Today we’d like to introduce you to Lydia Li.
Hi Lydia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up with a love for music starting at the age of four when I began learning my first instrument, piano. Around this time, I’d play daily for hours on end – at least two hours practicing classical pieces and countless more spent keying in melodies projected from my thoughts. That’s where I found my passion for writing songs.
As I matured throughout my teenage years so did my ever-expanding love for music and sound. Going into my undergraduate years, I became interested in different kinds of media and ended up majoring in Communication and Broadcasting. During this time, I began hosting for a local music radio station in Hangzhou and producing music for different programs on the side.
While doing this for a while, I realized I wanted to go back to school and chase my dream of becoming a composer. After deep consideration, I decided to leave my home country to travel to America in pursuit of a master’s in music composition at Columbia College Chicago. Despite all the hardships of 2020 I’ve been able to make the best of the situation and have had great opportunities to collaborate and learn from my peers and mentors. Alongside this, I’ve been collaborating on projects with filmmakers and animators on short films, developers and designers on video games and have written with award-winning composers for several Chinese feature films.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the most difficult parts of my journey so far has been making the decision to pursue my dream of making music composition a career. At the time, I was holding down a steady job that I enjoyed, it didn’t seem realistic to just leave everything behind, so I figured I’d continue to work while making music on the side, thinking maybe a good opportunity would arise on its own eventually.
However, the more time that had gone by, the more I realized how important music really is to me. After deep thinking, I had finally decided to quit my current job and focus on writing music.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I write music for all types of media (film, TV, video games, etc.) in ways that drive a story.
Before starting writing, I first meet with directors to get a sense of what their vision is for each scene through a series of discussions, watching film, and meetings. I take note of basic criteria like genre, pace, and the type of emotion that should be conveyed.
From there, I try to create a suitable palette of sounds for the project by exploring different instruments, arrangements, sound designs, and some genre-blending here and there. Oftentimes the musical direction for projects differ. It could vary anywhere from sentimental melodies with intimate and nostalgic sounds to epic fantasy music played by a grand orchestra or even retro synthscapes like the “Stranger Things” theme song.
It’s always an amazing and fresh experience exploring musical elements for different projects.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I’m grateful for all the people I’ve met while attending Columbia – Specifically my professors and colleagues within the program who helped and guided me along the way. Their involvement has been so encouraging and beneficial to my growth as a composer and has helped make my first exposure to a professional musical environment an immersive and worthwhile experience.
My mentor, Kubilay Uner, has become a big inspiration for me. His constructive criticisms and perspective have helped me immensely in learning and improving as a composer, as well as showing me new approaches and ways of thinking when creating music.
Contact Info:
- Email: lydialimusic@gmail.com
- Website: https://lydia.li
- Instagram: instagram.com/lydialimusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC76rlTaI_T_bqhNaEft6BLw
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-493201294
