Roam… it wasn’t built in a day!
Born in China and raised in Olympia, Washington, singer/songwriter Lijie has definitely seen the world. After graduating college and pursuing a career in finance she realized that, although lucrative, she wasn’t exactly doing something she loved. So, lucky for us, she packed up and moved to LA, where she penned the tracks for her appropriately title debut album Roam.
Roam is packed with Lijie’s poetic and engaging lyrics, but it’s the sincerity in her voice that hooks you. After listening to it a few dozen times, we just had to find out what it is that makes this talented woman tick, and why she ended up choosing a musical path.
BTR: When did you start getting into music? Being born in China, does your cultural background play a part in your music?
Lijie: I’ve always felt that music was in my blood. My mother loves to sing, and both of my grandmothers were vocalists as well. I know my cultural background plays a very large part in my music, though it is not completely clear to me how it weaves in and out of the writing process. I sometimes write about my “crazy Asian family.”
BTR: What is the song writing process like for you?
Lijie: Hmm. This is one of the most common questions that I get asked, and I should have a better answer. But my mind is a smorgasbord of words/lyrics. Some songs come very quickly and with ease (like “Roam” and “Lately”). Other songs take much longer to finish, and are constantly being re-written and edited.
BTR: The song “Roam” is very powerful, and the title track of your album. Can you tell us where you were, either mentally or physically, when writing the track?
Lijie: I have often felt like I am constantly on the go; roaming so to speak. Let me clarify. I was born in China and lived between my mother’s side of the family and my father’s. We moved to the US when I was very young, lived in California for a few months, then moved to Oregon for a few years, then to Washington where I went to five different schools. I won’t even tell you how many times I’ve moved since college. The song “Roam” was written during a time when I was constantly changing jobs, and taking out my internal conflicts out on myself and the people around me. Very unhealthy, I know.
The album Roam is an extension of who I am as a person, good/bad and everything in between. I titled the album Roam because that is the story of my life (and I really like the word).
Does that answer the question? I know I sometimes tend to get a little side-tracked. I would make a terrible politician!
Want to know more? CLICK HERE to continue reading BreakThru Radio’s interview with Lijie!
PHOTO BY JESSICA HORWITZ
