A Conversation with Jeffrey Chang
If you’re addicted to Youtube like I am there’s no doubt you would have come across Jeffrey Chang. The multi talented musician got his start on the platform by opening a channel under the name of Jeffreyfever. Jeffreyfever served as a memoir that allowed Jeffrey to tell his personal stories through short skits that he would write and direct himself. The channel gained 360,000 subscribers and introduced Jeffrey to a legion of fans and supporters who go by the name of Jeffreaks. After seven successful years on Youtube as Jeffreyfever, Jeffrey decided to leave the channel behind to pursue his passion for music and begin his career as a musician.
We recently had the pleasure of chatting to Jeffrey about his journey as Jeffreyfever, his transition from a Youtuber to a musician, his thoughts on Asian representation and everything else in between.
E&W: How have you been lately and what have you been doing whilst staying at home?
Jeffrey Chang: I have been feeling great. My daily schedule consists of waking up at 7AM, Eat breakfast, Record TikTok video content from 9AM to noon, Lunch, Sometimes take a nap or do a livestream & then I take a few steps to my bedroom music studio to either study music production or I start songwriting/play with my musical instruments.
E&W: What have you learnt about yourself during this stay at home period?
Jeffrey Chang: This quarantine season forced me to let go even more of expectations about my professional life. Just do it, expect nothing. That allowed me to create again and just have fun. I'm close to my family but it also sparked so many great conversations on life. My dad is newly retired and my mom works at a hospital so I get to hear a lot of stories and learn from them.
E&W: It has been a few years since you stepped away from Jeffrey fever to pursue music, what are the most important lessons that being Jeffreyfever taught you and how do you apply these lessons in your new chapter?
Jeffrey Chang: Wow, what a good question. As I've previously mentioned, I had a hard time expressing myself in school and that's why I started the YouTube channel JeffreyFever. It was an outlet to express myself. Throughout the years, It helped me have a 3rd person point of view on myself and see who I was as a person. It taught me that whatever my bullies said about me were false. How I wasn't good enough, that was false. Everyone is good enough, they just have to see it. It taught me that art takes time to become better. Music has been a childhood dream and the only thing that was hard to accept because I knew it required a big leap of faith. JeffreyFever taught me that great work takes time. You need to do do & do. I'm applying that to my music. I told all my friends "If my music isn't good, I'm just not good enough, period". I'm accepting that reality but proud that I'm still going at it. I started a little late but I'll put 3x the effort If I have to. It allowed me to ultimately be self-aware of my skill-set and be ready to fail at any moment but still be proud that I'm going forward and doing it which is already scary enough.
E&W: What were some of the biggest challenges and fears you faced when transitioning from being a Youtuber to a musician?
Jeffrey Chang: The biggest I faced was a lack of credibility and lack of resource. I went to LA for 6 months to meet as many musicians as possible so they could guide me through this journey. Couch surfed, slept on floors, travelled on buses, emptied my savings, etc. Came home empty handed and disappointed. I was just a "comedian"/"vlogger" to them; not a musician. With no mentorship and no one taking me seriously, it made me face a harsh reality.
E&W: What is your favorite genre of music ?
Jeffrey Chang: I grew up Ballroom dancing so I was exposed to a lot of Pop, Jazz and Latin music.
E&W: Who are some of your favorite artists?
Jeffrey Chang: I grew up listening to artists like Michael Jackson, Michael Buble, Tom Jones, Deam Martin & Billie Joel. Right now, I love Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Khalid, Shawn Mendes, Post Malone, Rosalia, Maluma.
E&W: When will Jeffreaks be able to download a full Jeffrey Chang EP ?
Jeffrey Chang: To be honest, I'm not 100% sure. I've released 6 songs so far for free on YouTube & Soundcloud. All of which I don't have clearance on meaning that they cannot be streamed on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, etc. That's why 3-4 months ago, I started to learn how to produce my own music. It's HARD. But, I'm continuously trying to make more short demos to show my skill-set and just musical/writing style. I'm all self-taught. My goal is to see if I can produce a full song from A to Z, release it for people to hear and hopefully in the near future, finally meet musicians that will take the time to guide me more in this journey.
E&W: I saw in one of your Jeffreyfever videos that you are trilingual, do you ever plan on releasing music in Cantonese or French ?
Jeffrey Chang: Love this question. I get that a lot aha. Right now, most of what my art is a big pile of my inspirations. The art I consume the most is in English so naturally, I mimic that.
I would definitely love to make songs in Cantonese or French but I think I would want to learn more about artists that use that language or be dived into that mind frame. I'm definitely open to it.
E&W: How would you describe your style?
Jeffrey Chang: Fashion style, I'm really open to anything. Growing up ballroom dancing, I'd wear suit & ties on weekends, then I would wear formal casual attires to impress my friends while being able to fit in and interestingly enough, for the longest time I never was a fan of relaxed sweatpants style. I always loved to dress up and match colours or different styles together. Recently however, I've seen teens wear sweats on TikTok and look pretty cool so I tried it and I don't mind it at all.
E&W: Your social media platforms have allowed you to partner with various fashion brands including Guess and Alexander Wang. How do you decide on the brands that you work with and have these opportunities changed your personal style ?
Jeffrey Chang: I'm incredibly grateful to have worked with GUESS. I was surprised to even received that email. In terms of fashion brands, I'm very open. I'd say it depends on their seasonal collection and if their campaign fits with how I feel at that time. I don't expect these opportunities so I go by feeling when I receive them. After being an Ambassador for GUESS, I definitely started to open up to wearing jewellery such as watches, bracelets, etc. which I didn't use to do. I also got to work with ADIDAS this year. I've grown up wearing their clothing and I've read a lot on how this German company rose to such success. It was only natural for me to say yes to the dress instantly. As for Alexander Wang, I actually have never worked with them. I just bought one item from their seasonal collection and tagged them. Would love to work with them though. Besides, my last name rhymes with theirs so... Coincidence? I think not.
E&W: Are there any brands you’ve yet to work with that you’d like to partner with ?
Jeffrey Chang: Many! I'd love to work with Calvin Klein, Nike, YSL & Louis Vuitton. I grew up fascinated by their marketing campaigns and always wondered how it would feel like to be a part of that.
E&W: Do you feel social media has played a positive role in the increase of Asian representation in Western mainstream media ?
Jeffrey Chang: It has definitely grown. It would be a lie to say social media didn't help expose our culture to a broader audience. However, I think our influence is still very limited even today in 2020 in terms of Western mainstream media.
What I've seen be really interesting are companies like 88rising & the K-Pop industry making a dent into the mainstream media in terms of Asian representation. Artists like Rich Brian & Niki Zefanya are such great talented role models and their native country, Indonesia, is rooting for them and I think we're seeing that support through social media all the way here in America; it's fueling us to do the same. I love it. K-Pop has obviously created such a cool & safe space for us to be proud of where we come from no matter what's your ethnicity.
E&W: What message would you like to give to young people of Asian descent living in the West who still may feel underrepresented in mainstream media ?
Jeffrey Chang: It starts with YOU. Individual per individual. I believe a lot of us want to become artists or be a part of the entertainment industry but fear has pushed most of us to not start.
Truth is, we're an academic driven culture and this path to entertainment is very obscure for our elders. You will feel like you're alone and misunderstood for the first few years. What I've learned with time is that it was my own duty to educate my parents about this topic.
I had to become a teacher to my parents which felt so weird but when you zoom out and understand their upbringing and culture, it is simply normal that they don't always understand this new social media wave. Be forgiving to yourself, be forgiving to the people that don't understand right away. When you do something that your peers have never seen before, you will face resistance. Other than that, just keep going and growing.
E&W: You are an inspiration for those who want to follow their dreams and passions, what advice would you give to someone who may be too afraid to chase their dreams?
Jeffrey Chang: First of all, It's okay to be afraid. I was afraid too. I still am. lol. BUT Happiness is what I'll always put first. Fear is in everything. The real question is, will you let fear be stronger than your own happiness? I wanted to do music for over a decade and never pursued it because of fear until my own reflection caught up to me and I was faced with depression. I didn't want to accept my calling because it was too scary. Truth is, You're true self will always catch up to you when you don't go that route. Eventually, you have to make a choice, you have one life. Why not make it the one you want?
E&W: What can we expect from Jeffrey Chang in 2020 Post COVID19 ? What are you most looking forward to this year ?
Jeffrey Chang: I'm super excited about this year but to be honest, I'm not sure what to expect. Like I've said in my 2nd answer, I've learned to let go. I'm creating content everyday on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and I'm improving 'slowly' at producing my own music. I'm just excited that I'm doing what I love. I'm finally doing it! I don't know if it's going to be this year but my future aspirations are to collab more with fashion brands, create an album, go on tour and stay humble through it all.
Image: @herronre
Be sure to follow and support Jeffrey and his music career on his official Instagram, Soundcloud and Tiktok accounts
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Written by: Jourdie
Photos provided by: Jeffrey Chang