Daily Inspiration: Meet Meilin Fields

Today we’d like to introduce you to Meilin Fields

Hi Meilin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Meilin Fields and I am a 25 year old multiracial singer/songwriter with an abundance of optimism and the dream of becoming the youngest EGOT Holder on Earth. Originally from Belleville, IL (right outside of St. Louis, MO) I grew up with the quintessential immigrant Chinese Tiger Mother and a White Navy Captain Father. My older brother was perfect as far as everyone could tell, the most talented artist and the smartest person I knew. He won every competition, earning him the nickname “Win-It-All Fields” and was beloved by everyone. I, on the other hand, was rather loud and boisterous right from the get-go, tap-dancing on tables and singing more than I talked (and mind you, I talked quite a lot). After going through the majority of grade school as the only non-white family in sight, I attended an all-girls Catholic high school in St. Louis which had a handful more women of color, a ming-blowing concept for me. I went on to attend Boston College where I graduated with a double-major in Theater and Psychology (1. so my parents knew I had a backup plan and 2. to make a theater degree look at least slightly more legitimate). Growing up being told that mandatory education only ends after graduate school, I went on to get my Masters in Communication Management at USC Annenberg. That amazing program allowed me to focus on Entertainment Marketing and taught me so many real-world skills, from app creation and shark-tank pitching to creating in depth Marketing Plans for anything from musicians to social medias. While overloading to complete my two year program in a year and a half, I began working full-time at a talent agency assisting the head of Celebrity Endorsements, which introduced me to the inside world of Hollywood. On my off time in my two years at the agency, I graduated from USC and began a podcast since I suddenly had space in my schedule. This podcast, Pardon My Success, is all about the creative process and how art and creativity can be found everywhere, and is for everyone. PMS is now on it’s third season, and has been lucky enough to have on guests such as Corbin Bleu, Stephen Tobolowsky, Jordan Alexander, Alberto Rosende, Rich Fields, Amanda Schull, Kellee Stewart, Angela Lewis and more. These interviews with entertainment success stories focus on getting to know artists as individuals and learning how they gained the courage to follow their dreams, and find artistic success. Every other week, the show includes “Mei Time” episodes of my creative journey, following the advice of these successful artists and speaking with other young creatives during “Artist Spotlights”. In addition to the podcast, I am also a founder of “In the Know,” an Entertainment Industry Networking Community which hosts engaging events committed to fostering genuine interpersonal connections among Hollywood’s Future Leaders. I have worked as a celebrity personal assistant, social media consultant, and freelance content creator, but know that the ultimate dream lies in performing. My first single, “Nice to Me” is an Unhinged Girly Pop Punk Rock anthem and is out now on all streaming services, with a self-produced music video available on YouTube and TikTok. I have two more songs coming out in January, one I fully self produced called “The Burn” and the other is a collaboration between myself and my two musical besties, Hailey Fin Mikkels and CJ Sims, for our artist collective GirlyPop, called “Feel It.” I can’t wait to share all of these creative babies with the world, and am so excited to continue creating and producing my own projects. It has been such an important year of exploration and growth, and I can’t wait to see what the future will bring! My 26th birthday is on March 26th, making 2025 my golden year, and I truly feel as though it will be the year things really turn golden 🙂 Thank you so much for wanting to hear about my journey 🙂

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?
Though I have been planning towards artistic success since I was 8 years old, most children aren’t very kind to a book and musical theater obsessed girl with glasses, especially if she happens to be the only non-white kid in the class. From 1st through 8th grade, I was with the same 17 students, many of which believed my name, parents, smell, skin, and entire personality was distasteful. I was called a chink for the first time in the 4th grade by someone I considered a close friend, whose parents were family friends. Going to high school with a few more women of color, I was welcomed in, but constantly called the wrong name, as I was constantly confused with the only other half-Chinese girl in the class who looked little like me other than our similar hair and the school-wide uniform.

I talked too much and was too involved, with my parents wanting us to constantly be occupied with some extra-curricular activity to stimulate brain development. My brother and I both started piano at four, took up our second instrument at 7, me flute while him trumpet, and I continued to add piccolo and oboe over the years. In grade school, we were in simultaneous Orchestra, Band, multiple choirs, and musical theater camps. Not to mention that I danced every day, (ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, lyrical, modern), was on Scholar Bowl and Volleyball, assisted in my mom’s Chinese language and cooking classes, was top of the class, and served as our school’s librarian from 6th-8th grade when they could no longer afford to hire one. I was the biggest extrovert in the world stuck in a building of people who felt they would catch something “Chinese” from being around me. My best friend from 1st grade moved schools after 6th grade, and while we’ve remained best friends for life, it certainly made my life more difficult at school. I was often alone, the one thing I hated most in the world. A high school of all girls took the pressure (and fun) of boys out of the picture, but left more than enough passive aggressive drama for 200 girls aged 3-18 locked in a prep-school/convent all day.

With Boston College’s Student Population having 25% People of Color, plus getting contacts and being out of a uniform for the first time in my life, I was stunned to learn that I was pretty. I was accepted early action and in the Facebook Groups / GroupMes found a group of friends who looked like the popular girls from my years past, but many of which had a parent or grandparent of color. I felt accepted for the first time in my life, and found myself a new, less strict family to live with on campus and was rarely alone for four years. I was on the Dance Organization of Boston College, was in the shows, was caller of the Year and Month and Week at the Alumni Call Center, and did nothing but stay fueled by an anxiety that underneath it all, everyone all still secretly hated me. This anxiety plagued me through my move to LA after a 2021 Covid college graduation, having applied and being accepted into USC during my senior year, and slowly had to learn how to be alone again for the first time in years. I had problematically codependent relationships, and horrible anxiety that I couldn’t shake no matter how much work I did and how well I scored in my grad school classes. After sobbing during a nervous breakdown while running on Hollywood Boulevard, I finally called the USC health center and got some mental help for the first time since my monthly therapy sessions from the BC Student Health Services offered. I started taking anti-anxiety medication which, after a while, helped me notice that I no longer felt like I was on the verge of tears every moment of my life. That was an incredibly surprising relief, and as I began regular therapy sessions with an incredible psychotherapist, finally started to unpack a lot of the layers of protective yet self-destructive behaviors I’d adopted over the years. This has helped me immensely on my personal growth and songwriting journey, and my dream is to foster inclusivity in the world through diversifying all levels of the Entertainment Industry, as the largest world stage, so no child ever feels as though they don’t belong.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a singing, songwriting, acting, dancing, content creating, social media marketing machine who has always given 110% no matter the task. I’m proud of my ability to communicate feelings and ideas to people of all ages and backgrounds, while being an open an active listener who genuinely wants to connect and understand each and every person for their innate human value. I believe we all have more in common than we’d like to admit, and if we seek to find the connections, like neurons in the brain, we will strengthen and grow together. I have felt a lot of exclusion and discrimination over the years, as well as unwanted attention from scary individuals, and I want to foster safe spaces for people from every life experience, to show that every single soul belongs. I want to create music, performances, and art that is experienced and understood in a way that allows everyone to see themselves and the world better. I want to create works that are recognized as the best in all fields of the artistic world to prove that transparent and honest collaboration of diverse people creates better and more moving work that changes peoples minds, hearts, and souls for good. I want to spread love and light around the world and back again, connecting us all in a way that makes us want to help each other instead of being consciously divided.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
You need to begin. And this is your sign. Because beginning is the only way to truly start, that’s just the way it works. You’ll never feel truly ready. You won’t feel like you know what you’re doing for a long time in fact. Just keep going, and one day, you’ll realize that you do know what you’re doing. Falling is how you learn to fly, so leap, and if you start to fall, just reach out, and hold still, asses. Don’t stress, glide and ask for help and learn how to pivot. Life is movement, feeling, emotions, energy in motion, so keep moving. There’s a difference between a pause and a halt. Take breaks, appreciate how far you’ve come, the journey is where you grow so enjoy it. The satisfaction of the destination is temporary, there’s always another mountain to climb, so think ahead. Set multiple goals. Have all paths lead to Rome.

Pricing:

• $50/hr Freelance Social Content Creation
• Music is on all streaming platforms!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://meilinfields.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meilinfields/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@meilinfields

Image Credits
Ava Brown
Jacob Mallari
Haley Castel Skarulis
Zack Bedley