:50,159 Speaker 2: the piece and making sure that I felt authentically that 348 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:51,679 Speaker 2: it was a perfect match. 349 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:55,879 Speaker 4: I mean, yesterday is just the beauty of it just 350 00:19:56,240 --> 00:20:00,160 Speaker 4: you know, brings you to tears and it's just it's 351 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:04,960 Speaker 4: just marvelous. How about being in Abbey Roads Studios and 352 00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:07,920 Speaker 4: working there, What did that mean to you? 353 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:10,720 Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, it was just such a dream come true. 354 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:14,200 Speaker 2: I'm a huge Beatles fan. I think the Beatles are 355 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:19,240 Speaker 2: like the You know, not only are they one of 356 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 2: the best groups in the world, a lot of their 357 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,600 Speaker 2: music has been inspired by classical music, and I think 358 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:29,400 Speaker 2: that is so beautiful, Like Hey Jude, is the same 359 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:33,560 Speaker 2: theme as a Bach harpsichord concerto, the Arioso, I think 360 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:40,160 Speaker 2: it's called. And I really respect musicians who appreciate classical 361 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:45,440 Speaker 2: music and incorporate that into their music, because when you're 362 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:48,760 Speaker 2: that big of a star, you're bringing classical music to 363 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:52,080 Speaker 2: so many other people. So Yesterday is actually also a 364 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:54,359 Speaker 2: little bit of its theme is based off of a 365 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:58,120 Speaker 2: piano sonata of brockmaninoff very obscure one that people don't 366 00:20:58,119 --> 00:21:03,440 Speaker 2: really know. But still it's very very beautiful. And yeah, 367 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:07,000 Speaker 2: so I was a huge fan, like from the from 368 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:12,439 Speaker 2: the Womb, and Yesterday was on my bucket list to 369 00:21:13,359 --> 00:21:17,399 Speaker 2: write and arrange because my mother and I listened to 370 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:20,280 Speaker 2: that song all the time when I was little. She 371 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:24,720 Speaker 2: actually used to have this VHS tape of a TV 372 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:27,679 Speaker 2: shown Korea called Yesterday shipped to us by her friend, 373 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:31,400 Speaker 2: and it played the theme song like all the whole 374 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:35,119 Speaker 2: way through the every episode, like in Korea, like Korean 375 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:38,480 Speaker 2: soap operas are like forty episodes per season, like maybe fifties, 376 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:41,000 Speaker 2: you have to hear it. I like listened to a 377 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:43,920 Speaker 2: lot of yesterday and it like, it was so cool 378 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:49,080 Speaker 2: to see this song in a Korean drama coming here 379 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 2: on like you know, on a VHS tape and me 380 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:54,479 Speaker 2: listening it to with my mother, who is you know, 381 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 2: an immigrant. It was this connection. So for me to 382 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:01,760 Speaker 2: record it at Abbey Road with the Royal Philharmonic in 383 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:04,160 Speaker 2: a place where Ringo star, in the same room where 384 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:06,359 Speaker 2: Ringo star did all his drums was just like it 385 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:09,520 Speaker 2: was just such an incredible experience. I feel so grateful. 386 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:14,040 Speaker 4: Do you ever just stop and think and go, okay, 387 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 4: going from mechanics Burg, Pennsylvania to Abbey Roads Studios, How 388 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:24,359 Speaker 4: did this happen? 389 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:27,600 Speaker 2: You know? I think maybe my Like you know, I 390 00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 2: always joke that my superpower isn't my talent, but it's luck, right, 391 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:37,520 Speaker 2: I think, And I'm very aware of the opportunity I've 392 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 2: been given and the luck that I've been given by 393 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:44,000 Speaker 2: the universe or God or whoever you want to call it. 394 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:47,520 Speaker 2: If I had not had access, I had parents who 395 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:51,120 Speaker 2: really supported the arts and made it a very conscious 396 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:54,480 Speaker 2: effort to give me Violin lessons and piano lessons and cello. 397 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:57,520 Speaker 2: I played cello for ten years as well, and I 398 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:01,200 Speaker 2: understand how lucky I am to have that, but luck 399 00:23:01,359 --> 00:23:02,960 Speaker 2: to you know, my piano teacher always said uck is 400 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:06,679 Speaker 2: when preparation meets opportunity. So I think being lucky and 401 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:09,920 Speaker 2: then also working hard and just never you know, never 402 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:12,439 Speaker 2: having a dream too small. You know, it was a 403 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:15,320 Speaker 2: crazy dream. Are there lots of mechanics and mechanics Burg. 404 00:23:15,320 --> 00:23:18,240 Speaker 2: Everyone in New York would ask me that, And you know, 405 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:22,040 Speaker 2: going from mechanics Burg to New York and then and 406 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:24,320 Speaker 2: then going to London. I mean, it's just such a 407 00:23:24,359 --> 00:23:27,200 Speaker 2: it's such a wh when I look back, I almost 408 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:30,919 Speaker 2: can't believe it, like I never expected it. But also 409 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:33,720 Speaker 2: I had big dreams and I didn't want to stay 410 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:38,200 Speaker 2: in the Mechanicsburg. I wanted to expose people to classical music. 411 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:40,840 Speaker 2: I wanted to have a career in music, and I 412 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:43,879 Speaker 2: told myself, like, I'm going to be open minded whatever 413 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:46,280 Speaker 2: it takes to have a career in classical music. I'm 414 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:47,879 Speaker 2: going to make sure that I work hard for that 415 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:52,600 Speaker 2: and seize every opportunity. So that was kind of my focus. 416 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:55,080 Speaker 2: But yeah, I could have never I didn't even think 417 00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:57,840 Speaker 2: I was gonna be at Abbey Road like three years ago. 418 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,320 Speaker 2: Three years ago, I was like, like, couldn't have imagined 419 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:04,240 Speaker 2: me going to abby Road and recording with the Royal Philharmonic. 420 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:05,120 Speaker 2: It was amazing. 421 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 4: So is it the sense of incredible gratitude that you 422 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 4: have that ultimately influences you and led you to being 423 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:22,840 Speaker 4: such an advocate for you know the issue of human 424 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:27,200 Speaker 4: trafficking being recognized and also you know music. 425 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:28,879 Speaker 1: Education as well. 426 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:32,720 Speaker 4: Is it that at its core that has driven you 427 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:33,720 Speaker 4: to have this purpose? 428 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:34,720 Speaker 3: Oh? 429 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:37,560 Speaker 2: Absolutely, I think that is the core. You nailed it. 430 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:42,399 Speaker 2: When I got involved in anti human trafficking, it was 431 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:45,480 Speaker 2: two thousand and six. I was in Cambodia kind of 432 00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:50,639 Speaker 2: on a vacation, and I considered myself well traveled. I 433 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:56,000 Speaker 2: considered myself, you know, reasonably intelligent. I watched the news 434 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:59,880 Speaker 2: and I knew nothing about human trafficking. I had no idea. 435 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:02,919 Speaker 2: Back then, it was only a one point five billion 436 00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:05,359 Speaker 2: dollar industry. Now it's like four hundred and fifty billion 437 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:09,639 Speaker 2: dollar year industry. But I had no idea, and I 438 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:14,679 Speaker 2: thought that was just horrible. And what I realized was 439 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:20,320 Speaker 2: that access to music education, like human trafficking, is largely 440 00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:24,280 Speaker 2: based on geography, and justice can never be based on geography. 441 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 2: And if I had been born in cm Reape who 442 00:25:29,359 --> 00:25:32,480 Speaker 2: I probably wouldn't be performing with Cardi B at the Grammys. 443 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:36,560 Speaker 2: I probably wouldn't have the same opportunity and education to music. 444 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:40,520 Speaker 2: But also I would be much more vulnerable to human trafficking. Right, So, 445 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:46,840 Speaker 2: I think having been given so much opportunity, having understanding 446 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:50,240 Speaker 2: how lucky I am has definitely made me feel like 447 00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:55,000 Speaker 2: I had. My purpose is to advocate for music education 448 00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:57,320 Speaker 2: so that everybody has access, because I really do believe 449 00:25:57,359 --> 00:25:59,960 Speaker 2: that music education is a tool of prevention against human 450 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 2: trafficking because when you look at human trafficking as a whole, 451 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:08,360 Speaker 2: what are the root causes of human trafficking Poverty, lack 452 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:11,320 Speaker 2: of identity, lack of self worth and self esteem, lack 453 00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:13,800 Speaker 2: of community. And then when you look at what music 454 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:18,600 Speaker 2: education programs can do for a community, they provide self worth, identity, 455 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:23,720 Speaker 2: connection to your community, and they kind of overcome material 456 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:25,600 Speaker 2: poverty in a way because all of a sudden you 457 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:30,880 Speaker 2: have this worth is self worth. And so I made 458 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:34,560 Speaker 2: that discovery back in twenty ten, and when I was 459 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:36,679 Speaker 2: writing a speech at the un it just occurred to 460 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:38,600 Speaker 2: me at this like light bulb moment when I was like, 461 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:41,320 Speaker 2: how am I going to talk about music education and 462 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:45,800 Speaker 2: human trafficking in one speech? And so then that really 463 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:49,520 Speaker 2: was I was able to really hone in on this 464 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:52,480 Speaker 2: music education and show people like, really, this is very important. 465 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:54,960 Speaker 2: Even though it's not a tangible thing that you can touch, 466 00:26:55,440 --> 00:26:57,960 Speaker 2: the benefits of having a music program in a school 467 00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:00,920 Speaker 2: and a community are one of them powerful tools we 468 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,280 Speaker 2: have to create a better society. So that became my purpose, 469 00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:08,240 Speaker 2: and I think the only way for me to enjoy 470 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:10,920 Speaker 2: life and live a long, happy life is to have purpose. 471 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:13,560 Speaker 2: Though that was important to me, and. 472 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:17,920 Speaker 4: But I also bringing you know, back to the beginning, 473 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:23,479 Speaker 4: bringing classical music more upfront to people, and you know, 474 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:27,919 Speaker 4: intertwining it brilliantly with pop music and all other genres, 475 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:30,000 Speaker 4: making it more accessible to people. 476 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 2: The goal is to show people who don't necessarily have 477 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:40,720 Speaker 2: access that this art form is valuable and it's relevant 478 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,399 Speaker 2: and all of us can benefit from it. It's like 479 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:45,080 Speaker 2: push ups for your brain, you know. I say to 480 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:48,399 Speaker 2: adults all the time who are telling me, oh I 481 00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:50,399 Speaker 2: wish I never quit piano, or oh I wish I 482 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:53,800 Speaker 2: learned piano I'm like, it's not really like too late 483 00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:54,200 Speaker 2: at all. 484 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:54,560 Speaker 3: You know. 485 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:57,280 Speaker 2: It's like, would you tell an athlete like, oh I 486 00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:00,639 Speaker 2: wish you know, I don't exercise because I'm not going 487 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:03,000 Speaker 2: to become a professional athlete. It's a why exercise, right, 488 00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:05,760 Speaker 2: It's the same thing. It's like, it's exercise for your brain, 489 00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:07,880 Speaker 2: it's exercise for your soul. It's something that I think 490 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:11,159 Speaker 2: we should all be participating in at least once a week. 491 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:12,240 Speaker 1: Well. 492 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:14,680 Speaker 4: Enclosing, I think I know the answer to this question 493 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:16,879 Speaker 4: because you touched on this earlier, but I do have 494 00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:22,480 Speaker 4: to ask you. I produce this other podcast and it's 495 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,919 Speaker 4: called Music Save Me, and it's about the healing power 496 00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:32,879 Speaker 4: of music on so many different levels. So do you believe, 497 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:36,040 Speaker 4: Chloe that music has healing power? 498 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:37,000 Speaker 1: Oh? 499 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:41,040 Speaker 2: Absolutely. I mean if you're feeling really down and you 500 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:44,880 Speaker 2: listen to your favorite song ever, like, you're not going 501 00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:47,480 Speaker 2: to feel worse after, right, You're probably going to feel better. 502 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:49,840 Speaker 2: If you know, you might even have goosebumps, you might 503 00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 2: even feel happier. And that's why they do all these 504 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:55,280 Speaker 2: studies about listening to music while you exercise can be motivating. 505 00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:59,160 Speaker 2: So definitely, I think I think music has this amazing 506 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:03,600 Speaker 2: ability to to heal, whether you're playing or just listening. 507 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:06,600 Speaker 2: And I when I was I don't think anybody knows 508 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:08,360 Speaker 2: this story. In fact, you're probably going to be the 509 00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:09,959 Speaker 2: first person to hear the story. But when I was 510 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:13,360 Speaker 2: twelve years old, one of my best friends was coming 511 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:17,200 Speaker 2: to visit me for my birthday and she and her 512 00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:19,960 Speaker 2: boyfriend were her like not her boyfriend, but like because 513 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:23,000 Speaker 2: we were like twelve, but like, you know, her little 514 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:27,800 Speaker 2: boyfriend friend. They were hit by a train and killed. 515 00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:31,760 Speaker 2: And I remember her sister called me and was like, Melissa, 516 00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:35,280 Speaker 2: can't come to your birthday. She died in a train accident. 517 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:38,960 Speaker 2: And it was so traumatizing, like for me, and I 518 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:41,440 Speaker 2: immediately went to the piano and just played chopin for 519 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:46,440 Speaker 2: like five days straight, very emotional chopin pieces right, and 520 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:50,480 Speaker 2: that really got me through like a very traumatic experience 521 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:53,320 Speaker 2: instead of like doing something negative, you know, I put 522 00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:56,400 Speaker 2: all of that emotion into music. And I always wished 523 00:29:56,480 --> 00:30:00,480 Speaker 2: that other people could have that opportunity to be able 524 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:04,040 Speaker 2: to channel their emotions, whether they're good or bad, into music. 525 00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:06,960 Speaker 2: And that's why I think music therapy is so important, 526 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:12,400 Speaker 2: especially especially in healing and in hospitals, in therapy centers 527 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:15,520 Speaker 2: and just in your home. So yes, sorry that was 528 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:16,160 Speaker 2: a long answer. 529 00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:20,640 Speaker 1: No, sorry whatsoever. Chloe. 530 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:24,920 Speaker 4: I feel like, even though you've been at it for decades, 531 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:30,160 Speaker 4: that you're just beginning. I know this, This this incredible adventure, 532 00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:33,840 Speaker 4: and I'm so grateful that you took the time to 533 00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:39,160 Speaker 4: be on Taking a Walk. Congratulations on the new album 534 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:41,280 Speaker 4: I Love Me More and. 535 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:44,080 Speaker 1: It's it's sensational. Your work is amazing. 536 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:48,360 Speaker 4: I can't wait to continue to see your your star 537 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:53,240 Speaker 4: rise even more. And I hope someday you'll come back 538 00:30:53,280 --> 00:30:55,920 Speaker 4: and say hi and we can we can catch. 539 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:58,080 Speaker 2: Up wise and hopefully in person next time. 540 00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:00,000 Speaker 1: That would be That would be wonderful. 541 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 2: Yes, thank you so much for having me, and thank 542 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:04,080 Speaker 2: you for all of the work that you do on 543 00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:08,000 Speaker 2: your podcast and the other one. It's really amazing. So 544 00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:09,040 Speaker 2: thank you for having. 545 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:11,440 Speaker 1: Me, Chloe Flower. Thanks for being on Taking a Walk. 546 00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:15,320 Speaker 3: Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a 547 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:19,240 Speaker 3: Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends 548 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:22,800 Speaker 3: and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking 549 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:26,760 Speaker 3: a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 550 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 3: and wherever you get your podcasts.