Meet JC Chiam | Studio Engineer, Music Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with JC Chiam and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi JC, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born and raised in Singapore, went to Berklee College of Music in Boston before moving to Los Angeles.

Music has always been part of my life since I was a child: learning how to play the piano, teaching myself how to play the guitar, participating in band competitions and singing in choirs. What made the biggest impact on where I am today was probably attending a live concert by an Irish band called “The Script”. I remember standing there in the crowd, looking around me and listening to 12000 people in the stadium singing their song together. At that moment, every pair of eyes were glued to the band on stage, and there was an enormous feeling of unity around the stadium. It made me realize how music has the power to bring people from all walks of life together, and how it can positively impact an audience’s life in those few hours. I then decided that I want to be working in a place where music is born: a recording studio.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Personally, I enjoy working on many different styles of music. I get inspired by the different sights and sounds that surround me everyday. Recently I’ve been listening to quite a bit of 80s synth-pop, early 2000s R&B, and a few bedroom rock records. In the creative industry, everything moves so quick and trends are highly volatile. New contemporary music that are released today are most probably conceived months, and sometimes even years ago. I believe that it is important to be bold, constantly develop new flavors, and challenge popular ideas to find new sonic boundaries.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love food. Food to me is like music, the balance of flavors in food is just like the balance of different sounds and instruments in music.

Food to check out:
Pasta – Uovo
Sushi – Kazunori; Hide Sushi
Burgers – Plan Check Kitchen + Bar
Steak – Boa Steakhouse
Korean BBQ – Ahgassi Gopchang

In terms of places to visit, I think people would already have checked out the famous landmarks within the city such as the Hollywood sign, Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica etc. My personal recommendation would be to drive out of the city to visit the more scenic places around Los Angeles, such as:
– Big Bear Lake
– Joshua Tree National Park
– Ojai
– Yosemite National Park
– Sequoia National Park

These places are absolutely stunning and are perfect for a week long trip with friends. I’ve had some of the best memories at those places.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Leonard Soosay deserves a mega shoutout. Leonard is not only one of the GOATs, but also one of the most gracious and generous human beings in the business. Many lives would’ve been very different today if it wasn’t for Leonard’s selfless guidance and care.

Website: www.snakeweedstudios.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jchiamm/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiamjc/