WeiWei is an Asian American Pop Singer/Songwriter. WeiWei’s music is autobiographical; her sound is electro/synth pop and as an artist she sees herself breaking down boundaries as the first Asian-American name in pop music that isn’t under the ‘K-Pop’ banner. Her music is not only representative of her story but also of freedom from cultural boundaries simply by the pursuit of it. She writes about the emotions we all move through in life (love, jealousy, regret) in a fun, honest and relatable manner.
Her new single, ‘Trophy Girl’, is about a toxic, controlling relationship, where the woman feels the pressure to conform to the stereotype of the submissive, quiet Asian woman. The song also explores issues around self-image and weight.
“The track was inspired by the feeling of liberation from expectations of what a girlfriend, wife or woman should be. I was dating someone who had traditional (and outdated in my opinion) views and we were talking about marriage. I got to a point where I realized that I simply wasn’t capable of being the perfect girl who cooks, cleans and listens to what the guy says. I am far too strong for that and while I love to cook, I am terrible at cleaning haha! Writing the song really helped me heal and step into my power. I believe that when you heal yourself, you heal others and I hope that when people listen to the song, they too feel empowered and confident and that it will also help them get out of controlling relationships.”
– WeiWei
Born in Changsha, China, her family moved to the U.S. when she was four years old. As a child, WeiWei was a musical prodigy, playing violin, piano and guitar; even then she thought she could make music her life’s ambition.
Q: Hey there WeiWei, how are you?
A: I am doing well! The weather is nice, restaurants are open! I can’t complain!
Q: Did you want to be a singer at an early age, what prompted this decision? How did you get into singing?
A: I wanted to be a singer as far back as I can remember. I really looked up to Britney Spears when I was a child but this was never something I thought I would make a reality just because I wasn’t raised in a family where anyone had made a career out of creative work. When I was a senior in college, I only interviewed at companies that had New York locations because I thought to myself, when I am brave enough to pursue this, I’ll be in the right city.
I took a job at a corporation in NYC and just felt I was in the wrong place because I had a life purpose to create music but I tried to convince myself that it was just a dream. I told myself to be who my family wanted me to be. I thought that working at a startup would solve the problem because maybe a large corporation wasn’t in the right environment. I tried that and did like it more but I knew I had to pursue music or I would never be happy in life. I took some time off of work to fully focus on music and now I am working in tech alongside my music career.
Q: How would you describe your work?
A: My songs are fun, bubbly and sassy. This current project and my next few releases will have retro, disco vibes. I love making music with a high BPM and a nice beat that drives the song.
Q: What do you want people to take away from it?
A: I want people to feel empowered and inspired to do the things they were called to do in life and to not follow anyone’s rules.
Q: What inspires you and who are your influences?
A: Life inspires me! It’s just a rollercoaster and there is always some drama to write about. The best songs come from the challenges of life that we all face. It varies but I would say Britney Spears, Kim Petras, Becky Hill.
Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?
A: Don’t worry about boys, focus on your dreams and have more faith. Everything falls into place.
Q: What’s next for you? What are you most excited about?
A: I am releasing more music. Not sure if that will be in the form of singles or an EP. I am excited to perform live! I haven’t sang in front of real people face to face in over a year!
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