Meet Junyang Li | Film & Pop Music Composer / Arranger / Singer

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

Hi Junyang, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Since I was in elementary school, I started learning piano and guitar. I enjoyed singing and accompanying myself with instruments at the same time. The energy of the music atmosphere and the melodies provided me with inspiration and emotional expression in daily life. I sought opportunities to perform on stage and cherished every moment of the performing process and the audience’s applause.

In my high school years in Long Island, New York, I studied regular and AP courses like most students, including Physics, Chemistry, and Math. However, I realized that I was not interested in any of these subjects. Instead, I wanted to practice music, vocal, and guitar/piano every day after school.

At the age of 16, it was a tough decision to determine my career path. After much mental struggle and communication with my family, I decided to pursue music in college and as a career. My fundamental motivation for music is to express myself through melodies, communicate my feelings to others, and help listeners heal or express their inner thoughts and emotions freely and without pressure.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a film music composer and producer, I am now in my fifth year of officially studying music programs. In my early student life, I was very into pop songs. However, when it came time for college applications, I found film music production programs intriguing, challenging, and attractive. The orchestra writing, sound design, emotional depth, and character storylines were expressive and full of possibilities in music.

In April 2024, I received an admission letter from The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University for the Music of New Media program, which focuses on music production for film and games. The first two years of the program were incredibly challenging for me since I had only started centralized music training a year prior. My music theory, keyboard, and arranging skills were not as advanced as those of other students who had been focusing on music from a young age. I watched many YouTube videos and taught myself music knowledge and courses in my personal time after classes, spending extra hours on music practice. I knew this was the only way to improve quickly and catch up with my classmates.

In the spring of 2020, during the second semester of my freshman year, COVID-19 hit, and all courses moved online. The inefficiency of online learning and the difficulty of exchanging and expressing music ideas made it even harder for me. When I returned to my hometown of Shanghai, China, I had to stay in quarantine hotels for 14 days and take online lessons with a 12-hour time difference from the US. These challenges led to my decision to take a gap year from school. I stayed in Shanghai for another year, learning music arranging, keyboard, and vocal skills. During the 2020-2021 gap year, I went to music institutions almost five days a week, practicing my musical skills. This period was very memorable and precious to me, and I found that I improved a lot in my musical abilities overall.

However, I struggled a lot during that time. My daily improvement in music skills was so tiny that I could barely notice any progress. I doubted myself, felt miserable many times during these daily practices, and even considered quitting. The path of music was so unknown and uncertain to me. Everyone, including my family and myself, was not confident due to the commonly known low pay and high cost of time and money in the music industry. Looking back now, I am glad I persisted. These experiences taught me lifelong principles about pursuing long-term goals and how small progress builds up to significant achievements. My junior and senior years in college were also busy and tough, but as I kept working hard, I felt freer, more confident, and made steady progress.

Now, in the summer of 2024, I have just received my bachelor’s degree and will continue pursuing a master’s degree in music for film at the Eastman School of Music this September.

Link to my personal music website (film/pop music projects): junyangli12345.wixsite.com/mysite

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 am currently home in Shanghai, China, for my summer vacation, and I would highly recommend visiting Shanghai! It is a fantastic and modern city with many great places to see, delicious food, and friendly people. If a friend were visiting Shanghai, I would take them to the Bund, a famous spot for views in Shanghai. It is next to the Huangpu River, which is somewhat similar to the Hudson River, with modern and tall buildings on both sides, known as East Bund and West Bund, similar to NYC and Jersey City. The night view there is amazing and, in my opinion, the best in Shanghai.

I would also take my friend to try traditional Shanghainese food, such as Smashed Pork Noodles and various other noodle dishes. Traditional Shanghai-style noodles are incredibly good. You can find almost any style of food and restaurants in Shanghai—Korean, Japanese, Thai, American, brunch, and more. It is a paradise for food lovers.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to first shout out to my family, who have always supported me mentally and financially, especially my parents. Without them, I would not have been able to finish my college degree and balance my daily life so well over the years. Their hard work has helped me and relieved my pressure in many aspects.

I also want to shout out to all my college professors, especially Professor Kennedy, Professor Dolby, and Dr. Yoo. They are responsible and generous in teaching and communicating with me, always willing to help whenever they can. In particular, Professor Kennedy is one of the best professors I have met at Peabody. He is excellent at teaching, and approachable as a teacher.

Additionally, I would like to shout out to my classmates in my bachelor’s New Media programs. We all worked hard and got through these years together. Great job, and I wish each of you the best in your career paths. I hope our music will impact more people with our talents.

Lastly, I would like to shout out to my girlfriend, Christina Xue, who referred me to this interview. Thank you for all your love and effort.

Website: https://junyangli12345.wixsite.com/mysite

Instagram: jimliii