Breaking Through | 5 Questions with Ian Chang

With his debut full-length release coming this Friday, we caught up with City Slang's latest prodigy as the nomadic musician begins to lay his foundations, both geographically, and creatively.

Posted: 22 April 2020 Words: Tom Curtis-Horsfall

For Fans Of: Baths, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Son Lux

Having accumulated an impressive résumé of collaborators throughout his career including the likes of Moses Sumney and Joan As Policewoman alongside his position as a performing/recording member of Son Lux, Ian Chang takes his first step into the solo realm with debut album 属 Belonging released this Friday (29th April) on City Slang.

Stepping away from the creative comforts of Brooklyn, Chang's relocation to Dallas acted as a catalyst to helm his own project; a meticulous mash-up of melodic electronica and organic introspection, 属 Belonging brings a challenging, humanistic perspective to pop music given it's largely instrumental-focused nature. In what Chang refers to as his "third culture", the nomadic musician is beginning to lay his foundations, both geographically, and creatively.

We caught up with City Slang's latest prodigy before his debut drops this week:

- When did you first 'get into' music?

I'm lucky that my parents had me take piano lessons starting at the age of 6, and even luckier that they agreed to let me take drum lessons when I was 9! By 6th grade, music was a fundamental part of my identity, and it has only grown since!

- How would you describe your sound?

Paradoxical - both electronic and acoustic, both simple and complex, both futuristic and ancient.

- What's been your favourite performance to date?

It's so hard to pick a favourite, but one that stands out is when I supported Rafiq Bhatia's record release at National Sawdust April 9, 2018. That was particularly special as I was joined by Maralisa from Space Captain and a small choir on her vocal version of 'Romeo'.

- What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Eat well!

- What's next for you?

I'm doing a handful of live stream performances late April/early May. Beyond that, I'm working on some remixes, production projects, a new sample pack and a movie score. Trying my best to stay active, whilst practicing shelter in place.

To hear more from Ian Chang, click here.