“[Being married] is really challenging me to go even deeper.” — Priscilla Ahn
ISSUE: Summer 2011
DEPT: Personalities
STORY: Jimmy Lee
Priscilla Ahn finds her happy place — and new songwriting fodder — in her latest album When You Grow Up.
Laurel Canyon is where the likes of Jim Morrison, Carole King and Joni Mitchell once lived, giving birth to songs that would fuel the 1960s and ’70s counterculture, and creating music that would help define the singer-songwriter. This seminal Los Angeles neighborhood is now the place Priscilla Ahn calls home, and being surrounded by that illustrious musical history is a source of inspiration for this chanteuse with the beguilingly breathy delivery. But there’s something amidst Laurel’s leafy confines that’s mucking up this American idyll for Ahn: her husband.
With the “happy place” she’s discovered with actor Michael Weston comes a different, albeit not unpleasant, set of problems. “Before, I always felt a little lost … not knowing my place,” says Ahn, who grew up in rural Pennsylvania with her Korean mother. “When I established that with my husband a couple of years ago, it actually became harder to write songs.”
Now she has a larger pool of experiences to draw upon when penning her compositions, more than just the “sad emotions” and the times “when I was feeling alone” she often turned to in the past. Ahn, who wed last year, says, “[Being married] is really challenging me to go even deeper.”
She’s struck a reserve of riches with her new album, When You Grow Up, as she explores multiple facets of folk music over its 12 tunes. Throughout her sophomore effort (released again on the iconic Blue Note label), Ahn’s bliss is pervasive. There’s even hope after a crushing break-up on “I Don’t Have Time To Be In Love.” (Alas, for the guys who so easily fall under the charm of Ahn’s disarming on-stage persona, the breakup that song is based on is not hers — it’s that of co-writer Charlie Wadhams.)
Ahn describes herself as a “homebody,” perfectly content to spend a Saturday night in Laurel Canyon, cooking, watching a movie, or following her blogs. “Mostly [the blogs] are about flowers, fashion, cooking and crafts. Those are the four things I’m really into; they inspire me so much,” says Ahn.
Then there’s her husband, who she’ll hang out with at a local Korean spa. And for the man who prepared Korean seaweed soup on the occasion of her birthday, she’s inspired to write lyrics like these: “You were my one and only/The only one I ever learned to love.”
— Jimmy Lee
More stories from Audrey Magazine’s Archives here.
Rachael Yamagata, the powerfully raw voice behind songs like “Be Be Your Love” and “The Reason Why” is back with a new collection of tracks in her indie-produced album, Chesapeake.
Chesapeake charms with the edgy “Starlight” captivating our ears and “Even If I Don’t” lifting our hearts (despite the somber message). Here are some facts you may not know about our favorite no-pain-no-gain songbird.
Sigh…seems like fashion designers are not the only people Forever 21 is stealing from.
Singer-songwriter David Choi was surprised to find lyrics from his song, “That Girl,” embossed on a Forever 21 tee-shirt.
“I’m disappointed that Forever 21 [because I felt] like they didn’t have to ask permission to use my lyrics in their commercial product, but I’m also flattered at the same time,” the Youtube star told Audrey Magazine.
Well, those are good lyrics. Check out the music video for “That Girl” below and see if you can spot the stolen words.
Forever 21, when will you stop?! We also wonder, how does hearing about these copyright issues affect your impression of the fast fashion mega-brand? Let us know below!
We all know Asian Americans have musical talent. Have you heard Joseph Vincent croon a tune or Clara C bang on her tambourine? It must have been ingrained into us since the days of yore when our parents forced piano lessons down our throats gently encouraged us to play piano.
Are you tired of seeing Asian American musical talent being limited to the bounds of YouTube.com? Are you an aspiring solo singer or member of a vocal group that has always dreamed of making it big-time? Well, wait no longer! Here, at Audrey Magazine, we’re absolutely teeming with excitement to present to you a once in a lifetime opportunity. THE X FACTOR, the highly anticipated show produced by Simon Cowell that is debuting on FOX this fall, will be holding auditions in major cities around the country. You or your vocal group could be the recipient of an extraordinary $5 million dollar recording contract with Syco/Song Music and on your way to global stardom hood.
“When I graduated, all the music in my life came to a halt, and that’s when I realized I couldn’t live without it.” – Heather Park
ISSUE: Winter 2010
DEPT: Personalities
STORY: Anna M. Park
Soul Barer
It’s just a girl, a sheet and a camera.
That’s Heather “Ah” Park’s video for her lead single, “Trust You,” off her latest album Stay.
“It’s about waking up at your love’s apartment after a night of debauchery, and picking up your things and leaving,” explains Park. “The song is really about knowing you should leave this person, but simply being incapable of prying yourself away from him.”
“I don’t have to work in the summer.”
-Joseph Vincent (when he found out he won a million dollars on The Ellen Show)
ISSUE: Winter 2010
DEPT: Personalities
STORY: Janice Jann
On The Rise
Photo courtesy of Carmen Chan | www.carmen-chan.com
When Joseph Vincent first performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, he was nervous. If you watch the Youtube clip of the episode, you can see Vincent stepping onstage, his brown eyes scanning the audience in wide-eyed wonder, as if he can’t believe this is all happening. For a guy who regularly sings in front of more than 90,776 viewers, it may be surprising that he’s not used to that kind of attention. But it’s probably because those audience members are usually watching him on a computer screen.
Vincent may have risen to fame in 2007 when he started posting videos of his acoustic versions of Top 40’s on the video-sharing site, but the crooner prefers live performances. “[When] people see me on Youtube, I sing, boom, it’s done,” he says. “Onstage, they see me talk and say, ‘oh, I didn’t realize you were so funny or quirky.’ I get to be random.”
Vincent won DeGeneres’ heart (and $10,000 from her online talent competition) last summer and has since been signed with Plan C Management. The Filipino American singer is currently working on nailing down his sound. He counts Jason Mraz as a major inspiration. “That guy is just insane live. I hope to be on that level someday,” he says.
The level that Vincent is on is already impressive considering the 21-year-old only started playing the guitar when he was 15 and has never taken a singing or guitar lesson in his life. And it’s not likely that he’ll use his winnings to start either. When he learned that he had won the competition, his first reaction was, “I don’t have to work in the summer.”
Ironically, with a new CD in the works and gigs lined up across the country, it seems like Vincent will be working plenty in the new year. — Janice Jann
More stories from Audrey Magazine’s Archives here.
Darren Criss’ fantastic introduction to Glee as the confident male prep school student who will eventually be Kurt’s love interest performing Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” had us squealing like teenage girls. Those silky vocal cords! That smirky stare!
We just found out Criss is Filipino! (His mother, from Cebu, is of Filipino and Spanish descent)
Criss recently landed the cover of Da Man’s February/March issue and had this to say about his Asian heritage: “Any person in the position I’m in I hope would know that having a distinct heritage like being Filipino is a tremendous blessing in a global market.”
Someone who can sing like that and is proud of his Asian heritage? Love it!
Also loving him in this and this:
Too cute. Darren Criss, you make us smile with glee. 
… And end gush session.
Joseph Vincent, 21, has been on our radar ever since the baby-faced crooner took the stage on “The Ellen Show” in an Ellen’s Wonderful Web of Wonderment competition. After battling with other young Youtube wonders for a month-long competition, Vincent was invited back a second time on the Emmy-winning daytime show and awarded a surprise $10,000 even though another contestant, 12-year old Greyson Chance, had already won the competition.
Talent aside, we wanted to get to know this Filipino music artist a little better. He’ll be featured in the Personalities section of the Winter 2010-11 issue of Audrey, but here’s a couple of Joseph Vincent facts to tide you over until the issue comes out early December. (Subscribe here.)
Joseph Vincent…
Started to play guitar to get the girls.
When I was 15, in Spanish class, this high school heartthrob who was a year older than me, went up in class with a guitar and started singing. I was like, that’s pretty cool. I want to do that.
Likes the fact that he’s never had taken a singing or guitar lesson ever in his life.
I think (taking lessons) would kill it. When I go in for recording sessions, producers usually are great musicians and I just pick it up from them. It’s a really good learning experience.
Curses. A lot.
I don’t really feel nervous posting up the videos. Except for this next one I’m about to post. It’s the f-u song with the cuss words by Ceelo. We put tracking and it sounds really nice but it might not be appropriate for a lot of the younger audiences. Especially after Ellen, people think you’re a sweet boy you shouldn’t tarnish your reputation. I do like it. I do curse but I don’t like to put it too much in my music. I think it’s a good song and the message is really funny. We decided to censor it though. It had too many curse words.
Is a Public Health Policy major at UC Irvine.
I also worked at a company that worked with autistic kids. I would probably go into that if music didn’t work out. Or nursing.
Didn’t get star-struck when he met Ellen (maybe a little)…
When I met Ellen, yea, it’s cool but if you keep the mentality that they’re just another person. And she is so cool despite her status or what not. Yea, she is so cool.
…But he did get star-struck when he saw Kobe.
I saw him at the Bluffs in Irvine. And I ran up to him with a sharpie and a hat. He was with his kids. I was like, “Kobe can you sign my hat?” And he was like, “uh it’s kind of hard right now.” So I said, okay! And I walked away. I was more nervous to talk to him than my first show. My heart was like, dum dum dum dum. I’ve never felt that before. Kobe’s so cool.
Is not the owner of the messy bed in his videos.
I do my videos and (my fans) keep complaining about my bed but it’s not my bed, it’s my roommates’ bed. They complain ‘cause it’s messy. My side is messier but I put his on camera. He hates it.
Can pass for being 14.
There were three other contestants in the segment and they were all 12 years old so I was looking at the pictures, 12… 12… 12… 20 year old! They were like, look at that old guy and a bunch of kids. But the funny thing was, after the second time, after I got out, people were like, you’re really good for being 14! I was like, I’m actually, um, 20. They thought I was really young.
Can’t touch the $10,000 he won on Ellen.
I put it in an account and I can’t touch it for 9 months. It’s a great idea. I didn’t want to touch it. If I were to touch it, it would be bad. I’d buy a house. (imitating father) No son, you can’t buy a house with that. What am I going to do with the money? Not sure. Live off of it? I bought a Mac though.
Photo credits to Carmen Chan.
Stepping out with a Youtube star can be a scary thing. I had the chance to venture out with Youtube sensation Joseph Vincent and experience first-hand what life can be like when over 95,000 people subscribe to your Youtube channel.
We were checking out the Bruno Mars concert at The Grove in Los Angeles, CA. Mars killed it onstage, leaving the crowd pumped and excited from the free show.
Once the concert was over, a fan leaked it out that Joseph Vincent was in the audience. One “can I take a picture with you” led to another and soon, there was a swarm over the 21-years old singer. Vincent himself was surprised with all the brou-ha-ha. “Uh, Bruno Mars went that way, I think,” he pointed out. But nope, these girls wanted to take a picture with Joseph Vincent, not Bruno Mars.
The recognition didn’t end. Cameras were flashing everywhere and Vincent was getting stopped left and right. It got so bad that mall security had to escort us inside the AMC movie theater just so the crowd would dissipate.
How does Vincent handle all the attention?
“Oh, it’s fun. I love it. And none of the people are too aggressive so it’s cool. But yea, they’re really cute and nervous. They say, “I’ve seen you on Youtube, can I take a picture with you?” At first, I didn’t know how to act but now I’m more used to it.”
Judging from the singer’s busy schedule, from his B Here tour through some of America’s finest colleges to an upcoming album in the works, it looks like the fan recognition in public places is just going to get bigger.
No matter what, the singer will still take time out to take pictures with his good friends though. (Here with his college buddies.)
Can’t get enough of Joseph Vincent? Check him out in the pages of Audrey Magazine’s winter issue hitting the stands early December. Subscribe to Audrey here.
Photos courtesy of Carmen Chan.
When Bruno Mars held a special free concert at The Grove in LA on Friday, he made hundreds of young girls and boy swoon with his romantic medley, “Just The Way You Are.” We were totally impressed by Mars, whose real name is Peter Fernandez’ charm and charisma onstage. Watch it here:
Mars was promoting his debut album, “Doo-Wops & Hooligans” set to be released on October 5th. The title is both representative of the soft lovey dovey side the artist likes to sing about as well as his more rebellious persona. “I’m, you know, a little bit of a gangster.” Mars told KIIS FM’s Ryan Seacrest Friday morning.
The gangster side definitely came out a little when we found out via KoreAm that was arrested this weekend in Las Vegas on cocaine charges.
The 23-year-old singer, who rose to mainstream fame after singing on the Travie McCoy hit, “Billionaire,” was found with 2.6 grams of cocaine at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
According to an arrest report, a bathroom attendant alerted a security guard after seeing Mars enter a bathroom stall with a bag of white powder.
Police tested the powder and concluded it was cocaine. The report also stated the singer admitted doing a foolish thing and said he had never used drugs before.
Mars was released without bail on Sunday, and has not yet commented on the issue to the public.
