Jolynn J Chin Beyond Classical

From classics to crossovers 

Just months ago, Sarawak-born international pianist, Jolynn J Chin released an Extended Play (EP) ‘Danza Hungara’ which became my current favourite. Recently, she had just released her long-awaited first album comprising of five tracks.  Piano virtuoso Jolynn said, ‘Beyond Classical’ reflected her journey from her younger days learning the piano. “The tracks in the album are not the old me that people used to know, a classical player. And I have strayed so far from that.”

“I want to explore different things and put it differently. I am doing something beyond from what the people used to know, hence the name ‘Beyond Classical’.”
With her parents being music lovers as well, the songs they listened to would also influence young Jolynn, “They would play songs from David Foster, they introduced me to Maksim Mrvica, Havasi, Vanessa-Mae — these are people who do classical crossover music, and I find it really interesting because those were tunes from my childhood.”

To her, classical crossover music which incorporated beats into classical melodies was something she wanted to do as well.  “When I was a teenager, I fell in love with jazz. I starting listening to Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson. And of course, as a teenager I was also exposed to the popular tunes of Gwen Stefani, Rihanna, Black Eye Peas, Pussycat Dolls,” she said.

All the exposure and influences led Jolynn to create ‘Beyond Classical’ — an album created for her to share what she loves to her audiences.
“This whole album speaks from my childhood to where I am today. You can hear the blends of modern sound and classical from my childhood melodies, together with song covers that I did, along with the element of jazz. That pretty much sums up what made my album,” revealed Jolynn.

The 24-year-old also reminisced being a nine-year-old student pianist, when she once created an album cover out of paper, scissors, colour pencils and jewel case. “I remembered it had big stars on them, it was a white paper with yellow stars!” Years later, it was a dream came true.

Jolynn’s perspective changed to an “I can do it” personality when she finally realised her dream. “When you get out of your comfort zone, you will see that all of this is possible. When you don’t, you will never know your true capabilities.” Looking back on her journey, she had undergone a multitude of hardships to get to where she is now, “If I had not put up the courage to contact Lion Studios Singapore in 2016, I would have never met my awesome producer, Roger Montejano and things would have never taken off from there.”

Apart from that, a big-budget cost and some personal sacrifices were also among the barriers that she managed to climb over, “I believe that when you want to do something big, we should not skim through budget cost. It is just like being in the kitchen. You would not want to skim through the ingredients as the results depend on how much you put in it.”
Through the process of creating ‘Beyond Classical’, she also had to learn marketing, the way of social media (Instagram: @jolynnjchin), and even produce videos aside from documenting and detailing work.

Nonetheless, the road to today had made her who she is with her first album. Those interested can obtain the physical copy through her website jolynnjchin.com. Those wanting the digital copy can visit her accounts on various musical websites including Spotify, Tik Tok, Pandora and Google Play Music.

She also gives her thanks to Sarawakian artistes who had made it and encouraged her to move forward. “I am talking about Yuna Zarai, Zee Avi, Morgan Then from Slumberjack — these are the people who pushed me and told me that it was not impossible especially during the times when I was doubting myself and if all my investments were worth it.”

Recalling the fun times that she experienced with her crew, Jolynn said the most memorable was during the time she went to Indonesia to film her Danza Hungara music video (available on Youtube).
“Aside from that, i also appreciate seeing the hard work in the making of this album, the photoshoot session with the funny Kelvin Chan from Kuching, and studio time with my producer as I always learn something new every day.”

However, the pianist disclosed that the whole process of getting the album done was the greatest memory for her.  When asked what she had installed for her future, she answered, “You want something to happen but you can never tell if it is gonna happen.”

Nevertheless, Jolynn is always looking to create more music, work with different musicians, and have a world concert tour. “I am also looking to see myself living in Los Angeles in the next 10 years.”
The ‘Beyond Classical’ pianist also hopes that the Sarawak government would put more focus on local artistes based abroad. “As a Sarawakian, I would never forget my roots and I hope that I can bring awareness to other artistes who are no longer in Sarawak but made it outside.” She further said that this initiative can be a motivation to young musicians in Sarawak, proving that nothing is impossible.