Meet Celinda Chang | Guitarist (unpolished*, Pinktastic Plastixx, Hollywood Apocalypse)

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

Hi Celinda, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born and raised here in Los Angeles and am a proud child of immigrants from Taiwan and Hong Kong who grew up as third culture kids in their own right and have certainly shaped me into who I am today. Here are some of the things they have taught me:

Work hard and never take what you have and what you earn for granted.
Give everything your all. As long as you try your best, the outcome is insignificant.
Be open minded and take every opportunity to learn and try new things.
Treat all with respect and kindness. Give and do what you can for others without expectations.
Find your community and cherish those connections. Always be supportive and give more than you take.
Confidence is key. Stand strong and fight for what you believe in.

These are values that I carry with me into all aspects of life but particularly in my music career. The people that I’ve met, the communities that I’ve had the honor of joining, and the opportunities that I’ve had to play and create as a guitarist are things that I most certainly do not take for granted. While I am still finding myself as a person and musician on this never-ending journey of life, I am confident that I have been set up for success and that it is up to me to make the most of it.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a guitarist – which I actually haven’t been for all that long, but now I’m in three bands so here’s a little on how we got here.

I picked up the guitar in January 2021, when COVID and the resulting uncertainty and lockdowns were at their strongest. Fresh out of college and the hectic student lifestyle, I had just precariously moved across the country to start a government job and found myself with this newfound free time – so much time that I was really feeling loneliness, identity crisis, and depression taking hold. This drove me to seek comfort in music. After laying in bed watching a My Chemical Romance (my favorite band) concert on YouTube one dark winter night, I thought deeply about why I liked this music so much and what about it really moved me. My conclusion – the guitars. I played cello throughout grade school but had always loved rock, punk, and metal and wanted to play guitar or bass but never had enough time or motivation to do so. Now, I had the time, the motivation, and even a little bit of adult money to make it happen.

So I got myself a guitar (a shell pink Squire Bullet Stratocaster that I still take to gigs, with an angry Hello Kitty sticker on it) and got to work. I signed up for an online platform called Fender Play until I quickly outgrew it then relied on YouTube and some exercise books to teach myself how to play. When I could start learning and playing some of my favorite songs, I began to post some of my progress and practice routines on social media, just for fun. Eventually I moved home to Los Angeles and continued practicing extensively everyday, often spending hours of the entire night practicing, playing, and writing songs simply because I enjoyed it.

One day, Kitten Kay Sera (the Pink Lady of Hollywood) found me on Instagram and asked me to audition as a lead guitarist for her new girl band Pinktastic Plastixx. At that point, I had been playing guitar for about a year and a half and had never taken a lesson nor played with another human being let alone stepped foot outside of my bedroom with a guitar. I had always wanted to be in a rock band but didn’t think I was ready for it, and yet a bout of delusional confidence drove me to agree and thus I signed up for the audition. I didn’t know what to expect but I showed up prepared and pretended to know what I was doing, and somehow I got a message a few days later asking me to join the band. I made my stage debut when Pinktastic Plastixx played our first show at The Viper Room in November 2022, less than two years after picking up a guitar for the first time.

From there, I kept working at my craft and also started meeting other musicians, frequenting local jams and venues, and going to more and more friend’s shows and I found myself with more opportunities to join other bands and play more music with more people. That led me to also join Hollywood Apocalypse when I met singer Ivan Hruska at a Pinktastic Plastixx show, which led to the formation of unpolished* after singer Mary Bugbee and I met at a Hollywood Apocalypse show. All three bands have put out music that I am extremely proud of, but I would like to highlight unpolished* as an original project that my bandmates and I have put our hearts and souls into together.

What sets me apart from others is probably my drive and determination. I don’t think I’m particularly special as a musician, I don’t think my guitar skills are elevated or stand out (I never like to make comparisons anyways, everyone is unique). But what I do know for certain is that I will put my head down, put in the work, and give my all to everything that I do. I’m of the mindset that I can do anything I put my mind to and that there is no such thing as “enough” because there’s always more to learn and room for improvement – the journey never ends! I’m passionate and can get intense but I also like to think that I’m down to earth and easy to work with. I care deeply about my art and the people that help make it happen (although to a fault sometimes) and never for a second do I take for granted how fortunate and privileged I am to lead the life that I do today.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
It’s funny because as an LA native, I never went to a lot of the “iconic” LA spots until I started playing in bands around town and made friends from out of town who I needed to show around. But here are some spots that I typically like to take people to:

Griffith Observatory – a great way to see the Hollywood sign, get some good views of the city from above, and do some hiking (not to mention the Observatory itself just being super cool).
Hollywood Walk Of Fame – just about as “LA” as it gets.
Sunset Strip – home to many iconic music venues such as The Whisky A Go-Go, Viper Room, and Rainbow Bar & Grill, and all places that I have had the honor of playing.
Santa Monica Pier – any LA beach will do but why not go to the most iconic? Also some years ago I realized that sunsets on the beach are unique to the west coast and now I make a point of taking people to see the sunset on the beach.
Sawtelle Japantown – small but mighty, plenty of trendy and cool food and desserts. Also where my friends and I hung out the most when I was in high school (yeah, I’m saying I hung out there before it was “cool”).
Little Tokyo – a fun, historic, and unfortunately endangered part of town. Not to mention the excellent eats and cute shops. Particularly love the fresh mochi from Fugetsudo (makes for an excellent local “souvenir” if you time your trip right).
Koreatown – it’s where all the trendy cafes are these days and it’s home to many late night spots which is great for night owl musicians like me with late night gigs and the appetite to match. BCD Tofu is one of my favorite spots, especially on a cold/rainy day. K-pop fans will have a field day here.
Getty Museum & Villa – art! Also childhood memories for me, having gone on many a school trip to both.
LACMA/Tar Pits – more art! Apparently it’s weird to other people that there is randomly a tar pit in the middle of the city. Also the lights in front of LACMA are extremely Instagrammable.
Venice Canals – I’m not sure why these are here but they are and they are cool and very aesthetic. Sunset from here is also very nice.
Barbie Goth meme houses – my friends get a kick out of this, the pink and purple house and the all-black house on the PCH standing next to each other.
Immanuel Presbyterian Church aka the Helena church – my fellow emos will understand. So long, and goodnight.
And, lastly, of course – a show! Between my three bands, jams, and other hired gigs, I’ll usually have something going on if not a friend’s show that we can go to 🙂

Fun fact: if you watch the unpolished* music video for our song ‘hollybaby’ on YouTube, you’ll get a glimpse of some of these spots!

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?
My family, especially my parents, for not only allowing me to be my crazy self and chase my dreams but for actively supporting and encouraging me.

My “Jam Fam” from The Last Call, Hotel Ziggy PopRockz, State Social Jam, and Gritty In Pink. These jams are where I have found my place as a musician, and where I’ve met the people who I consider to be some of my closest friends today. I am forever in awe of and inspired by these incredible musicians that I am honored to share space with. And not just musicians but also photographers, actors, models, and creatives of all aspects who I’ve met through these communities!

My unpolished* bandmates, best friends, and partners in crime Mary Bugbee and Jasmine Day, who should also be known as the most talented and hardworking creative geniuses in LA.

Everyone I have ever had the pleasure to play with in Pinktastic Plastixx and Hollywood Apocalypse, especially Kitten Kay Sera for taking that first chance on me as a guitarist, Rocky Rose for being a music big sister and mentor when I was just dipping my toes into the deep end, and Ivan Hruska for always believing in me.

Thank you to the lovely and talented Hunter Bolton for nominating me for this and for being a great friend.

I simply would not be where I am today without these people. <3*

Website: https://celindachang.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/celindachang

Facebook: https://facebook.com/celindachangmusic

Other: TikTok: @celindachang

unpolished*: https://www.unpolished.rocks/

Image Credits
Don Marcelo
Edson Ochoa (Luckyshot Photography)
Denise Johnson (DJ’s Photography)
Don Adkins
Jack Lue
Molly Hudelson
Chris Garcia
James Anargirou (Others Photography)