Russian born, Israeli raised, Boston, NYC then Northampton relocated asia (ah-sya) mei puts her own slant on melancholy rock with her classical background, jazzy vocals, introspective lyrics and irresistible choruses, crafting a fresh and distinctive sound.

asia mei’s moody piano heavy sound finds its place with the fans of artists such as Muse, Jeff Buckley, Tori Amos and Antony and the Johnsons.

In the below interview, asia discusses her influences and her new project Trauma and Solace.

[Tweet “Tune into our #interview with @asia_mei about her new album! #np”]

Introduce yourself to our readers and describe the style of music you create.

I’m asia mei. asia is pronounced ah-sya. I was born in Russia, grew up in Israel, went to school in Boston, lived in NYC and am currently settled in Northampton, MA.

My style of music vacillates between singer/songwriter, rock, blues and classical. As a classical pianist and composer, and a working rock musician, I write music that is always somewhere in between. You can find intricate piano lines mixed together with hard hitting choruses and interesting arrangements. I really like looking for that line where my classical music loving grandma can enjoy it as well as my teenage students. I also love blues, jazz and plain pop, and I weave those sounds in as well. I like the description of “cohesive tapestry”, you’re not quite sure how to describe it, but it works.

Who or what influences your playing and/or writing styles? Also, what motivates you to keep creating?

My favorite music, and this is not genre-specific, is music that can change the energy in the room. Music that leaves the listener different after the song is done. I get that from classical because of the high ability to emote through instruments, I get that from rock and metal with the sheer volume and energy and aggression, I get that from Blues and that raw, down to earth, dark sound. I strive to combine all these to really try to move a listener. Of course lyrics are a big contributor, as I write about personal and very emotional moments.

My new release “Trauma and Solace” talks a lot about different types of loss, how we deal with it and how we overcome it. I overcame mine through the strength of being a mother, and that continues to motivate me. “Wraparound” is a song I wrote for my daughter, and recorded it while pregnant with my second son, it was an incredibly moving moment.

I continue to create because I feel like there’s a lot more left for me to explore and I just want to keep going. I think I will write music until my last day.

What was the last song you listened to?

Yael Naim came up on my ipod today, with her song “Coward”, it was just stunning. She is a French-Israeli singer/songwriter and I guess our backgrounds and sensibilities are similar. Also, I just introduced my 2 month old to Queen today, he didn’t move and seemed super focused throughout the entire Bohemian Rhapsody, it was awesome!

Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?

The one choice an indie artist makes is to not go on a label. The choice of putting the integrity of my material before the boost of a label is costly – sure the music sounds exactly the way I envision but I don’t have a company of people working to make it visible to others. The hardest thing is being a one person operation. This became even more complicated as I had small kids, and the amount of energy and time I could dedicate to promoting my music diminished. Being a female artists definitely makes things even more complicated as I wasn’t physically able to tour while pregnant and caring for babies. I definitely burnt out a few times, but I make sure to stay creative and continue to develop my music, it is my baby too.

I still think this choice was right for me because I always had a hard time hearing from people how my sound should be shaped and “developed” if they take me on. I got really defensive about it, it is so personal, it’s like telling me my personality or my feelings are not ok the way they are, I just couldn’t let others be in charge.

Do you gig, tour or perform through any live streaming services? Where can music lovers see you perform?

I am currently on a maternity hiatus with my 2 month old boy at home. I made sure to record and release my latest EP “Trauma and Solace” while pregnant because I knew there will be a gap there where I wouldn’t be able to be active and I wanted to get it out. Subscribing to youtube and my website is the best way to stay in touch and find out about performances – I very much miss it and can’t wait to go out and perform again! I have this idea of collaborating with a string quartet, so stay tuned!

Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?

Indie artists love their bandcamp! best and most direct way to purchase music.

Youtube is a great way to catch some spontaneous and unexpected videos and covers.

If you’re into classical music, I also compose concert pieces and actually won a national choral competition this year, to listen to some of that serious stuff, go to soundcloud.

and of course – my website!

Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?

Thanks for supporting indie musicians, those who choose to follow their path and who are tirelessly working in the music medium to not only sell albums, but to develop something deep, worthwhile and meaningful! much love!