Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Chang
Hi Lisa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My evolution as an artist is a story I keep hearing more and more frequently of women as they enter mid-age. After years, often decades of fulfilling the roles of wives, mothers, and professionals (especially in care professions), we are creating second acts built in creative fields like writing, art, and music. For me, it is, always was, and always will be music: the love of my life. It has been present for as long as I can remember. My mother used to say that, as a baby, I would play the pedals of the piano while my older brother practiced, and I would constantly sing commercial jingles while I accompanied her on her errands. So, she had me begin my formal classical piano instruction when I turned 3. My childhood was a blur of piano competitions and school. My training focus was always classical, while my brother and I would spend hours singing and playing songs from musicals (which I still love.) But my musical life was changed forever when I discovered Tori Amos’ Little Earthquakes. My first “gig” was as a highschooler, performing songs from Little Earthquakes at a lunchtime concert at the high school I attended.
My parents always said they never meant for music to be a career, but rather a source of support while I pursued more “legitimate” work. In college, I studied computational applied math and acoustics, always flirting with the idea of walking away from it all to study music. Eventually, all of the music fell away to focus on graduate school. First acoustics and biomedical engineering, then eventually pivoting to social work. My career found its center in justice-oriented social movement work, working in prisons and with organizations focused on re-integration of people who are formerly incarcerated. I found work in arts-based community development, using social work and arts to build stronger communities. Meanwhile, my focus turned towards marriage, and raising two children. It really wasn’t until the slow-down of COVID, paired with having an early strain of COVID, that awakened an irrepressible desire inside of me to finally pursue what my heart had been wanting throughout all of those years—creating, performing, and playing music with others.
I was fortunate to find an incredibly supportive, warm, and mentoring community here in the Huntsville music scene, and I have never felt more in tune with myself than I have in these past 2.5 years. I have been performing original and cover songs, featuring voice, piano, a little guitar, and accordion. My greatest joys come from playing and writing music with other musicians, and using music to connect with other people in the community.
I perform under the name Narae (formerly Lisa’s Joy), but you can also find me listed under Lisa Chang. I am excited about this next phase of growth as an artist, uniting my passion for social justice with the arts, and helping others realize their creative potential through various events and opportunities. I am also incredibly fortunate to play with a few bands in the region, including Damnit Doll in Birmingham (we recently opened for the Verve Pipe at Work/Play) and 90 Day Warranty in Huntsville.
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?
As a parent and someone with a day job that I am passionate about (along with several side projects), the biggest obstacle is simply making time to be present for all the people and projects I love so dearly, especially my children. I am committed to making it all fit, because I want to make the most of my time on this earth and show my children that you can live out your values and passions while being present for the people you love. I know I will have lived a full and good life if I have made the world even a little brighter, better, or more beautiful for even a moment.
Other challenges include imposter syndrome and the constant battle between ego and insecurity, which I think plagues so many of us, especially creatives and those in performing arts. With respect to that, I find it helpful to always ground myself in why I am doing what I do and what drives me–to use music to bring people together and committing to living in a growth mindset. That where I am today is merely a stepping stone to where I will be in terms of skills, in terms of audience, in terms of craft, and in terms of journey in the future. Constant movement and progress toward building a better life and better world.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a musician who writes, arranges, and performs both original and cover music. I revel in re-tooling songs to provide interesting and unexpected listening experiences. I am committed to constantly growing and evolving as an artist, and as a member of our beloved communities. I am currently taking lessons in organ, different styles of keyboard performance, and accordion, but I have no plans to stop there. I’m in a phase where I am enjoying co-writing songs with other artists, learning from their unique approaches and witnessing their incredible gifts. I am passionate about connecting with people through music performance and creation, and I am grateful that I get to do what I love in the Tennessee Valley region. Right now, my message is one of growth and commitment to demonstrating that it is never too late to start learning a new instrument, exploring a new creative outlet, or finding your true and authentic self and sharing that self with other people.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success by genuine, authentic connection with other people, however brief or long and however it happens. I am incredibly honored to receive and share other peoples’ stories and journeys, while sharing my own journey through words, songs, and actions. My success is not an individual success, but rather one built on connection and community. This is why I chose the artist name Narae, reflecting my roots as the daughter of Korean immigrants.
Artist Description:
Narae Jayu is a project that was born of a life once defined by roles, expectations, and societal constraints but is now liberated, transcending the constraints that bind so many of us to convention. Narae is the Korean word for “wings”, and in this sense, wings that can envelop a community of people to shelter, comfort, inspire, and allow all of us to soar to greater heights together. Jayu means freedom to make choices for yourself and live your life that is as authentically yours as you can allow. It means to break free of the expectations we place on ourselves and that others place on us, allowing us to forge our own paths and embrace others living life on their own terms. It means to be boldly, brashly, and unapologetically ourselves. Together, Narae Jayu embodies the core values of liberation, transcendence, compassion, care, and freedom through creativity.
Narae Jayu (“wings” of “freedom” translated from Korean) is a project using music as an embodiment of freedom to forge our own paths and live our lives boldly and authentically while enveloping our communities in our wings to provide compassion, care, and inspiration, so we all soar to greater heights.
Pricing:
- $75-100/hour (negotiable)
Contact Info:
- Website: TBD
- Instagram: @lisas.joy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083004355471
- Youtube: @harperchang
