Meet Larry Hong | Media Composer & Artist

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

Hi Larry, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I first started my path to becoming a film composer, I was really lost and desperately trying to find myself. At that time I had just graduated from college with a science degree under my belt and was putting off what had then felt like the inevitable: applying to medical school and starting a new chapter in my life, something that I’d been told was what I was meant for, but that I knew in my gut was not. In a strange twist of fate, during that gap year after college I was unceremoniously thrown out of the lab that I had been working in, and it was the jolt that I needed to finally take the leap and really see if composing could actually be my future.

When I did get accepted into Berklee, a dream college for many aspiring musicians, I definitely felt that this was something I had to put my all in. Being a hard-working student wasn’t new to me, but I certainly pushed myself further than I had ever done before. Each project felt personal, a reflection of who I was, an answer to whether or not I was really cut out for this. So over the course of the next four years I lost a lot of sleep, spent very little, and gave myself hardly any respite. I was my harshest critic but always optimistic. In the end it got me two majors and a minor out of my four years at Berklee, with high marks and a lot of promise that my future in film scoring was bright.

Then came Los Angeles. Again I was diligent as an intern then eventually a composer’s assistant, working late and inconsistent hours. I was always trying to make myself useful and be seen as someone who was dependable and talented. My thought was if I showed my loyalty and my worth, that eventually my bosses would see this and an opportunity would come my way, whether that would be my own project, more pay, or both.

At this point you may have caught on to a theme in my life. I knew how to work hard, but I didn’t know the value of hard work. Despite probably having many moments where I could have vouched for my worth and fought for it, I had a hard time seeing it. And this is in part because I had always operated out of a sense of survival. Ever since I had sought to find a path outside of medicine, it had always been my responsibility to figure out where that path went. And when you’re constantly trying to find external validation and acceptance along the journey, you sometimes find yourself placing your power outside of yourself as well.

While I’m still on this journey, it’s been several years now being in LA that I’ve finally come to better understand self-worth and the value of my time. I’m in a serious long-term relationship, have rescued a dog who is now family, and have people whom I care for and need me. Even though my passion for writing music won’t ever fade, as I get older I see that work is just one facet of a fully-lived life. There are too many real-life anecdotes of what many would consider successful and famous composers whose personal lives are difficult or are just completely nonexistent. While some of these individuals may truly be content with having music be their complete world (and I can completely respect this), I see a lot of times those who love them feel the struggle and pain from a lack of balance in their lives.

At the end of it all, I believe that balance comes with the power of choice. When we are able to think from a place outside of survival, we are able to better gauge what serves us and what doesn’t. I’ve chosen to let people into my personal life outside of working, and I believe that as I continue down my career path, it will be up to me to continue to make these choices and continue to strike that balance of work, fulfillment, peace and rest. While my path to becoming a film composer may have been borne out of survival and a desperate sense of finding my identity, I believe I’m at a stage in my life now that I get to choose what that looks like and how to navigate it on my terms.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
A lot of my music stems from my own natural tendency to withdraw inward. This shouldn’t come as a surprise–having questioned most of my identity my entire life, introspection and pensiveness come naturally to me. This usually takes the form of an idea that evolves and transforms in ways that take a simple thought on a journey. As a Classically trained pianist in my early years, a lot of my ideas stem from the piano, but they often take on a new life with timbres and soundscapes outside of what the instrument can do. My music takes the bones of what’s born from a piano sketch into melodies and rhythmic harmonies that are beyond the abilities of that instrument. And so this idea of taking something small and minimal that, when inspected deeply, blooms into something vibrant and striking is what really drives my art.

This process of introspection and soul-searching is a little meta, as it’s also happening in the crafting of my sound. As a film composer it’s easy to fall into a jack-of-all-trades/generalist mentality, which can often leave you with many scattered and varied compositions without a clear singular point of view. As I’m slowly broadening my identity from just a composer to also an artist, I’m creating that voice for the first time. Currently I’m on the path of writing my first album under my moniker Hey Lune, which will be the first time I’ve written music for just the sole purpose of making that music as standalone art, which I’m really excited about.

This isn’t to say that writing music without media to score it comes easily to me. I’ve often found it helpful to have something to watch to inspire my writing, something that already has a narrative and a sound in my head when I witness it before my eyes. Having that visual sensory layer stripped from me is like trying to walk suddenly blind. It definitely forces my imagination to push itself harder and to create constraints so that my ADHD brain isn’t tempted to wander off and start losing sight of the original vision. This is still definitely a lesson that is a work in progress!

But I have to say that part of this journey ties back to what I mentioned previously about choice. I think that when you are forced to choose, you inevitably move forward because you’ve eliminated certain options as a result. If I had tried to continue to cover all my bases, work on all the projects, and just wait for something to land by staying where I was, nothing would come of it. I think the biggest thing I want to achieve is that I want people to know that I had a point of view, and that I took my shot, and that there is value in that.

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.
Part of what makes LA such a great place to experience is its diversity in art, neighborhoods, and food. If someone was visiting for the first time I would definitely make sure they checked out the LACMA in Mid-Wilshire for a well-rounded museum experience, followed by a trip to La Republique down La Brea for a nice chat over delicious pastries inside a beautiful cathedral turned cafe. I’d then definitely recommend any of the excellent KBBQ joints in Koreatown in the evening for an authentic Korean experience, one of the few places in the country that you can actually do so. I’d also recommend them to discover Little Tokyo and the Arts District on the following day, where they can find lots of great places to eat and hang all within walking distance of each other. For a more intimate day where they can get to know some of the real charm of a neighborhood I would recommend that they spend some time exploring Silver Lake–walking around the reservoir, exploring all the stairs winding through the hills, seeing all the beautiful homes nestled among the tucked away streets, then eventually driving down the long span of Sunset Boulevard that has so many boutique shops, record stores, and eateries to peruse. Lastly, I’d make sure that they got a chance to see the ocean, so driving across town to Redondo Beach, where they can enjoy the pier and take a bike ride down the shore would be another great way to enjoy what LA has to offer. There’s honestly so much more to do, but I’d say these are at least a few suggestions I would give!

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?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to Susan Rogers, one of the very first people I met when I first enrolled at Berklee, who was a constant guiding light and source of wisdom for me. During orientation I was interested in finding an outlet to use my recent research science skills in some way that overlapped with music, and I eventually discovered that at the time Susan was running a research lab studying psychoacoustics. I briefly worked with her as a research assistant, but over time as we both became busy with other pursuits we simply kept in touch in an unofficial mentor/mentee capacity. Funny enough, I never took any classes in her department, but she was always open to meeting up and hearing about my classes and endeavors. She supported me in my film scoring path without any bias and was one of the few people in my life whom I felt really showed that they believed in me. She was someone with whom I continued to keep in touch all four years of my studies. It was thanks to her generosity and kindness in always giving me her time and thoughts that I was able to really navigate my career transition and continue to find the inspiration to work towards rebuilding my life to what it is today.

Website: https://www.heylune.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larryhong1/