Conversations with EJ Chen

Today we’d like to introduce you to EJ Chen.

Hi EJ, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve loved music, singing and performing ever since I can remember. I’d spend hours every day as a 4-year old playing “Karaoke Revolution” at home on an old Xbox my cousins handed down to my brothers and me. Little did I know, I was subconsciously honing my craft every day, belting out Ashlee Simpson’s “Pieces of Me” and The Romantic’s “What I Like About You”.

While I was a platinum record star at home, I was also finding my place as a shy, Asian American kid in a predominantly White Illinois suburb. Growing up, I continuously faced racism, ignorant micro-aggressions and blatant disrespect, which cumulatively made me feel “othered.” To gain equity with my peers, I pushed myself as a student and an athlete.

But one day in 4th grade, a new student named Gillian transferred to our school and heard me humming in the hallway. On the spot, she asked me to sing to her. Although I initially declined, she persisted and offered to pay me. I caved to her offer of $3, brushing it off as a joke. But the next day, she showed up with $3 in her hand and encircled me with her friends as I performed my first paid gig during recess. Word got out that I was a singer, so I started taking requests and charged $1 per song. My 7th grade brother Cam stepped in as my manager and helped me record a cover album to sell as CDs at his middle school. With $112 in my pocket and some newfound confidence, I auditioned for the school’s talent show as a singer and performed my first solo, “Hey Soul Sister” by Train, in front of a full cafeteria crowd of screaming elementary school kids and their parents.

Thinking about it now, it’s crazy how a handful of people can impact your life and trajectory. Gillian forced me out of my comfort zone and into the spotlight. My brother Cam has been a lifelong supporter, advisor and collaborator, and continues in these roles. My middle school music teacher, William Spakowski, taught a guitar unit in our music class, which I absolutely loved. I started coming in during recess to play and practice. My parents gifted me my first guitar later that year, and I started accompanying myself in covers and writing my own music thereafter. Mr. Spakowski told me that I had talent and urged me to join the choir and audition for the school musical. Because of his encouragement, I pursued choir and theater at Libertyville High School (Illinois), where my directors Jeff Brown and Christopher Thomas mentored me and helped me grow. Though I spent most of my high school life worrying about the future and trying to figure out my purpose, I finally realized that performance, art and music could be a path. Ultimately, I landed in UCLA’s Television, Film and Theater (TFT) program as a Theater major, specializing in Musical Theater.

At UCLA, I fell in love with creating and being a part of an artistic community. I performed in an acapella group (The ScatterTones), multiple productions of shows, musicals and films, and as the lead singer of the band, Lot 3. The guys (Gil Weissman, Harry Frahn, Rishi Acharya, Xander Ambrose) and I had a great run with the band we started, playing countless shows in Westwood and the LA area, including the Troubadour, The Viper Room and Molly Malones. They all helped me develop so much as a musician, songwriter, performer, singer, audio engineer, and collaborator.

My experience with Lot 3 showed me that we had the ability to create anything we wanted and that I had the fire to keep making art. I wrote music nonstop with the band and by myself. After taking UCLA’s production and audio engineering courses, I engineered and helped mix Lot 3’s first album, Spring Theory. After graduation, the band members scattered around the country and we decided to disband. But I still had a lot of energy to burn and the drive to continue. Though Lot 3 is no more, the friendships within the band remain strong. Since disbanding, Harry and I have co-produced new tracks and played live shows in New York, while Gil and I continue to collaborate in music, film, and writing in Los Angeles.

With the good fortune of support from the most genuine, kind, compassionate, generous and talented friends from UCLA, my solo music career was born and continues to evolve. I started working with the best producer I know, Anthony Reed, experimenting in the studio with new sounds and learning more about production. I moved in with a genius composer and prodigy pianist, Xander Ambrose, and a master songwriter, lyricist, and hitmaking machine, Ryan KJ. After a year and a half of creating together, we refined a unique sound under the band name showgirl and dropped our debut single “DOWN (On Your Face)” (IG – @00showgirl).

While I also work remotely and act in theater, commercials (represented by CESD on camera and print), advertisements and film projects, I set aside time everyday to work on songwriting, performance and production and have gained confidence and momentum.
I’m grateful to be growing so much independently, as well as to have my loved ones around me. It’s special to be part of something larger than yourself, and to create something lasting with your lifelong friends.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think the path of an artist, or the life of any human being in general, is seldom a smooth road; there will always be highs and lows.
For most of my life I’ve struggled with being “enough”, and trying to live up to extremely high standards and expectations. I even wrote a book in third grade called “The OK Kid” (about a kid who was just okay at everything, but not amazing at anything). Growing up as a middle child in my family, I dealt with judgment from teachers and coaches, comparing me to my overachieving older brothers (who had countless trophies and medals displayed in their shared room … like deadass an entire wall) and peers, who perceived me as being ‘different’ from them and labeled me with racist stereotypes. For me, “enough” meant achieving excellence and recognition.
As a result of all that, I drove myself to perfectionism, a fear of failure, and a life full of anxiety. I was, and still am, incredibly hard on myself when things don’t go perfectly, though I am working on showing myself more grace and forgiveness. There’s been disappointment if I felt I hadn’t put out my best product or shown my full capabilities. People have always been so kind and supportive to me after performances and shows, and I can’t take a compliment to save my life…I always think I can do better–a great mindset for growing and improving, but a terrible one when it comes to self love and understanding.
As I’ve gotten older, I’m paving a smoother road for myself. I’ve prioritized my mental health and learned how to channel my energy and flow to my advantage and thrive as I am, imperfections and all. I’m learning to stay present, and have fallen in love with the process of creating, experimenting, failing, and improving. I’ve figured out how to multitask with all of my creative output while maintaining balance as a project manager. As an artist, ideas are always flowing; I have my goals and deadlines in order, and am constantly working on something I’m excited about. I now take pride in all of my strengths and versatile abilities as a “Jack of all trades”.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We’d love to learn more about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc.

I am an independent artist, writer, singer, producer and actor, consistently releasing music (on all streaming platforms), and just dropped my first solo EP, Missing In Action. I write music like it’s my diary, encapsulating whatever I’m feeling that day. I am constantly exploring and experimenting, all while honing my songwriting and production in indie/alt pop, R&B, folk, rock, and neosoul genres, discovering ways to blend them, and finding my own style in all the things I love to make and listen to. 2026 will be a big year–stay tuned for my four upcoming EP releases, music videos, short films, collab tapes, and a lot more.

As mentioned, I’m also involved in a new music collective–“showgirl”–with my friends Anthony Reed, Xander Ambrose, and Ryan KJ. Think hyperpop, dance pop meets hip hop, R&B meets boy band: we are all of it. Follow us on all streaming platforms as “showgirl” or on social media as @00showgirl. We’re hyped to share all of our new music in 2026.

After a bit of a hiatus, I’m happily cooking up with my brother Cam again. We finished an EP together (dropping in 2026), and have multiple music video shoots in progress. We’ve also been writing scripts and are preparing to direct and shoot 6 short films next year. We’re working with an awesome team of creatives to share these stories, building the foundations for a production company. Check out Cam’s storytelling on all of his social media pages @thechenlens.

What are you most proud of?

As a kid, I always dreamed about recording and releasing my own music–and for a long time I was waiting for someone to help me make that happen. Now, I’m so lucky to have the tools and confidence to write, produce, record, mix, and master a song on my own and share it with the world. I’m even luckier to be able to do what I love (make music, films, music videos, art) with my closest friends and family.

For the first time, I can truly say I’m most proud of where I’m at as an independent artist and producer. I know I can create anything with the skills, knowledge, and resources that I have and be the catalyst to make things happen. If someone wants a project to be created and executed, I can do that, and I have a team of artists and creatives that would love to help.

What sets you apart from others?

My diversity sets me apart.

In the era of multifaceted music artists, I think my sonic diversity is a strength. I love taking the listener with me on my journeys to different worlds and explorations of emotions. As an artist, writer, singer, athlete, musician, producer and actor, I have a wide variety of learned experiences–performing, producing, and writing for music, film, theater and commercials. I have a diverse, holistic perspective that informs my visions and gives me a deeper understanding for all the details of any project. As an Asian American creative, I hope to provide opportunities and promote positive and wider representation, especially for people of color, in the entertainment industry. I want to be an impactful representative of my community.

My honesty and authenticity also set me apart.
My music captures real moments, genuine emotions, vulnerability, imperfections, complications, truth, confusion, clarity – everything that makes us human.
Some days are difficult, but I know I’m on this earth to create: to promote empathy and understanding, spread love and truth, and express myself honestly and authentically. Humans are so much more complex than we give ourselves credit or permission to be. We love to categorize ourselves, but we are also very individual, special and unique. Still, we share so many of the same thoughts, experiences and feelings. I’m hoping my art can inspire people to connect, think, feel and create more.

I thrive when working on various projects simultaneously. Some songs create worlds, and they inspire me to make more in that space. In our current music era, there are so many different niches and existing worlds, but I believe they can always be expanded. Instead of trying to fit perfectly into a genre/niche/world, I’m trying to co-exist in it uniquely. I’m not sure if I’ll ever fit into one genre, but that doesn’t mean I won’t find success being true to who I am. I’m going to keep doing what I do, being who I am, exploring all the distinctive parts of me, evolving and growing, and one day, the rest of the world will catch up.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
In life and business, I’ve been very lucky. I’m a sixth generation Asian American, and my ancestors paved the way to the opportunities that I reap the benefits of today. Everything that has happened in my life and career–and I mean–the fact I’m alive and able to pursue my dreams, is luck! I have such supportive parents and family; my friends, mentors and collaborators are incredible; and I’m able to do what I love with the people I love, so I often feel like the luckiest person ever. Still, I put a lot of pressure on myself to be great. Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, so I’m always ready for the opportunities that come my way, while continuously making more for myself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ejchen3/
• Other: https://ffm.to/ejchen

Image Credits
Jeff Mateer
Cam Chen
Meera Puranik
Selah Myers
Bryan Suzuki / Natasha Lam
Cam Chen
Bryan Suzuki