Getting Candid with Chloe Tang [INTERVIEW]
We’re reporting from South By Southwest Music Fest in Austin, Texas. We sat down for an interview with Chloe Tang, along with 2 other performing artists: Bones and Jones, and Lulú. You can listen to interviews with all of these artists on Name 3 Songs podcast and see the full transcribed interview with Chloe Tang below.
Chloe Tang is an alternative pop and R&B artist based between Los Angeles and Arizona who makes anthems for the baddie in all of us. We talk to Chloe about making a name for herself as an independent artist, owning her sexuality, and the importance of celebrating her Chinese heritage.
Name 3 Songs: So today we are here at South by Southwest. We are talking to Chloe Tang. Chloe, how are you?
Chloe Tang: I’m great. How are you doing?
We’re very tired, but getting through the week. I saw you posted on TikTok that you’ve had quite the journey to get to South by Southwest. You were supposed to come in2020, but COVID happened and the festival got canceled. I saw that you tried to come in 2023 as an unofficial artist. Your flight got turned around. Now you’re here as an official artist. How do you feel?
Really good. Like this really has been the weirdest journey. South By has been on my radar since I’ve known about it years and years and years, even before I was really performing as an artist, professionally. And so it’s been really almost comical looking back now. But at the time I was like, are you serious? I really do believe in the universe, you know, it’s time or it’s not time. Actually in 2020, I remember I got the news and I was in Disneyland. And I saw the article though, it wasn’t a personal email or anything. It was an article and they’re like South by Southwest fully canceled. And I was like, oh, okay. That’s kind of a bummer. But I didn’t know that the pandemic was coming. So I was like, it’s fine. I’ll go next year. Yeah. And then obviously that didn’t happen.
No one knew what was happening. Because I’m based here in Austin, it was definitely a wild time being on the ground here when all that went down! Speaking about SXSW, it’s known for bringing artists from all around the world. And it’s really a time to see up and coming talent. So for you, what was it that first intrigued you about coming to South by?
I went to music school in Denver, I went to CU Denver for songwriting, and I got my bachelor’s degree there and obviously being in that community you are becoming way more familiar with the conferences and all these things. So there were a couple people in my program that were talking about it and were coming and doing showcases and stuff like that. And I was like, oh, that’s cool. I don’t know a ton about it, but then over the years, the more and more artists that I would meet were doing it. And I was like, okay, this looks really fun. I really want to do this so, I would just apply. And then 2020 I was like, okay great amazing and then okay, maybe not amazing but we’re back to amazing so I feel like as a music fan also it’s like knowing about South by for years and being like, okay, at some point I’ll make it there.
Exactly! It’s really cool because I feel like when you’re walking around, no matter how big of a deal somebody is in their home country, everybody came here for the same reason. So the playing field is really even. Everybody’s so interested in getting to know each other and connecting. So what has your experience been, getting to connect with these people and meeting new people that are in the same boat as you?
It’s really cool. It’s very, very refreshing. I’d been in LA for five years and LA is just its own bubble. And then you get used to that culture and accepting that there are kind of tiers, unfortunately, there’s these unspoken systems put in place. It can be a little bit political in some ways. And, it does feel really good to be here and just be like, okay, yeah, we’re all here. We all have our things that we’re doing. And the fact that we’re all here in the first place just to make the effort to come here is amazing. And I think that’s what matters most anyway. So it just feels really nice. And, you know, we’re going to these showcases and even these huge artists like Flo Milli, which we saw last night, usually she would be selling out like huge venues and we saw her in a more intimate setting and it was so cool. I’m like this girl has like 21 million monthly listeners on Spotify and I’m seeing her so like up close, it’s like so crazy. So yeah, it does feel good to kind of have that and feel like it’s within reach.
You’re also performing at Jaded: FRIENDS FOREVER showcase tonight and Jaded really highlights Asian and Asian American talent. So what does it mean for you to be able to perform among so many incredible Asian artists?
It’s incredible I feel like this is definitely one of the first times where I’m like Oh, I think I might actually be in this, which is really cool because it’s always been a goal of mine to be like a leader in this community and a representative of my community. So there have been other smaller features that I’ve gotten where I am amongst these people, maybe in an article or in some sort of more like blog or online feature, but this is the first time it’s a live show where we’re all here in the same place. Like, even last night when we saw REI AMI and I was like, wow, she’s really right here, this is so crazy. Somebody that I look up to personally and same with Thuy, like they’re really just right here and I could easily connect with them and be friends with them in person. So it’s yeah, no, incredible.
That’s so awesome. It is really cool how there are so many showcases that have specific groups, whether it be from a country or a racial background, because it’s having that community aspect, which again, feels like the background of what this festival is. So doing it to this next level where you can all connect. And so have you had any opportunities to meet these people and be like, oh, maybe we could work together?
Yeah. Not quite. But I feel like tonight will kind of be that for me. Especially since last night I was attending and we were with a couple of friends just chilling. And I have run into quite a few people that I know personally, or kind of know through other people, through LA or whatever it is, in the AAPI community and just saying hi, reconnecting and stuff like that. But as far as like the new connections, I’m hoping tonight is gonna be a little more for that.
So getting into your music, you put out an album in 2021 and currently you’ve been releasing singles. Do you feel like there’s a difference in your storytelling when it comes to releasing singles versus a full body of work?
Yeah, I do. It’s, I think the body of work has been very hard for me because as an independent artist, logistically it’s so hard to put out a body of work. You need funding, you need so much support and you need guaranteed people who are gonna be on your side backing you up that whole time. Whereas singles are such a short game. I distributed my last like three singles through DistroKid, which I had never done before. I was always with a distributor and I always had a rep at those distributors, as a safety net, but now I’m really exploring the independent space where I literally just uploaded this myself.
I am just doing every single thing that I can myself with the people that I have around me. And it’s really cool to be able to have those snippets of storytelling. And then I do feel like once I have that support and the funding, whenever that time may come, it is going to be such a level up in a way of what you’re saying with the storytelling. Where I’m going to be able to actually have a full arc versus just these little snippets. But for now, I’m totally happy with just giving people a little piece of me and just seeing what kind of lands. And I’m just fully embracing the growth and experimental phase. So I think I’m going to enjoy it just as much when I have the opportunity to do an album.
Do you think that the streaming model and TikTok has been helpful in a sense for somebody like you, who is independently doing something? Because people are so focused on singles now, that having albums feels like a little treat instead of anything else. Do you feel like you’re at some sort of an advantage now because we’re in streaming rather than a more album focused time?
Honestly, it’s so hard to say. I have truly adjusted so much to this because really, I knew that I wanted to be a musician and an artist from such an early age when things were really different. And I had actually had knowledge of the music industry from a young age weirdly. So… I kind of had these expectations because I had people who I looked up to, like their careers, and releases kind of happened more, organically in the sense of the way that things used to be. And so I had these expectations and hopes and then things really shifted and I had to shift my own views and expectations. And now, you know, I’m 28 years old and at the young age that I was because of how early I started making music, I was like, oh, maybe by the age of 20, I’ll be doing all this stuff. And so now because of the saturation or whatever it is, things just kind of happened the way they did and progressed the way they did through social media. And so there are definitely times where I’m like, okay, I wonder what it would have been like if we didn’t have this because I do kind of feel like I had a certain path that I was going on and then it just skirted.
I think it’s interesting because it’s like social is the double -edged sword of there’s so many benefits of it and then so many just things that are different, right? But I feel like platforms like TikTok have allowed a lot more independent artists to reach an audience without them having to be a radio pop star. And just the barrier to entry, like you were talking about Distro Kid, to be able to do your own music, suddenly you don’t have to have all this backing in order to just be an artist, right?
Definitely, yeah. So it’s the double -edged sword of it all. For sure, yeah. I love TikTok and it’s the first thing… like if people ask come to me asking for advice, I’ll always be like, yes, utilize TikTok, even though like, I’m such a hypocrite. I love using social media, it’s a love hate thing. But it’s like very hard to stay consistent and do the whole thing.
I mean, almost every artist we’ve spoken to has such like a love hate relationship with social media and specifically TikTok because I think there’s such like a view of like what a TikToker is compared to like how people use Twitter or Instagram or any other social media before. And it’s like, just be an artist. And it’s like, once you get, out of the head space of needing to be an influencer. There’s so much to do. It’s like an extension of the artistry, but I think a lot of smaller artists too don’t fully understand that or it’s not even part of it.
Yeah, definitely. There’s so many opportunities there and it is so endless, but at the same time, it can be a little overwhelming because you’re like, what am I supposed to do in this gigantic sea of other people and other things?
So we were talking about how like you’re an independent artist, which I think is so incredible. Through our podcast, we have learned way too much about how record labels work. And especially what happens to women in music and specifically minority women in music getting trapped in record deals. And so you were saying you’ve been doing music for such a long time. Did you run into issues at the beginning of your career, and were you’re kind of like, this is not for me, I’m just going to like do this myself?
A few years ago, my first real experience with it was a major distro, but it was like they had major label connects and whatever it was, you know, like that was so exciting. And it was like, crazy, oh my god, I have a budget, it’s not huge, but I have something. I have an assigned person to do my marketing things and blah blah blah. It was so mind-blowingly lie new and exciting. And I didn’t know how to navigate it. I was like, okay, well I guess, how does this work? Like how do I, do I take the lead? Do I let you guys take the lead? Like I don’t really know how it works. And then I just kind of fell into whatever it was that they were comfortable with, you know, their whole process is just kind of like churn burn, honestly. So I was like, okay, cool. I guess I’ll just let you guys do your thing. So after the record and everything dropped, I was like, I could have done better, literally just with myself and no money. Why did I do that?
There was actually no point and now I’m like however many thousands of dollars indebted that I have to recoup before I can even make money and they have my back catalog. So I had the thought I could have done better, because the things that I had put out before myself did better. And it was very disorienting. And me just being so as new to it as I was I I didn’t know I could stand up for myself. Thankfully now I do but that is just what has like deflected me completely from doing anything in those spaces now because unless someone comes and is like I have an amazing deal and it’s actually is in my favor, and now I have like an amazing team so that they can advocate for me, it’s not happening until that one very special opportunity where I have a very special personal connection with the people I’m going to be working with happens.
You want a team that’s gonna support you. Getting into some of your music, the way that you sing about intimacy and relationships is kind of like a breath of fresh air because throughout time there’s always been women like Madonna who are doing it their own way. But there’s so many pressures for women to be sexual in a certain way. And some of your songs can be really inspiring for other women listening to them. So what made you want to focus on these themes in your music?
It’s so funny, honestly I never saw myself as being in that lane, especially because I said I have been wanting to do music for so long when I had this vision of the kind of the artist that I wanted to be from such a young age – like seven years old. Avril Lavigne was like my literal icon, still is my icon. And I was like, oh my god, she’s like so like tomboy cool. That was like the first like tomboy skater girl that we really had. And I always kind of saw myself in that more singer-songwriter realm as far as genre and even just thematic songs and what I was going to be making and putting out and marketing myself as. And then I kind of had this moment when I was living in LA. I don’t know how, but I just found this like confidence within me that I never had. And it was very sudden and like, yeah, I was like, wait, am I a bad bitch? Yes, yes you are.
I don’t even know what happened. It was like this weird, transformative moment. It was like a year of my life where I was like, okay, I think I’m kind of hot. I think I’m kind of like cool. It seems like people like actually want to be around this kind of empowering energy. And then that kind of gave me this high. And then I was addicted. I was like, okay, no, wait, I actually am! Once I kind of made that move to decide, okay this is who I want to become somebody who is gonna be a leader and an empowering figure or at least I hope, you know, I was like oh shit I forgot what it was like to not feel good about myself and now that I forgot about that, there’s no way that I’m gonna let all these people around me continue to feel that way when there’s this other side.
So that was kind of what happened. It was like totally by accident. And I was just like, okay, fuck it. I actually really like making this music and I really like just saying whatever I want to say. The only downside is that like sometimes my grandma is like, oh, I don’t really like that song. But like, you know, it’s whatever.
That’s so important, though, because I feel like there’s so many even just like grown women who like, the lack of confidence and I think like the later millennial generation we grew up with so much misogyny and media and all that stuff where it’s like if you didn’t look a certain way or whatever it’s like you’re ugly, no other option. So it’s like waking up one day and being like, wait, actually? But like having music like that for people to listen to I think is so incredible because there’s not a lot of it like Jenna was saying. And it’s like having that moment where you can go listen to something and be like, oh wow, like I can also feel hot, and good at myself.
I actually need to share this because I do feel so strongly about just being real. I just remember being in high school and like the high school I went to was like very like rich and white kind of and that was kind of like where I had chosen to put my energy into at that time in my life because I thought it would bring something to me. And then it just took way longer for me to actually find myself than I had kind of hoped. I think that’s the case with everyone. Like you’re always on a journey and it’s like, well, I thought I would know who I am by now, but you know, it’s also like really fucking beautiful to like be on the journey and actually like enjoy it too. But I just didn’t have that mindset. And so I’m like, okay, if someone else is gonna do that, I want them to be able to feel good about not always knowing exactly what you’re doing.
I feel like your whole image in general just like embodies that too, because like your visuals as well are just like so stunning and interesting to look at. I love your fashion. Every part of it just feels so cohesive where you’re looking and you’re listening and you’re like, I get this, and I’m on board with itl. The personal style and the visuals, like the artistry, everything, it’s very cohesive. And so for you, when you’re making your music, are you thinking in your brain like, okay, what visuals go with this? Or, how do you think when it comes to combining all of the artistry parts of your work?
Yeah, oh man, this was a journey. I have had so many phases of my artistry. I truly was a singer -songwriter. Like folk, I’m talking folk, like finger -picking style guitar. No, I’m serious. At one point I was like, some people had compared me to like Joni Mitchell. It was so crazy. What an honor, by the way. But, I do remember a time where I was like, okay, no, I don’t want to put it in a box, but it’s kind of soft girl because that was kind of what I was going through. And that was the music that I had been exposed to. And then after that, I kind of had a little rock/pop punk phase. And I was like, oh no, no, I’m going to be a rebel. But I had this pop phase and I was like, OK, wait, no, maybe I’m a girly pop. And it really has taken me so long to just be like, OK, maybe I’m just overthinking,
Art is fluid, right?
Exactly. It never has to be so cut and dry. So I think it’s like you said, it’s kind of just this journey of discovery and who you feel you are at that time and being the most true to your self -expression. And I just really had such a hard time finding that because I was overthinking it too much and I was being like, oh, who do I sound like? Because everyone was asking me, these industry people were like, okay, well, what is the goal? I’m like, I don’t know, like, you’re supposed to tell me.
In more recent years I found some people that were able to take that lead for me, and then I just followed what they were saying, like yeah no you fit in this category and you’re doing this you’re gonna do this like pop/rock -ish sort of thing and I was like, okay great. I do love that kind of music, but at the beginning I was like, actually this really isn’t, I’m not feeling this. I don’t feel like I’m proud of what I’m putting out. It feels very, kind of random and not really cohesive. And then that’s when I was like, okay, we’re getting down to it. And I’m actually gonna sit down and evaluate every few months what it is that I am going for visually and sonically.
And then that’s when things kind of started to actually fall into place. It was like I had to over correct almost. I was way too free. And then for a minute I was way too strict. And now I’m finally finding that middle ground where I’m like, okay, no, I can also put myself out there and my personality and stuff. I don’t have to be so serious all the time because I’m not a serious person, but also, you know, I can put out things that are kind of cool and artistic and things that I think are cool visually and it can all still be in the same world. Like, I don’t have to just pick it and choose one. So it’s taking a long time.
The journey is beautiful and just for a little wrap up here, what do you hope the future of Chloe Tang to encompass?
Oh, that’s a good question. Honestly, I have trained my brain to just be so happy with the journey and where I’m at because I’ve learned so many times, that if I tend to overthink and get anxiety and if I have too much of a specific goal or things like that, then there’s no room for me to be like… Oh, this was a pleasant surprise. Like, I am so happy with how that went, even though it wasn’t what I expected. So honestly, the main thing that I want is to be able to like make a living basically doing what I love and continue doing things like this, going to South by and traveling. I love traveling with music and playing shows in different places. I mean the one thing is I would love to tour. I’m going to wait and see what the journey, how it unfolds.
That’s amazing. Well, thank you so much, Chloe, for talking with us today.
Of course. Thank you for having me.
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