Van-Anh Nguyen // Candlelight concerts, composing and career crescendos!

realize there's more than one way. So this is a platform to hear and explore the stories of those who found lives they adore, the good, bad and ugly. The best and worst day will bear all the facets of seizing your Yay. I'm Sarah Davidson or a spoonful of Sarah, a lawyer turned unentrepreneur who swapped the suits and heels to co found Matcha Maiden and Matcha Milk Bar. CESA is a series of conversations on finding a life you love and exploring the self doubt, challenge, joy and fulfillment

along the way. Hello, Lovely Yahborhood, and welcome to our second guest, episode of the year. Continuing on our musical theme. To kick off twenty twenty three, we are chasing our classical singer Josh Pittman, with a classical pianist and one of the country's very best at that. You might remember a few weeks ago, Andre and I were lucky enough to attend a candlelight concert where we cried our way through an hour of Van Annuin's spine tingling renditions of

Disney's Best and Brightest, accompanied by cellist Ali Partridge. Well earlier that day we actually recorded an episode as well on how one actually goes from a musical childhood which is not especially uncommon to an internationally successful career, a deal with Universal Music, eleven albums accounting Arian nominations, and a dream live between LA and Australia, which is definitely

less common. You'll hear quickly how much I loved getting into the nitty gritty details of life as a professional pianist. You guys know I love to get into a niche community. How do you train your fingers? Do you have to get insurance for your hands? Can you play any song that you hear without any sheet music? And of course Van ann is one of those people who can just play any song straight after hearing it, which is incredible.

We nearly got to put her to the test at a piano shop over the road, but of course she had her show straight after, so when run out of time, I could have sat with this incredible woman for hours and watched her play for many more hours than that. I'll include some snippets of her playing actually in the show notes and on socials so you can experience her exceptional talent and unique ability to fuse Beethoven with Brittany

and somehow make it work. Her take on classical music and ability to do both the conventional and the war modern is just unrivaled. And I really enjoyed this one so much, so I hope you guys like it as much as I did. Welcome to CZA Excited. I'm so excited to have you and in person, because you're a Sydney gal. We've well, I followed you definitely for many years and then just like slid into your DMS one day and was like, hey, are you in Melbourne anytime soon?

We made a word, you know, finally you've got like two days here. I managed to grab you for an hour, so thank you so much. Thanks for having me. So before we get into the chat, I'm sure you already know one of the big things that gets me so excited is exploring a niche community and explaining also how you got there and the fact that you didn't wake

up with the career you have now. But before we get into that, your life is so beautiful and glamorous, and you're always performing and wearing beautiful gowns, and like the piano in itself is just such a glorious instrument. But I'm sure there's some really down to earth, grubby stuff. What I hope there is, because I have nothing to relate to you about absolutely. What would you say is the most down to earth thing about you? I guess it's not. Kind of the dresses are pretty, right, and

that very pretty. I don't always get to have someone to do my hair, for instance, like you're doing your own hair, you learn how to do your makeup, all those little things like if they're big shows, then you get someone to do them for you. But like and then getting from A to B, like how do I work out my uber eats? Like between shows? You know, normal things. The funniest thing when you arrived here is you were like, it looks like a moving house, but

I've just got my clothes for the concert tonight. And I've just laughed so much because there have been so many days, especially on a hot day, where I've got like seventy five coat hangers over one arm, Like whenever I'm shooting here and i rock off and I'm sweaty and I've been in an uber and I've got food out of my mouth, I'm like, it's just it looks polish on the outside, but most of it is the opposite, totally, totally.

And then like if I'm selling merch, for instance, and I have to set up the merch table, do I have any help? Am I going to hire a friend who's like a promo friend just help sell it? Or am I standing there signing seats, chatting to people and using this little square making sure the tech works because gosh, they update those things all the time. So do you do all that sometimes all of it yourself? Yeah, Like to my god, I'll be like play piano, run out,

Oh hi guys, yes, it's finals. I'm a checkout chick as well. Oh well, multi talented to say the least, so let's get into how you got to where you are today. And I think it's safe to say you're one of the most successful musicians in Australia. We just were talking about the fact that you have eleven albums, which is wild, have won all kinds of awards, some as the youngest Australian who ever achieve those accolades, and you're,

you know, just an incredibly sought after concert pianist. But I think people who walk into your life now where you're getting huge gigs, you're signed to Universal, it's like the dream forget that you were once a little kid. You once had no idea if you'd end up here. And I think we also assume with music that anyone, because you started so young, that this you know, pathway was straightforward, like you start a piano and now you're here.

But I'm sure or it wasn't like that. So can you take us back to the very very beginning, even your pathway through school and whether you thought the arts would be a career and how you kind of navigated that. Yeah, tell me about yourself. So I guess I was lucky enough to have parents both who are musicians. Oh they really Yes, My mum's an opera singer and my dad's a classical guitarist. Oh so, like literally born into this world of music, never forced into taking it as a career.

But of course everyone's like, oh, you had Asian parents, Like did they force you to parents? Exactly, No, they didn't force me to practice. I probably did honestly half an hour a day up until the age of about eight or nine, which may sound weird that it's not a lot, but there were many other peers who were like two hours a day. I had friends whose parents were like crazy, They're like, if you don't do an hour,

you're not getting breakfast. That kind of like craziness. So I was like, I had a kushi life in terms of likely half an hour a day, you know, but I enjoyed it. I remember mom was like, oh, you would ask me to give you a lesson, you know, my mom would like, go off and teach all day, come back, and then I'd be like, teach me. So yeah,

so that's sort of how it started. Did all my grades, got all of that out of the way, started doing competitions, became really obsessed with competitions, not because he was the obsession or I think it wasn't the obsession of winning. It was never about winning. It was actually about being in a space with very like minded people. And everyone was there playing piano, and I made this amazing group of friends who I'm pretty much still in touch with.

And yeah, and some of them aren't doing music anymore. Some of them went and did law or became a doctor, then ditched that went back to music. Like we have this. It's a conflict, right because with music, especially as a pianist, it's pretty lonely. Yeah, you're playing by yourself. It's not like you're a violinist and you can audition to join an orchestra and play with a group. I guess you can. It's still a piano in the orchestra, but it's a

slightly different role. Like you're kind of in the background. I want to be out the front playing and there's one of you, not like exactly seventeen pianists sitting next to like the violinist. Yes, exactly. So I always knew that I wanted to be a pianist for sure, But at the end of high school there's always that question, like what are you going to put down for what university is you're going to go to and I literally just had music as my number one and I had

nothing else, Like what else should I do? And then I guess, like I enjoyed writing and being creative in that way, so I was like, I guess journalism would be one. But this is after having gone to America to trial college. It wasn't what it was that I thought. It was, like, it was very competitive. I didn't like that kind of competition. Was just kind of in it for themselves. So then it came back did a journalism law degree, but then dropped out on the law like

four years in. Yeah, I know, I just had another year left here. My mum will never let me live that one down. Wow. Okay, that was so interesting because I think there is so much to be said for that expectation at the end of school, even for someone who obviously had shown talent and promise and passion ye not having been forced into it. I mean, you started what at thirteen months I think I read or fifteen months. It's been quoted as yes, still very young, yes, And

it kept going all this time. The fact that you even still thought, but I should put down something like and even with my parents being musicians. They were like, Oh, you should just put something like that's safer. Yeah, even still, but I guess it's always that like security. You know, being musician is literally especially a freelancer. Yeah, you're constantly either having to find work or that kind of thing.

So and I didn't want to be a teacher. I was teaching like that was kind of like my part time job. But eventually, as the travel picked up and as the show's picked up, it wasn't fair on the students to have random lessons like once every month. You know, that's not fair on them, and I knew that. I think what I understand now is you've got to throw yourself like fifty million percent into the one thing. You know, you can't have a safety because if you have a fallback,

it will always be safe. And I think by throwing yourself fully, it's like that's how I'm going to survive, Like I need to survive, So what am I going to do? Oh? I love that so much. And I think that is why while people still allow themselves a safety net, they often don't get they don't do as well, and then they're sort of they use that as proof that they should never have jumped in the first place, but you're like, no, no, no, you just never let

go fully, you never gave it a chance. And I think it's so interesting that you went down the journalism law path, even invested four years of your life in it, and must have hit a point where you were like, even though I'm so close, it like obviously hasn't disadvantaged you at all that you didn't finish. And I think there's so much pressure on us to like the should well, I should finish because I've come this far, and the

whole idea of but I've wasted four years. But I don't think anything's a waste if that's what it took you to realize that what you want is music and you can make that work without a plan by like I imagine it was a really scary decision at the time, But how did you kind of push yourself to being okay with the scary position of having no plan B like ripping the band aid and leaving a debrisity You're so far in so at the time doing journalism and law,

I was still going away to do piano competitions and still doing concerts, and it was actually it just got to a point where it was too much. I'd have to come back after two weeks of say being in Germany, and then have like four thousand pages of black Letter Lord to read and digest. And it's like constitutional law and it's so dry, and I was like, at least favorite subject, right, I was just like, I actually can't. I'm not basically, I just wasn't passionate about it. Yeah,

so then why do it? That was it. But I would advise any musician. I really wish there was like a subject like contracts that was in a music degree, because I mean, it's helped me so much just to be able to read through and slightly understand. Obviously you still need the professionals in the end, but at least it helped me like just draw up simple contracts just for basic gigs because musicians get screwed over so much.

Because yeah, totally totally, And I think that again is like being able to look at an investment of time in something and think like, I never became a lawyer. I didn't finish my degree, but I learned valuable things, and I totally nothing is a waste if you learned something from it, absolutely, even if it's to learn what you don't want that still is more information to figure

out totally what you do. All right, So then sort of not allowing yourself to have a plan B and going all in, like five hundred percent into this career, particularly a competitive one and particularly one that isn't known for stability or you know, there's so much risk going

into the creative world as an artist. How did you get from oh my gosh, I'm taking this leap, I'm going full time and then you know, building your name, Like to any aspiring musicians out there, how do particularly in something like piano where you can't work your way up inside an orchestra. If you want to solo perform, how do you make a name for yourself? How do you make the right contacts to you know, get a

contract with univers or do an album? Also being I think classical music has had such a resurgence, but it was daggy for a little while as what we did in school, and you've made it like you did. I think it was techno to Chopine like I was like, you are using the coolness with like your technical like it's amazing, but people don't listen to you until you've made a name for yourself. So how did you build

your pathway or path Ya as I called yes. Yeah, So the biggest thing was my mom telling me to don't wait for someone to offer you the album, right and just create it. And I was like, what do you mean, like it just like it's costly and it's you know, you need to go to a recording student. And at the time, recording was not as easy as it is now. You know, like you really had to go into a proper recording studio. I mean you still do, but the means are a little easier now there's tools.

But yeah, you know, hiring recording studios, all of that. And she's like, well, put a concert on, raise the money for it, and then use that money to create the album. And so that was the very first album that I did when I was twenty one, and it was purely classical. I was like training really hard for competitions, so it was really good to document that. I feel like that peak of being just like classical, solid classical

solo piano playing. At the same time, I was sort of battling like identity because like I love classical, but I really wanted to relate to a younger audience. I wanted to not just see white hairs at a consonant, you know, like how do you do that? It was really frustrating for me because I really wanted more people to love classical. So then fast forward like four years and I get to I was like, I'm going to fuse like beats in and that was the journey of

this crossover. And even then it was still quite classical, but it was just like, how do I inject a little bit of like hip hop beats in there or just like other elements. That's when crowdfundings started from me, and this was fun twenty twelve, so craft funding was

quite new at the time as well. And I used this platform called Potsable and it was amazing, Like I just raised a ton of money and it really helped, and I decided that I wanted to do at the end, if you donated enough money, you'd get tickets to my album launch, which was at the Sydney Opera House and so, oh, my your first album. That would have been my first crossover alb work yeah, but still self funded, independent released

all of that jazz wow. Yeah, So just like it was aiming for, like hi as high as you could right, it was like, what was my dream? I totally went trifold over budget, of course, because I didn't know how to necessary learning curve. I had no idea how to budget for anything, but had all these dreams like I'm like, oh, I want this Australian designer to create address for me, like I love fashions, and then had that element in it.

I wanted to dress my orchestra, so I had like ten musicians that were all dressed by this one designer and so like just that's why it went, you know, Trifold and all that. But yeah, so essentially like building all of those projects and then I guess word spreads and you know, nothing's better than word of mouth, I think, and then kept going, kept evolving. Universal came along four years ago, and again it's by creating and using all the tools that we have right now, like YouTube and

all the social media elements to put yourself out there consistently. Yeah, that they ended up seeing a video and it's actually the most hilarious way it started. I was on a cruise ship about to sail out of Sydney and I get this email from one of the execs and he was like, oh, can you come in for a meeting. There's this album that you sent a press release about

two months ago that we'd like to talk about. Yeah, and I was again going to self release, and this was the Pop Alchemy album, which is me like fusing Destiny's Chwer with Brittany with Beethoven. And again I was just like, I'm ready to just self release because that's what I'm used to and it's worked. And so literally they did this skype call with me on the boat

whilst I was in the middle of the ocean. You was so sketch, but yeah, I guess they saw the bridge that I was trying to create between the generations and also just trying to make classical music relevant. But also it's my personality in that, like I love the classical, I love the pop stuff, and yeah, so that's sort of where it's at. I love that you started by self releasing, because I think there is such a fear and self doubt around putting yourself out there. But particular,

I mean everyone has it. Let alone when you're doing it public, let alone when you're a performer, and let alone when you're a solo performer. That's doing something that the industry has traditionally like I imagine purists are like, what are you doing exactly? And then like pop an R and B singers are like, wait, why is there a piano in there? Like when you're doing something so different, the doubt and then comparing to what everyone else is doing and the fact that no one else has done

it before, like how did you back yourself enough? And even crowdfunding like you're kind and selling tickets like I feel like my biggest fear is always selling tickets to an event because what if no one wants to come or totally will I look silly? Like the fear of failure. Obviously, you know that you're technically amazing, but did you ever have that imposter syndrome or that worry of like what if it flops? What if everyone hate? What if no one comes? Like how do you get through that? As

a performer? I mean, I guess from the classical world, we grew up playing to like ten people in a room, so anything is a bonus. The bar is loan my mom and dad, but also ten very critical people. Yeah, you know they're listening to every single note watching you, So yes again that identity crisis of and also letting go of this whole idea of do I have enough integrity in the music? Are they going to blast me for mixing these things? You sell out? Exactly. I've had

those trolls, but I don't care. And it had to get to a point where I didn't care. Like, if you believe in what you're doing, like five thousand percent, then hopefully other people like it. Emits the same energy out and someone will connect you know. Yeah, I guess it's like believing in yourself silly, yeah, one hundred and I think, Yeah, the minute you don't care is the minute you excel because suddenly you're not controlled by those opinions. Yeah.

Just I mean, obviously you care about what you're doing, but not other people's perceptions. Yeah. Yeah, Oh that's such

good advice. So from a day to day perspective, what does it actually evolve to be a full time concert pianist, Like you know, Josh was mentioning that he doesn't speak from a certain time during the day, because I was like, oh my god, wait, your voice is your tool, Like you can't just chat on the phone for hours, so you like, your fingers and your hands are obviously your tool, but also like how do you balance concerts with album recording with you know in house private corporate stuff, Like

what is the balance of and practice and writing? Yeah, how do you divide your time? That's hard to It's different on a day to day basis. I guess you do have certain seasons where things are busier. Like corporate season for instance, was like October through to December. It was just nuts, like events bleeding out of your ears. Yeah, so then I kind of prioritize those things first during that time, and then in terms of practice, Yeah, obviously

trying to keep a practice every day. I probably don't practice as much as back when I was competing, for instance, but you know, a solid hour and a half to two hours every day just to like keep your repertoire going. Yeah, and then if I'm learning new stuff for new shows, for instance, then yeah, that amount of time will increase. Usually the first thing in the morning is the best. That's when I'm clearest and I'm not like distracted by emails and those sorts of things. As you go along,

it's just you know, trying to deal with scheduling exactly. Yeah, So yeah, scheduling shows. Usually shows do get scheduled I'd say like at least six months in advance, so I do have my calendar for that long. It's a little different to say musical theater where they've blocked in you know, we're doing a season in Sydney for this long season. But having said that, I do have sort of my rotation, So six months in Australian, six months based in the US.

I saw, like, so you're living between amazing, so never a winter I know, I'm going to say summer chasing amazing. Yeah. So by having that, that definitely gives me a parameter of what time I'm you know, your what country. Yeah, so there's a system already that kind of we just roll along with it. Now, Yeah, do you not play sport? Like are there things you don't do because you're like my fingers might get Yeah, so insurance, so insurance for fingers.

They'll they'll tell you like what you can encope do for instance, like I'm like I'm not day Loo's bum but but almost but yeah, so like no basketball, Like my piano teacher in when I was in year eleven, for instance, she was like, you can't play tennis anymore? And that like broke my heart because She's like, you're risks. It's too risky. It's too risky, and it's true. So do you have to do any particular like moisturizing now, like do you cramp? Like how do you train your fingers?

I guess that's just the practice, right, like, because I actually do compare musicians to athletes because it's literally if you don't train consist then you go into doing an hour and a half show like yeah, and you'll have and you'll get you know RSI or yeahs like is the piano elbow? No, but it's basically like RSI or tendonitis. It's notorious pianists get them all the time. It's so up here, the paint up here, joints here. What do you do about it? Like rehab or like pilates. Yeah,

there's a lot apparently luckily north Wood. Yeah, I've not had it, but yeah, a lot of people go through it and it's really sad. Wow. Yeah, and then God forbid arthritis later on, and you see that a lot in sort of older musicians. But yeah, I think the consistency, and I saw this a lot through the pandemic, is that some musicians just kind of sat back and was like, Oh, I don't have any gigs, I'm not going to do anything.

But then once things opened up and they went slammed into like back to back shows, that's, of course you're going to injure yourself, which is the set. Yeah, the same as anything is. If you're out of practice, you can't expect to perform that at the same level that

you have before. Exactly. I'm so fascinated by also, like the really fine distinction between loving something and learning to be good at it through practice, and also being born with an innate talent, particularly in the arts, because I think there are people who are not necessarily the technically best, but who have the most heart when they perform, and then vice versa, and then there are people who don't read sheet music but can play by ear and also

the reverse. Do you think that you were born with an amazing musical ability and then have honed it or do you think you learned it? Do you read sheet music innately? Do you play without it? Like how has your repertoire built itself? And now if you hear a song, could you just like sit down and play it or dold you need the sheet music? I can definitely just play it from just hearing it. Yeah, it's a little fun party trick when you press like a cord and

then I'll be like, yep, that's GF shops. Yeah, your brain just does that, and it always like was it easy for you when you were younger? So I really believe that this So with that kind of stuff like being called perfect pitch, that I think you're born with it, but you have to have had someone develop it, otherwise it just sits there dormant. Yes, So I was lucky enough for my parents to just nurture all of that.

And I'm the oldest of three and I'm kind of I was like the guinea pig, right, Mum was like, let's see what we can do. Yeah, you know, so I think I was lucky enough with that. But at the same time, I love those diagrams where it's like how much of it is talent, how much of it is hard work, and how much of it is luck And it has to be a combination of the three. I think the hard like talent is great, but if you don't work with on your talent, like it's just

going to go to waste. I think, yeah, it will only get you so far. As well. So true, And I think luck is the same, like people off and attribute too much to like they're like, oh, I was so lucky to get here, And it's like maybe that pushed you a third of the way, but without talent, but also the you know, dedication and hard work in the hours and bloodsweat and tears like it does. It takes all three of those things so much. And I don't think we think about that as much, no, I think,

And it's a constant struggle for classical musicians. I think because there's so many talented musicians out there, and I get frustrated seeing some of these talented musicians. I'm like, but why aren't they like biggest stars, you know, why aren't they doing the world tour. It's like, you're so freaking talented. But it's the networking as well, yeah, you know, and I hate to say it, but it's it's compulsory, yeah, like engracing your profile as well as your technical proficiency.

I think that's the same with a lot of people. They find like they hate social media, oh yeah, and they get resentful. But then it's like, well, if you harnessed it, and I know that it feels like a distraction from what you're doing, But it's actually really complementary to what you're doing, because no one knows about your talent unless you promote the talent. Like, even though it feels weird, it's so necessary. Yeah, and then they're like, oh my gosh, but now I'm like commercial and you're

hardly commercial, darling. You're not making any money's commercial. But it's like kind of old conservative, classical mentality, and I just it's really tough. Yeah, hard to see. What is your favorite kind of performance and favorite composer to perform or favorite genre? Like do you prefer the big auditorium or do you prefer the intimate? Do you prefer like tonight, I'm so excited tonight we get to come and see

you play Disney. Like what is your ultimate dream? If you had no money, expectations, no time restraints, nothing, what would you do? That's a dream question. It's such an interesting one too, because of course other things come into play, But if you could just do you know, one thing over and over again, what would it be? So I have this concert series that is called Perfect Pairings where I pair music with wine. Oh my god, why would I come to that? Yeah? I know it's really hard

to put on though. So essentially I started in twenty fifteen, and I have a very keen interest in wine, Like my dad fed me wine from when I was twelve years old. Like that's why I'm so good a piano, because I've wasted all the time. I don't deal with nerves.

I'm just drunk. Yeah, it counts the nerves. Yeah. So essentially, because of this love of wine and then this love of piano, I wanted to put it together and in a way where the language and the words you use to describe wine is very similar to how you describe certain pieces, And so I would take people journey and so you think, like champagne is like bubbly, so like you'd play something light and bubbly, and then you take them on that journey of a wine tasting flight, and

you go into the whites a bit heaviert, lighter reds, heavier reds, and so you take them on a journey. It's the same way I would create a concert without the wine, with or without, but this now is adding that extra element of sense of taste, right, not just listening and watching, but it's taste as well. So I'd work with some alias, i'd work with chefs, And since then we've done six different countries in vineyards and then

in like cellar doors and that kind of thing. Oh my god, but that's that's literally my dream job because I get to drink on the no because it's like that, that's my love language. That's amazing. Yeah. So I have this big thing on this show that not only do most people have more than one passion or more than one joy, but someone out there is looking for exactly

what you have. Like even if the combination of your two passions is kind of weird or they don't necessarily automatically go together, someone out there wants you to combine them in a way that's really unique and different. And I think often we think, well, wine doesn't help my music, or music doesn't help my wine, So unless it's related to my job and it's going to make me more successful, like I won't waste time. Whereas I think, like, put them together and find a way to unite them, because

that makes you so happy, it makes you. I think it's like being more conscious as well, because for instance, if you were cooking at home, yeah, you turn music on, right, I think, Yeah, one hundred percent would your poor glass of wine the Valdie right, Oh amazing, there you go. So then and once you sit down like shit in the pan ya that's me summer. And then you sit down, you might change your music and then you have dessert or like at the end of the night, you might

change your music again and you change your wine. But this is done subconsciously. Yes, I think for the most part. I don't want to generalize, but you just turn it on, like what am I feeling right now? But once you make it a conscious thing by marrying the two things together, it changes how you listen, It changes how you taste things. Wow. So okay, follow on to that question about like dream scenarios.

If there was anyone you could play with if he's listening, like dead or alive or even just sit with, who would be like the five composers or musicians who you would love to do either a collab with or just be or learn from or be around or to play Who are your favorite people to play? Marry Well Chopin's my favorite classical composer because he pretty much dedicated his

entire life writing music just for the piano. So I think that's so unique and he only lived for thirty nine years, so really yeah, he was really sick a lot of the time. So you know, just to think like what he gave us and what he could have for maybe another thirty years given us. So I find that fascinating, Like I'd love to sit down with him John Legend, as I mentioned, because I'm literally going to try and get this into his ears somehow, like the

six groes of Separation. I'm like, if they don't collaborate, I have failed. We're putting it up, we are putting a manifestation. Yes, yeah, And then I think Lang Lung as a pianist is just he's ticked everything, Like he's done everything. He's played with John Legend. Okay, so yeah, you together, you do a little trick exactly piano six hands, It's okay. Yeah. I just think he is incredible as a pianist and everything he has done in business wise

as well. You know, he's got his own line of pianos, and you know, it's just cool. That is so cool. The reach that he has been able to create with classical music is amazing to see. Wow. So that's three. So do you find that one of the things we

talk about a lot. There's a section called playta, which is the idea that even if you love your job, maybe especially if you love your job, you still have to always have some kind of joy or play or hobby or whatever you want to call it that's not related to in your case, music, because otherwise you get all consumed, you can't get distanced, you don't remain fresh. But also then if everything is about work, you know

you'll burn out. And there's you know, you're not meant to even if you love what you do, We're not here to just work and die. There's meant to be a place where you're just you know, totally forget what time it is or where you're just doing things for enjoyment. But because music is everywhere, like I imagine even watching movies, you'd be tuned into the score in a way that other people aren't. So how do you wind down from not thinking about music? And what do you do just

for fun other than play the piano? Drinking wine is like yeah, yeah, like going to vinyards. Yes, yeah, I don't have a drinking problem process, no problematic, normal level drinking, like actually spending time in vineyards. I think I'm talking to again, it's the I love the process. Yeah, I love the making process. I honestly, I couldn't care about the end result. Once you get there, it's done. But for me, it's the process and the challenges the whole way.

Like that brings me so much. I don't know, it's not gratification. It's just like the struggle. I love the struggle, and I love seeing it in others as well and learning from that. I know it's still work related when I'm learning things, but I really enjoy I don't know, vineyards for me are it's a happy place. Beaches. Love the beach, So that's also like clears my head for sure. And then actually after like doing a concert or being in the studio for so long, I actually don't turn

on any music in the car. Yeah. You just need quiet, like absolute silence, and it's like a crazy person, but like you're a psychopathic no, Yeah, it's amazing. We need to sit in stillness more often. Yeah, Like and sometimes I just sit in the car silently, not driving, just over by myself, just sitting in the car. Yeah. I know, now I sound really crazy, but not at all, especially

given that sound is your everything. Yeah, like the idea of not having sound stimulation is probably your brain's way of just like chilling out, It's true, Yeah, like you just subconsciously analyze everything. Yeah. Yeah. And I feel like once like whatever you love, whatever that happens to be, you start seeing that in the world everywhere around you. And so unless the world is never going to go by the way, here is a way for you to switch off. You actually have to choose to block it out.

Otherwise you could continue being stimulated forever and never come down from that high. So I feel like for you that would be cutting off music. Otherwise your brain would just be like yes, yeah, sometimes, I mean sometimes I try to listen to other genres of music, but even then I'm like analyzing it. Yeah, how can you think this? Yeah, or be like, oh, that's an interesting sound. I'll add that to the next light production. So yeah, so what

is next for you? What is like I was looking at a schedule before, and you literally have a different state every like day and a half. Then are on a boat, then a back, then you're back in Melbourne. You're doing the Candlelight series. Is I went to for Valdi four seasons, so it was the first one I went to and that was a string quartet. But tonight we're coming to see you for Disney and you're doing a series of those. What else is coming up? What

else do you hope? Like, is there any big bucket list item in your career or in life that twenty twenty three holds for you? Like, so it's very much. I mean, the Candle Light series is continuing and I do that throughout Australia and over in the States as well, So this is light but everywhere, don't they? Yeah? Yeah, it kind of like started in Madrid. Funnily enough, it's started in Spain, but then they have their American company and then it's spread to Australia. But it's Fever. Is

that the company? Yes, yeah, right, yeah, so that's kind of the platform. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, So yeah, a couple of those. There's a really big actually a big free one that they don't like to advertise. But what is that fed square on Valentine's Day? Gosh, it's really beautiful. There's like I actually think there's ten thousand candles out there. WHOA.

We did it last year and it was wild. It is for anyone who doesn't know what these are it's a series of concerts all around the world in different locations like at the Athename Theater. I think I went to one at the State Light as well. Yeah, tonight's is the National Theater. Like they're all over the place and they're done by candlelight. And in Australia because of oterness, they're done by not real candles. No, no really, yep,

they're all they're all the flickering LEDs. I think because I was like typical Australia Europe that just be like oh no, but it feels like real. It would be in flames my dress. Yeah, yeah, I have not so many of us. It's so magical, the know, like lights light, normal lighting. Yeah, again it changes how you listen. But yeah, then then there's different programs. It's classical programs and then there's sort of more tribute programs like last week I

did Fleetwood Mac Friends. Yeah, and it's like it's super nice and just to be able to create instrumental versions of these songs, I think for me again, it's that cross pollination of classical upbringing and learning these instruments, but trying to emulate like a band or trying to emulate a vocal line, you know, So creating interesting versions and arrangements of these songs is what you write them all for?

These rite for a lot of well for my shows definitely, oh yes, because I enjoke because then again it's sort of of me that they're hearing. Yeah, I can totally play someone else's arrangement, and I have done that for various other shows, but part of the enjoyment is putting a part of me in it. Yeah. Oh, I'm even more excited. Yeah. So these arrangements yeah, which then, funnily enough, translated into the Princess and the Piano album which came

out last sight. Yeah, and that is what else is coming and unnamed as yet fourth album with Universal, Yes, which is coming out. When is that I think we're aiming. Yeah, so I'm starting to kind of demo ideas and play

around with arrangements, yeah, and just creating. So essentially the idea behind it is creating a Lullabis album, but we don't want to do the traditional lullabies, you know, we want to again make it a little more relevant, but create classical mellow versions of late nineties and early two thousand R and B tunes. Oh my gods so excited. Yeah, yeah, or the mummas, can you sing along to their babies or not? Just play for yourself, just by myself my car at the side of the road. You're silent on

one side of the road. I'm on the other side. Does it just come to you, like will you just be in the shower and suddenly you're like, I hear the composition for this particular R and B song in Lalla by form on the piano, like, how do you convert it? Definitely some more melodic and lyrical ones. I always try to find those, because like, you do need the melody there in the first place. But that's why

the nineties and two thousands are great. It's that I find R and B these days is very different, Like it's really like one note you just be on the Yeah, so slightly different. But then I definitely have to sit at the piano to flesh it out. And yeah, so like Neo's so Sick, for instance, It's like that works for sure, I'm so excited, so yeah, just flashing it out, And that's that's the thing. It does take time. You can't just sit at a piano and suddenly be like, oh,

I have a free hour. Let's do this because your brain also might not be inspired at that point. Yes, So if I've got a lot on my plate with shows, it's again, yeah, it's It's definitely a juggle. But I'm very passionate about this album and I can't wait for it to come out. So it will come out hopefully by the middle if not, yeah, middle of this year, or we'll be following along closely. I'm so excited too. Well.

Second last question for you, just to finish up, what are three interesting things about you that don't normally come up in conversation. Oh my gosh, only someone who lived with you would know, Like, weird habits, middle names, quirky like party tricks other than being out of player without reading the sheet music. I set my alarm clock at really weird times. Yeah, like eight forty two. Oh yeah,

all nervous. I'm like a round number gap. Oh really yeah? Yeah, even my volume has to be on an even number. Oh my gosh, yeah, are you superstitious? No, it's not even for that reason. It just looks gross, Like I'm just like very mildly OCD. Sometimes, like if someone leaves it at like forty seven, I'm like, oh no, no, I can't do that. But I kind of like trick

my own brain. I'm like, if I set my alarm at eight forty two, it means I've got three more minutes to just hang to, just just chill, just snoop in the bed. Three minute. Yeah, I get it. Like if it's if I say I'll do something at seven o'clock, yeah, but it gets to like seven o three, I'll be like, oh I have to do it at eight o'clock. Like I'll just wait, stop it. I'm like very even, like round numbers. Yeah, how weird. Yeah, kind of odd. Okay,

that's a good one. That's but I feel like I'm generally like quite organized, and you know, like, yeah, but that's that's an odd one. Are you good at languages? Because of music? So I learned German? Right, yeah? And I did it for my HSC again because I thought it would be handy for music to All great composers were German, right yeah. So I thought I actually thought I would end up in Vienna to study. And so I was like, okay, let's get ahead. I love me

just organized. Do you speak Vietnamese? I do? I don't speak read and write actually you have to speak anti Vietnamese. No way, Oh I didn't know that. Yeah, yeah, you guys can have a chat later. Ah yeah, my mom again, she's amazing. She's a teacher, right, she's got all the patients in the world. So in our school holidays, she she had a great way of like getting us to learn.

She'd be like, Okay, so we'll learn Vietnamese today, and then I want you to write an email to your uncles and aunts in Vietnam and for every hundred words, I'll give you a dollar. And I was like, oh, sweet, smart lady. That's like, that's how I'm going to earn my puppet money. It's all about incentivization. That's all you need to do. Put some food or money and I'll do anything. Yeah. Absolutely, so yeah that was That was

in our school holidays. That's what we do. And like for the third thing, this is a random question that I actually should have asked earlier. I just didn't think of it until now. Did you find when you were younger that there was any particularly because you did music from such a young age. Was there, ever, did you ever experience any racism when you were younger for being like the typical Vietnamese with Tiger parents learning piano or

doing classical music, Like it's so stereotypical. Did you ever find growing up in Sydney hard in that respect? So this is the wild thing. And because I guess this conversation is definitely in the forefront in the last couple of years, I find with Asian hate and whatnot that I had to question myself and then I asked my parents as well. I said, did we experience any bullying or racism? And the answer is actually no, not until I was joining a cruise ship in Perth, sadly, but

after school, oh yes, well and truly oh yeah. And we grew up in a very white Australia area. We were the only Vietnamese kids in the school. But it was never did I feel polarized or never do. It really was beautiful, like especially having heard other people's stories, and never like oh, she just plays piano, she's a freak, like you know, none of that either. I felt really lucky for somehow magically we I don't know, dodged it.

But I also think that's beautiful because I think because it's become such a big conversation as well, it's almost like everyone's not says that it happened, but it's almost like you feel like it should have happened because everyone else said it happened. So it's like even though you said you had to dodge it, yeah, like it should be that way. Yeah, you shouldn't have had that experience. But it's unusual for someone, I think, to say, actually, no,

I didn't when I was. I did in high school when any kind of difference was, you know, something that we were all trying to suppress and all look the same whatever. But primary school kids just don't even I don't even notice. And I love that about young children that don't see. And I think I even till now, I'm I don't really notice if you're the only Asian in the room, Like I don't that the sage're not aware of it. Men, Yeah, until someone points it out and I was like, oh, yeah, I guess it doesn't

have to be a big part of your identity and experience. Yeah, but for sure, I'm proud to be Vietnamese, and I'm even more proud now, like when I see, you know, the representation that is out there, Like I'm the biggest campaigner for it, you know, but I do feel super lucky that that was how I was raised and I had beautiful, full friends around me and support. Yeah, yeah, oh wonderful. Well, very last question, because I love quotes so much, what is your favorite quote if you have on?

Oh my gosh, I should have thought about this coming on to here, because you are the queen of quotes. Only if you have one, or even just like a philosophy or a motto, gosh, I actually don't, and I read them every day, you know, and I get inspired by them every day. But I wouldn't say I have. I guess the philosophy that I love to go by is like, nothing's impossible, and don't be afraid of the word no, like if rejection love, Yeah, just don't be afraid of it. I love that. I always say, rejection

is simply redirection. Yes, it's amazing. Yeah, it's usually like that actually, just wasn't meant for you, right, go on to that other thing, right right? And yeah, and don't be afraid to cold email someone and they don't reply. It's okay. Also, you know, not replying is rejection, but it's okay. It's not like no one knows. Yeah, it's not that embarrassing. Yes, that's fine. Yeah, we're so scared

of that feeling of looking silly. Yes, just do it. Yeah, thank you so much for having me so fascinating and I'm so excited about that. I will be. If you hear some random singing in the broad or dancing or like coming out, It'll be like, oh my god, get that chick out of the back row. Love it. Make sure to include the links to everything your website, your pages, tickets to your shows whenever your album comes out, or make sure to share with the neighborhood. Thank you so

much for joining. Thank you what an amazing woman with such a special talent. As promised, I will put the links to van AND's pages and upcoming shows too for anyone interested. As usual, please shower van And with some neighborhood love. Were so generously giving us her time, especially just hours before a double show, tagging at van an official and us so we can keep growing the neighborhood

as far and wide as possible. Meanwhile, Melbourne family, our first sold out IRL date is coming up next week and I'm so excited to meet you all. And Sydney. As promised, we are coming up the week after and there are only a few tickets left for that. I think that's maybe only two or three at the time of recording this for Friday, February twenty fourth, so don't

miss out on snatching those last tickets out. We are so excited and already have done way more in the first two months of this year than we did all of last year. So we're up and up at the moment. The state that makes the most noise is the one that we will visit next. Oh my god, I'm starting a fight, So start pestering us if you're keen for a neighborhood catch up near you, if we haven't booked your city already. In the meantime, I hope you're all having a wonderful week and are seizing your yay