LALA - June 2008 - R&B
Listen: This Is Why I Fell
After winning the Top Scholarship Award at the Nelson Music Festival Tour in British Columbia, Canada as the Best Singer Musician in 1998, LaLa continued to reach for her dreams as a singer. LaLa picked up the guitar, taught herself how to play and began writing her own songs in the genre of folk/acoustic. She recorded 4 songs and that was just the beginning of her recording experience. After performing her acoustic songs at cafes and having success selling her demo, LaLa decided to try her talent and love for pop, r&b, and hip hop. Her interest and talent for dancing and choreography was incorporated with her singing. She wrote and recorded an album with musical influences such as Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, CelineDion, Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Missy Elliot, Michael Jackson, and Christina Aguilera. She fused her Chinese and East Indian roots and influences into her music and had Asian elements in her rhythms and melody. LaLa’shiphop/pop music was described as having the creativity and uniqueness similar to Missy’s and Method Man’s tracks.
After recording her first full hiphop album, LaLa expanded her studio experience as well as her network. She worked with various major and independent producers in Vancouver. Soon after, she worked with a producer that released a CD of anr&b group called “New School.” LaLa released a single on that CD distributed by Universal Music Records Canada in 2003. After showcasing her single, LaLaattained interest from rock producers as her stage presence and vocal style is a unique blend of pop sass and power rock. LaLa was asked to record a rock album in Belgium where she became interested in European rock scene. Melissa Ethridge, Evanesance, Pat Benetar, Blondie, Alannah Miles are always on her list of rock favorites. LaLa was able to develop her rock sense and talent for the genre. In 2004, LaLa worked on a side recording project and was in a duo group called “JeLL” developed by a Conneticut based company, Claviscape LLC. This pop oriented group recorded songs and commercials about the game of billiards had associations with ESPN’s pool tournaments. JeLL’s music airs on ESPN and is distributed online.
After having various experiences with several music genres, LaLa became very versatile but her love is still r&b/pop. The range of learning and musical challenges still weren’t enough for her.LaLa joined a Chinese singing talent contest put on by the leading Chinese TV station in Canada, Fairchild Television. LaLa competed and sang in Mandarin and Chinese. Because she was very westernized and did not speak Chinese well, LaLaworked very hard learning the songs phonetically and won second place in the contest. The contest had national radio, television, and printmedia coverage, and LaLa was immediately recognized and became popular in the Chinese community across Canada. She continued to develop her relationship with Fairchild Television performing for the community. Very shortly after the contest, LaLa entered David Foster’s Make A Wish Foundation Talent Search and was one of the 10 finalist in the Vancouver region. She sang for David Foster, Sue Foster, Clay Aiken, and Babyface.LaLa was greatly inspired by this experience.
It was not until October 2006, that LaLa made her biggest move in her music career. She left her studies in Masters of Education and her music elementary teaching position at the time as well as all the gigs she was doing singing at weddings, funerals, functions for local businesses, educational institutes, and community events in Vancouver.LaLa moved to New York to pursue her music career. LaLa has made several connections working with other indie and major production teams and producers in New York. She is now showcasing her originals, appearing on the radio and music videos, recording and collaborating with other recording artists, DJs, dancers and gigging with cover bands.LaLa recently came in second place at The Verizon Sing Contest put on in the Chinese New Year Chinatown Parade in New York.
LaLa met Mark Green, manager of the Bergen Performing Arts Centre, and recently opened up for 5 time award winning artist, Michael McDonald. She opened up for Davy Jones from The Monkees. LaLa also opened up for Johnny Kemp at Ashford and Simpson’s Sugar Bar. She has also revisited her involvement (as a solo artist) with Claviscape, LLC in Conneticut where her single called “Shooting Stars” is released on ITunes and Cd Baby. LaLa is currently working on making a video of “Yours Truly”. She is also back in the studio recording with various major producers (Bernard Belle, D-Moet), artists, and DJs (Grandmaster Flash). LaLa is driven to become a success story. An interviewer once asked her what fuels her to be so unstoppable and driven, and LaLa answered, “God has given me a talent, and I am going to take it to the fullest!”
