{"id":5649,"date":"2023-07-24T07:50:10","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T07:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/?p=5649"},"modified":"2023-07-24T16:32:39","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T16:32:39","slug":"blog-interview-christina-chong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/2023\/07\/24\/blog-interview-christina-chong\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog interview: Christina Chong"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/14.tif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5650\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: No Blame\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/75OCqikwYnII0WQqJck69e?si=KhfEY793SryEVu8arez6rA&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/17.tif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5653\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><strong>Congratulations on the release of \u201cNo Blame\u201d how does it feel?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><i>It feels quite surreal actually. I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s fully landed with me that it\u2019s materialised. Less than a year ago it was just a thought in my head, and now it\u2019s out there.<span class=\"gmail-Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><strong>What\u2019s the story behind the song?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p4\"><i>The song is about coming to terms with a break up with someone I consider to be my \u2018twin flame\u2019. It was an amazing relationship but for reasons that I won\u2019t go in to right now, we could no longer be together. The sad thing is, there was no wrong doing, no one was to blame &#8211; hence the title and meaning behind the song.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><strong>You worked with NUUXS, Jake Gosling and Matt Brettling on this what was your favourite part of the process?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><i>To be completely honest the whole thing. I was absolutely in my element. As an ex-dancer, I loved seeing the vibe of the song come to life and I\u2019m still blown away by how you can go into the studio at 12pm with nothing, and walk out at 6pm with a virtually completed song.<span class=\"gmail-Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><strong>You\u2019re a singer songwriter with quite a background how did it all begin?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><i>I started dance class at the age of 4 and went to performing arts school as a teen (Italia Conti), where you take vocational classes alongside the academic curriculum. The original dream was to play leads in musicals in the West End, but when I realised how long it would take me to work my way up the ladder I decided I\u2019d try and fast track myself, by building a profile through TV and Film. It\u2019s only after booking my current show, that it felt like now might be the time to go back to my musical roots. I\u2019d also quietly said to myself that I would one day put out a single, and I guess I\u2019ve already surpassed that so anything from here on in is a huge bonus. The only thing that would make it perfect, is tif I get to play the lead in something like Chicago, on Broadway.<span class=\"gmail-Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><strong>What did you listen to growing up?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><i>A lot of 70s disco, Whitney Houston, Kylie, Madonna, Michael Jackson. At Italia Conti you\u2019re exposed to a huge array of musical genres so I studied classical music, different musical theatre styles, Motown and in general music through the ages.<span class=\"gmail-Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><strong>You studied at Italia Conti, what was that like?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><i>I was there for five years and it was some of the best times of my life. The school really prepares you for what it\u2019s like in the real world, so I wasn\u2019t phased one bit when I landed my first musical theatre gig. Our academic classes were very small so we still had a high standard of education. Going from maths, to ballet, to singing, to acting, was kinda living the dream.<span class=\"gmail-Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><strong>You\u2019re also an actress, currently in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds\u2026. How\u2019s that experience been working on such a huge franchise?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><i>As I\u2019m sure most people are aware, SAG-AFTRA are currently on strike, as are the WGA. Until there is a fair deal negotiated for all, I won\u2019t be talking about my work as an actress.<span class=\"gmail-Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><strong>COVID impacted the creative industry in a big way what kept you motivated?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p4\"><i>I had one of the best experiences during covid. A TV show I had been writing got optioned by a great production company in the UK, so I used it as an opportunity to learn and continue to create. It was also really nice to just fully relax. Being self-employed is like being a racehorse in the starting stalls, you\u2019ve got to be ready to go at any second!<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><strong>The last few years have been a time to reflect what did you learn about yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><i>The best creation comes from love. If you do things for the love of it, without expectations, that\u2019s when you get the best results. That\u2019s how I met Jake, and how my whole \u2018Twin Flames\u2019 EP came about.<span class=\"gmail-Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><strong>Did you pick up any new skills?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><i>Being a dog mum! I got my little Runa Ewok during the pandemic and learned how to care for her to the best of my ability. A huge part of my life is making sure she\u2019s safe, healthy and happy as Larry.<span class=\"gmail-Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><strong>If you could give<\/strong><strong> yourself pre pandemic one piece of advice what would it be?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><i>Everything you dreamed of as a kid will come true. Just be, enjoy, and let the universe take care of the rest.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><strong>What are you listening to at the moment?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><i>I\u2019m really into an artist called Grae. She\u2019s Canadian, from Toronto. Very smooth silky sounds and I love her vibe and lyrics.<span class=\"gmail-Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p2\"><strong>What are you looking forward to next?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"gmail-p4\"><i>I\u2019m looking forward to continuing to let life lead me. I\u2019m looking forward to the AMPTP offering us a serious and fair deal, so we can all go back to work, and I\u2019m excited to see where my music will take me. Maybe an album is next up?<\/i><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/2023\/07\/09\/single-review-no-blame-christina-chong\/\">Check out my review of &#8220;No Blame&#8221; here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Congratulations on the release of \u201cNo Blame\u201d how does it feel?&nbsp; It feels quite surreal actually. I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s fully landed with me that it\u2019s materialised. Less than a year ago it was just a thought in my head, and now it\u2019s out there.&nbsp; What\u2019s the story behind the song?&nbsp; The song is about &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[299,174,98,132,30,76,180,149,142,73,150,300,162,126],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actress","category-electronica","category-film","category-lyricist","category-music","category-music-industry","category-pop","category-pop-music","category-producer","category-singer-songwriter","category-songwriter","category-theatre","category-uk","category-vocals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5649"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5649\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5656,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5649\/revisions\/5656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}