Meet Tiffany Tan | Music Composer

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

Hi Tiffany, how do you think about risk?
A person has to take risks if they want positive changes. We either stay in our old comfort zone and continue our established life pattern, or we take risks and embrace new possibilities. I had to take lots of risks when changing careers. I used to work at a bank before deciding to do film scoring. It was quite a leap.

After graduating from college, I went with the flow and somehow ended up working as a bank teller. Although it secured me a decent lifestyle, I didn’t enjoy it. The regular and repetitive 9-5 job wore me out quickly, and I saw how my life would be ten years down the road. I was standing at a crossroad at that time—either continue this lifestyle or make a change. I eventually quit that job and decided to come to the US for more possibilities. Then through one thing and another, I finally found film scoring as my passion and decided to make it a lifelong pursuit. There are lots of challenges and risks in this process. But looking back, if I didn’t take those risks, I would be still doing the banking job I didn’t enjoy. Thanks to those risks I’ve taken, I get to choose the life I want to live.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As media composers, our job is combing music into visuals to tell stories. We have to capture the characters’ various emotions through the language of music. It’s a subtle but indispensable task. I think my working experience in various fields and international background equip me with the sensibility to resonate with various characters, and express their inner worlds using different music tools.

I started learning piano at the age of four, but it was not until my late 20’s that I decided to pursue music as my career. I had been doing totally different jobs before that point, including working in the bank, trading company, etc., and made several pivots into this industry.

I specialize in writing orchestral pieces with memorable melody lines, with a blend of electronic texture and sometimes ethnic instruments, but it varies from project to project. I’m grateful I had the chance to explore various genres, which makes my style eclectic. In high school when I was in the school rock band, I was exposed to mostly rock and punk music. I would trace back to that experience when I’m asked to write a rock song. Then later when I started doing film scoring, orchestration became my main voice, and that is still the case today.

While pursuing my Master’s in Music Composition at CCC, I collaborated with a student director and wrote music for the short film Chasing Reality, which premiered on the Manifest Film Festival in 2022. This fantasy film told the story of a girl with anxiety who was pulled into her own painting and encountered her other self in a parallel universe. While interning with Nathan Wang in LA, I wrote additional music for the web series Chinatown Detective 2; and later on, I participated in arranging and orchestrating Jackie Chan’s upcoming movie, A Legend. I also co-composed the music for the short Kung Fu skit featured on the 2024 Chinese National Spring Gala. After that, I arranged all the music for a full length movie Swallowtail and Dragonfly, which depicts the real life of a pioneering Chinese female painter in the 1920’s. Aside from media music, I also worked on songs. “Join Hands”, the theme song of the first Golden Panda Film Festival held in Chengdu, China, was sung by prestigious singers Wei Wei and Dimash Qudaibergen; “Dream of Shanghai” and “Unwilling to Fail”, two pop songs where I made the vocals with AI synthetic voices for a musical, will premier in Shanghai this year.

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 would take them to a local brunch restaurant, Solar de Cahuenga to start the day. After that, we could drive along Sunset Blvd all the way west to Santa Monica beach. In summertime, they can enjoy the gorgeous view of jacaranda trees on the west sunset blvd. After we arrive in Santa Monica, we can walk along the street and hit those shopping malls. I can take them to taste McConnell’s ice cream. Then we can walk along the beach, maybe all the way south to the nearby Venice beach, where we can come across the local Venice market if we come on the right day. On the way back, we can pass the Grove, and see the music fountain and beautiful lights there. We’ll keep going to Koreatown for dinner. Sun Nong Dan, BCD Tofu House, Hae Jang Chon BBQ are all good restaurants depending on what they prefer. There are also some good boba tea places there. Before we wind down for the night, we have a nightcap at the Star Wars-themed bar Scum and Villainy Cantina, right on Hollywood Blvd.

On another day, we can go for a hike at Elysian Park, where they can catch a glimpse of LA downtown from its top Angels Point; or if they prefer more exciting hiking, I can take them to the little further Strawberry Peak, where its top is snowcapped almost all year round. We can also choose the nearby Brush Canyon Trail which leads to either Hollywood sign or Griffith Observatory. There are also beautiful local stairs near there; Micheltorena Stairs is a nice place to check out where its stairs are painted with colorful shapes. After a long day hike, I can take them to the atSiam Night Market to try some spicy stir-fried noodles, skewers and Thai desserts on North Cahuenga Blvd in Hollywood, which opens every Friday and weekend nights throughout the summer.

On other days, I can take them to some local shows and concerts. We can catch the LA Phil playing classical music at Hollywood Bowl or Disney Hall. We can also go to the local Catalina Jazz Club for some jazz music. There are also tons of standup comedy shows around the neighborhood. The Kookaburra Lounge is a nice place for both comedy and drinks; Comedy Blvd, is an open mic comedy club where you can watch standup comedies from up-and-coming comedians. Black Rabbit Rose Magic is an intimate theatre where you can watch interactive magic shows and the way into its main hall is through a wall bookcase.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would thank my parents who have understood and supported my choices along the way. Where I’m from, art and music are not considered lucrative careers; I couldn’t have come this far without my family’s support. I also thank my partner for accompanying me along this journey, witnessing me completing my master’s degree and making all these life changes in the US. Besides, I’d like to thank UCLA Extension which provides very flexible programs for people making career changes; my teachers and mentors at Columbia College Chicago who taught me all the nuts-and-bolts of film scoring; my current boss Nathan Wang, who has trained me through various projects, boosting my film scoring skills to the next level.

Website: https://www.tanyufan.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tyftiffany