Connect
To Top

Meet Sarah Yong

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Yong.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I came to Arizona for school (ASU) from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2013. I was vocal-trained from age 18-22, in both contemporary and classical style. I had always sang in the choir at church back home and was in a professional choir for a year. It was probably the most intense thing I had ever done in my life–training was laborious, but my vocal improvement and growth was worth it. Once in AZ, I auditioned for two acapella choirs at ASU but was turned down. I felt super discouraged but then decided to audition for the ASU Women’s Chorus. I sang in it for two years and enjoyed it hugely. Later on, I joined a seven-piece band called Groove Museum (my friend had found their ad on Craigslist looking for a singer and asked me to audition), and we performed in bars and events. I loved being in a band with so many instrumentalists, and it taught me a lot, especially in terms of stage presence and getting over stage fright. I sang both as a back-up singer and as the main singer as well, at times. I sang Blondie, Aretha Franklin, Gloria Gaynor, Bonnie Raitt, Gretchen Wilson, Olivia Newton-John, Eartha Kitt, etc., I will forever be indebted to the memories and experiences that I went through from being in that band. After about two years of singing live music, I took a musical hiatus and eventually, started to work with local producers/DJs and electronic music. The first DJ I worked with was Tryb, and his track with me led to a lot more opportunities in the EDM scene. From there, it’s been such a fun journey, with new and exciting experiences along the way. Ever since I’ve worked with Slippe, B. Stone (a local rapper), Project X, Matalo, HVRDWOOD, W.A.S.H. and Tonelow, to name a few. I also got signed on to a record label here called Drip Drop Records. I’m also apart of a team that recently opened a music school called AMMP in Mesa to teach kids and adults about djing, Ableton, video and music production, w live music tutorials, music camps and more. Right now, I’m working on some tracks with some really talented local artists, and I couldn’t be more stoked. I will also be learning how to dj and produce as well and am so excited and eager to learn. There have been many bumps in the road as a singer/songwriter, but I’m always positive that each story has had its time, purpose and lesson for me in my life.

Please tell us about your art.
I’m a singer/rapper/songwriter. I dabble in rap here and there just for fun. I mostly songwrite and sing. I get inspired by really good music/live bands/DJs/producers. I make art because I can’t imagine life without being able to sing or songwrite. When I hear a good melody line, I can’t help but add harmonies to it in my head, or when I hear a good instrumental, I add a melody and lyrics in my head. What I want people to take away from my music is to make them feel something: a stirring in their soul, a swell of emotions. I want to make them think and be moved by the song. Music is so powerful—it can heal, it can hurt, it can bring up emotions we never even knew we had—and I want people to always be able to relate to my music. I always want to be accessible as an artist and a performer. I think at the end of the day. I want people to be able to connect and be connected by my art. I remember going through my first breakup and how much music helped me heal. Even now, listening to certain songs/albums, it still manages to trigger a certain part of me, a strange sense of loss. I want to evoke emotions in people with my music, make my songs bring them back to a time of happiness, or sadness, or pain. I want to remind people how raw and real music can be for the soul. Whether it’s a pop song, slow ballad, or funky electronic track, I want to make people FEEL something. I’m also a freelance model, but that’s more of a fun side thing I like to do.

Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
My advice is never stop creating, whether in any way, shape or form. Stay creative, stay consistent. And if you feel stuck and in a rut, I encourage you to go out and experience art in any way. It can be reading a new book, discovering new artists, going to see a live band you’ve never heard of before, listening to a genre you don’t normally listen to, going to a museum, learning to cook a new dish, etc. Art is all around us, and I feel our perspective of what it is normally so limited. Sometimes it is necessary to step out of your comfort zone to broaden your horizon and perspective on life and what art is.

A lesson I wish I had learned earlier is that it’s okay to be discouraged, as long as you don’t stop pursuing what you love. Being rejected various times made me feel like I wasn’t meant to be a singer. It made me doubt myself. But I realized that you just need to pick yourself up and try again. If at first, you don’t succeed, try again, and again, and again. As they say (and they’re right!), practice makes perfect. Remember that your art, your music, may not necessarily be for everyone. And that’s okay! Everyone is entitled to what they enjoy. The music industry is not for the faint of heart. You definitely need a thick skin and a strong sense of dedication and perseverance to maneuver it, but the end results, I feel, will undoubtedly be worth it.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My work is everywhere, actually. But I really should get a SoundCloud and upload all my tracks on there so people can just see all my work in one place. In the meantime, here are the various links to my work, some older work, and some more recent work as well.

‘Chemistry’ by Slippe and I: https://goo.gl/XcspLJ
‘You Gotta Love’ by W.A.S.H and I: https://goo.gl/nLrk4a
‘City Lights’ by Norris Division and I: https://goo.gl/aEM1N3
Timestamp: 1.10.33
‘Safe and Sound- Taylor Swift ft. the Civil Wars cover’ by Sarah Tan and I: https://goo.gl/KyKqg8
‘Needed You’ by Silent J, Tracy Kimbrell and I: https://goo.gl/KDwCUY
‘Soulful’ by B. Stone, J. Sims, and I: https://goo.gl/oLxHX4
‘Missing You’ by Tryb and I: https://goo.gl/xQXXHt
‘Galaxy’ by Matalo, Clay Adams and B. Stone: https://goo.gl/MViMDs
‘We Gonna Make It’ by Project X: https://goo.gl/Ni6eEy

If people want to support my work, I would love for them to follow my social media pages, as well as buy and share my music! Sharing my events is also a huge plus. Follow AMMP (the music school I’m a part of) and Drip Drop Records and my artist page on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to stay updated!

Contact Info:

Processed with VSCO with e6 preset

Image Credit:
Roby Hutchinson Photography
Tony Perea Photography
Dino Webb Photography
Carissa Gan Photography
Khairi Zawawi Photography
Dinesh Pushparani Photography

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in