Engineer By Day, Artiste By Night: Meet The TTDI Girl With 1.9 Million Spotify Plays
JAIE is definitely one to watch out for this year.
By Jia Vern Tham — 01 Apr 2019, 07:45 PM
TTDI-born Chelsea Chan, better known as JAIE, already has a breathtaking CV at merely 23 years old
Apart from being an Information Science student at Cornell University – one of the eight universities in the Ivy League – JAIE is also an up and coming singer-songwriter with a whopping 1.9 million plays on Spotify.
The songstress, who has experience working as a software developer and front end web developer, also spent some time at New York University for music production and music business.
The 23-year-old's love for music began since she was in primary school
"I come from a family of music lovers... I started getting into guitar while I was in primary school and never let it go since," she told SAYS in a recent interview.
"In high school, I did a lot of arrangements and band performances, which made me think about how tracks are layered and structured. I only started writing and producing during my first year of university, so things just naturally unfolded one after the other," she added.
However, being both an engineering student and a musician has taken a toll on JAIE
"It's really tough sometimes and I get mental breakdowns every now and then," the 23-year-old said.
Nonetheless, handling both her student life and music career has taught her perseverance.
"I've grown to appreciate the tension between my engineering side and my musical side because it pushes me somehow. When it comes to handling both, I really just try to take things day by day, week by week," JAIE said.
Hailed as Malaysia's nu-soul star, JAIE has also combined her passions in engineering and music through multiple projects
She has built a website for the award-winning travel magazine Guac, created a portable solar-powered phone charger, an interactive MIDI block, and many more.
According to Red Bull, JAIE has also trained to become a barista and bartender, and even hopes to travel to Kyoto to master pottery one day!
The multitalented artiste's latest single, 'Second Guess', is a moody bop
"I was listening to a lot of Robyn (Swedish singer-songwriter) and have always loved that 'crying on the dance floor' mood," JAIE said about her new release.
The 23-year-old added that she was inspired by Radiohead as well for the music and production of 'Second Guess'.
"I wanted to make this sad pop song that had a beat you could kind of vibe to," she said.
This feature is part of the #saysplaylist series, providing your playlist with a breath of fresh Malaysian air.
If you know any Malaysian bands, singers, or songs that you think we should feature, let us know in the comments below!