Meet Larissa Lam | Music artist and Filmmaker

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

Hi Larissa, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
I think the most important decision I made that contributed to my success is that I’ve always kept purpose as my motivating factor, as opposed to getting rich or seeking fame. My purpose is to make a positive impact in the world, using music and film. If I started to measure my success only by fame and fortune, it’s easy to be discouraged, or even give up. There’s always going to be somebody more famous, and someone who has more money than you. However, if I define success by how much impact I’m making in the world, I’ll continue to be driven to make an even greater impact.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve always been an artist who likes to inspire, educate and empower people with my music and films. Growing up as the daughter of Chinese immigrants and not seeing a lot of Asian American representation in the media or history books, I developed an inferiority complex. I was not encouraged to pursue big, world changing goals but to do something safe that others who looked like me had done before. I initially wanted to be a music producer. As an Asian American female, there were not a lot of people that looked like me that were in the music industry. For some reason, I liked the challenge of trying to forge a path that was not there before. I wanted to challenge the status quo and make a difference. There’s a bias that Asian women are quiet, mild mannered and often people ignore or exclude us when thinking of someone who has power and can lead. Even today, sometimes I have to fight to be heard. Once people start talking to me, they realize quickly I know my stuff and they take me seriously. However, to get to that point, I’ve always had to work 10 times harder to be noticed. 8 times out of 10, people will assume my husband, Baldwin Chiu (aka Only Won), is the music producer or film director instead of me. Gender bias is real. I’m hoping I can show young girls like my 10 year old daughter that they can be the creative force and one who is in charge. I hope I’m proof that women can make great leaders.

I’ve been blessed to have worked in music, TV and film for over 25 years now. Some of the things I’m most proud of is having written music for The Oprah Winfrey Show, winning a Hollywood Music in Media award for my dance song, “I Feel Alive” and directing the feature documentary, Far East Deep South, which aired on PBS World Channel’s series “America Reframed”. These were all milestones that showed that I belonged in the industry. With Far East Deep South, I was launched into a whole new mission in terms of trying to help influence the education system. Growing up in California, I wanted to be blond and blue-eyed and I struggled with my identity. I always felt I wasn’t American enough yet I also wasn’t Chinese enough. I also didn’t feel a personal connection to American history because I didn’t learn much about the Asian American role in U.S. history in school. I didn’t see our stories portrayed on screen or other media either. It wasn’t until after learning the history of the Chinese in Mississippi, that I learned more about the important contributions of Chinese immigrants in the American South. I also learned that the Chinese were also negatively impacted by Jim Crow laws. I finally started to feel a connection to American history because I had learned about the American South in school, but never knew Asian Americans were part of this story. That prompted me to make my film Far East Deep South so that more people would know this history. Asian Americans have been in every state across the U.S. for longer than most people realize and their historical contributions have not been widely told. Seeing ourselves in history is important not only to feel a sense of belonging but also for others not to see Asian Americans as perpetual foreigners. I named my company “Giant Flashlight Media” so we could shine a big light on these hidden stories.

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.
One of the best things about being in L.A. that I normally take for granted is being close to the beach. I would spend the day starting a little further down in Orange County in Laguna Beach for breakfast at a place called Penguin Cafe. I’m a big fan of penguins and this little spot has been a staple since the 1940s. Then, I would make the drive up PCH (Pacific Coast Hwy) heading to Newport Beach next and take the ferry to Balboa Island. Next, I would venture up to Long Beach to the Aquarium of the Pacific to see the penguins there. You may sense a theme here. Then I would drive up PCH all the way to Malibu to catch the sunset on the beach. I would have dinner at Duke’s to watch the waves and sky as it turns to night. They have an amazing fish chowder and save room for Hula pie. For an after dinner snack, I would head to Westwood to Diddy Riese for an ice cream cookie sandwich next to my alma mater, UCLA.

I’d spend another day in the San Gabriel Valley. I would stop by a Kee Wah Bakery in Monterey Park for some breakfast buns and pick up a box of penguin cookies plus other pastries. Then, we could head up to Pasadena, which is where I call home now. One of my other favorite spots is having tea at the Huntington Library in Pasadena. Make sure to have a comfortable pair of shoes on. It’s nice to walk through the gardens and art galleries in the afternoon. You’ll definitely get your steps in. After working up an appetite walking, we can go to Aikan Sushi not too far from the Huntington Library. This is an All You Can Eat place, but the food is made to order and brought to your table so no messy buffet spread. For dessert, I’d head to Tea Spots across from Pasadena City College for their “cotton shaved ice.”

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I definitely want to shout out my parents who let me pursue an untraditional career path and supported me through it all. I also want to shout out my husband, Baldwin Chiu aka Only Won. He’s my partner in creativity and in raising our daughter.

Website: http://larissalam.com

Instagram: @LarissaLamMusic

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/larissalam

Twitter: @LarissaLam

Facebook: http://facebook.com/LarissaLam

Youtube: http://youtube.com/larissalammusic

Other: http://FarEastDeepSouth.com

Image Credits
Scott Nakajima Raymond Seid