By Chloe Zhu
Asia Burgess has been and continues to be many things. Competitive dancer and gymnast, avid learner of French and Spanish, lover of the glow of the sun and rustle of nature. Among all these, however, a creator of music strikes the eye. Asia Burgess is, first and foremost, a musician. Her precocious appreciation for, and astonishing talent in, music can be attributed to her growing up in the musical environment that was her family. In her own words: “there was no lack of passion for music around me.”
When listening to her music for the first time (and indeed every time after that), one becomes enraptured in a soft yet thrilling melody, evocative of everything beautiful. Asia’s voice is mellifluously hypnotic, husky at times and sonorous at others.
Asia was born and raised in Vancouver and began attending Collingwood in Grade 8. Being naturally fond of languages, she studied both French and Spanish in school, and also found an enthralling challenge in the subject of psychology. When not singing or songwriting, Asia can be found anywhere outside keeping herself active - she is a runner and hiker.
When asked about who her inspiration is when it comes to music, Asia evokes Shania Twain. She finds in her life a story that is deeply moving and uplifting, like a structure building itself from the ground up despite any and all setbacks and, above all, with a dogma of courage. “Her strength and love for her craft… I really respect that.” However, just as her music tastes span almost every genre (from R&B soul music to 70s rock to Kanye), so do her inspirations: others would be John Mayer, Stevie Nicks, Lennon Stella, and Harry Styles. What Asia finds impelling in these artists is not only their music but their unique, sometimes off-brand, stories that only they can tell to the world. If ever given the chance, she would definitely ask these individuals about the journey they undertook, and not the end; “their mistakes, their habits, what they would change if they could go back in their lives, etc. Something to get a feel for the factors that led them to where they are today.”
For Asia, “art is the best and really the only means of expression.” It is an opportunity for her to grow and expand into the limitless possibilities of what is considered art as well as to be able to make an impact in someone else’s life; art is for her the idea of being able to, through purely external factors, affect someone’s internal thoughts and emotions. She believes that “anything that was made with a conscious intention to infect someone can be considered art because it has the power to evoke emotion.”
“Corny” is the word Asia uses to describe how wholly her life is involved with music. It is everything to her and, despite her vast creative abilities, she cannot imagine a music-less world, and indeed shivers at the very thought. No matter how much energy and life she has poured into music, it always succeeds in giving even more back to her. Music is Asia’s vitality.
Asia acknowledges that there is still so much for her to learn and that - as is the case for all other art forms - there is an unbounded trajectory for her to grow and widen her scope ahead. But she has amassed a few lessons that she thinks all aspiring musicians should take note of: “putting in what you want to get out of it” is a significant one, and she stresses the importance of mastery of every aspect of music - something that comes with hard work and perseverance. She also recommends embracing the challenges and the obstacles that come your way because, if you welcome them with open arms, they will only ever allow you to become so much better. Above all, however, is to enjoy the process and enjoy every moment you spend on music; “for someone else to deeply connect with art, the creator has to do so first.”
Asia is currently studying at Berklee College of Music and she is definite about wanting to continue having music as a big part of her life in the future. Simply being in the invigorating presence of music - not necessarily even as an artist - as part of her career is what Asia hopes for, and a dream would be to be “working in management of the music industry, with a record label.”
Whatever career path she chooses to pursue, I am sure that Asia will always find in music her happy place, and that she will, one day, join the ranks of her inspirational figures in having beautiful, courageous, and creative stories to tell.
Asia Burgess has been and continues to be many things. Competitive dancer and gymnast, avid learner of French and Spanish, lover of the glow of the sun and rustle of nature. Among all these, however, a creator of music strikes the eye. Asia Burgess is, first and foremost, a musician. Her precocious appreciation for, and astonishing talent in, music can be attributed to her growing up in the musical environment that was her family. In her own words: “there was no lack of passion for music around me.”
When listening to her music for the first time (and indeed every time after that), one becomes enraptured in a soft yet thrilling melody, evocative of everything beautiful. Asia’s voice is mellifluously hypnotic, husky at times and sonorous at others.
Asia was born and raised in Vancouver and began attending Collingwood in Grade 8. Being naturally fond of languages, she studied both French and Spanish in school, and also found an enthralling challenge in the subject of psychology. When not singing or songwriting, Asia can be found anywhere outside keeping herself active - she is a runner and hiker.
When asked about who her inspiration is when it comes to music, Asia evokes Shania Twain. She finds in her life a story that is deeply moving and uplifting, like a structure building itself from the ground up despite any and all setbacks and, above all, with a dogma of courage. “Her strength and love for her craft… I really respect that.” However, just as her music tastes span almost every genre (from R&B soul music to 70s rock to Kanye), so do her inspirations: others would be John Mayer, Stevie Nicks, Lennon Stella, and Harry Styles. What Asia finds impelling in these artists is not only their music but their unique, sometimes off-brand, stories that only they can tell to the world. If ever given the chance, she would definitely ask these individuals about the journey they undertook, and not the end; “their mistakes, their habits, what they would change if they could go back in their lives, etc. Something to get a feel for the factors that led them to where they are today.”
For Asia, “art is the best and really the only means of expression.” It is an opportunity for her to grow and expand into the limitless possibilities of what is considered art as well as to be able to make an impact in someone else’s life; art is for her the idea of being able to, through purely external factors, affect someone’s internal thoughts and emotions. She believes that “anything that was made with a conscious intention to infect someone can be considered art because it has the power to evoke emotion.”
“Corny” is the word Asia uses to describe how wholly her life is involved with music. It is everything to her and, despite her vast creative abilities, she cannot imagine a music-less world, and indeed shivers at the very thought. No matter how much energy and life she has poured into music, it always succeeds in giving even more back to her. Music is Asia’s vitality.
Asia acknowledges that there is still so much for her to learn and that - as is the case for all other art forms - there is an unbounded trajectory for her to grow and widen her scope ahead. But she has amassed a few lessons that she thinks all aspiring musicians should take note of: “putting in what you want to get out of it” is a significant one, and she stresses the importance of mastery of every aspect of music - something that comes with hard work and perseverance. She also recommends embracing the challenges and the obstacles that come your way because, if you welcome them with open arms, they will only ever allow you to become so much better. Above all, however, is to enjoy the process and enjoy every moment you spend on music; “for someone else to deeply connect with art, the creator has to do so first.”
Asia is currently studying at Berklee College of Music and she is definite about wanting to continue having music as a big part of her life in the future. Simply being in the invigorating presence of music - not necessarily even as an artist - as part of her career is what Asia hopes for, and a dream would be to be “working in management of the music industry, with a record label.”
Whatever career path she chooses to pursue, I am sure that Asia will always find in music her happy place, and that she will, one day, join the ranks of her inspirational figures in having beautiful, courageous, and creative stories to tell.
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