Local piano virtuoso, Jolynn J Chin is back again with her latest track ‘Stop Corona’, made in the midst of the current pandemic. Presented with a different touch, the track is an obvious proof of her progress in music.
The 25-year-old Jolynn incorporated and fused a mixture of beats and notes, alongside the conventional piano. What makes her latest track special was the fact that it was made at home due to the pandemic lockdown.
The accompanying music video for the track was directed by one of the assistant directors involved in the movie “Crazy Rich Asians”, Roy Paulinus via video conferencing.
Mastered by Q Sound, Jolynn recorded, produced and mixed everything right in the comfort of her own room.
Initially made for Instagram, Jolynn said the inspiration was gathered from the frustrations of the public after being locked-in due to the pandemic.
“So I made this track and a video for my Instagram followers to lighten up their mood,” said the pianist.
She added that the track was an unexpected addition to her second album because she was only making it out of fun. “When I posted it on Instagram, everyone liked it and requested me to make a proper track out of it.”
The track was inspired from the time she was in her studio with her assistant. “We were in the studio preparing for a show in March, and one of the set required us to use a programme speaker (text-to-speech programme). My assistant thought it was cool if we put two words for example, ‘Stop Corona’ and kept it on loop.”
The musician then created a track out of it using tunes and beats from her launchpad, accompanied by a classical tune played on the piano.
As for the music video, she said it was also unexpected — Jolynn and Roy were on a video conference meeting when they discussed it. “Roy was saying how it would be a good idea to create a video for ‘Stop Corona’.”
“It was exciting and fun to note that the movie director directed the video from his home while video calling me during the shoot,” she shared.
To accompany the track, the music video featured Jolynn’s daily life during lockdown, “And I think it is something everyone can relate to.” She was talking about the emotional frustrations everyone felt about being locked in, and the reality of waking up wondering what to do.
“Overall, it represents everyone’s opinion of wanting the pandemic to stop,” said Jolynn.
Jolynn’s ‘Stop Corona’ came amid her life-reflection while staying at home. “All my shows have been cancelled and postponed. Some assigned on for different days in 2021.” Being positive about the lockdown, the Kuching-born Jolynn said she is grateful for this free time given.
“While touring and doing shows, I get really tired and there is just never enough time to breath and think about things properly.” Hence, through the time being held back by the lockdown, Jolynn was able to re-organise herself and was able to replenish her mental and physical health as well.
Jolynn admitted that she had never actually thought of producing a second album after her first album, ‘Beyond Classical’ was released last year. She had put on hold the plan of the album to 2022 after finishing her tours.
While nothing is confirmed yet, Jolynn plans to have a total of 12 tracks on it and most of it will be about her life journey after the first album. “It has a different sound and I am exploring new things, different types of styles and it would definitely be interesting!”
