Daily Archives: August 20, 2009

Jin Au Yeung: The Story

Did you ever wonder what happened to Jin tha MC (aka MC Jin aka Jin)? Watch the video below. It’s a great summary about where Jin has been and what he’s up to now. After all the drama with Ruff Ryders, Jin’s turning point was the ABC album produced by Far East Movement in 2 days. He brought the ABC album to Hong Kong. Right now, Jin’s killin’ it in Hong Kong. He’s even got endorsement deals with Vita Lemon Tea, Samsung, and addidas. Music isn’t Jin’s only talent. He’s also got a bunch of other skills including acting, standup comic, motivational speaker, and political activist. Look for Jin to bring more skills to the table soon. (He showed up at the International Secret Agents SF Concert.)

Nice work on the video by director Todd Angkasuwan, who also did No Sleep Til Shanghai (a documentary about Jin).

You can get Jin’s albums on Jin or Amazon. Also for any UK readers, Jin is back. He’s going to the UK in October. More info here.

Jin Au Yeung: The Story

Jeffrey Ou on America’s Got Talent

Pianist Jeffrey Ou advanced to the next phase of America’s Got Talent. Check out his performance below. He broke out of his comfort zone and continued on even with technical difficulties. During the performance, a dancer tripped over his piano’s microphone cord rendering it inaudible.

Here’s more about Jeffrey Ou:

Jeffery was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and showed a remarkable gift for music as a very young child. His family moved to the United States when he was three and he began formal training in piano at six. Jeffrey launched his competitive career at 13, and won first prize in piano and was named one of three overall grand prize winners in the 2004 North Texas Youth Music Competition. Since then, he has continued to excel in local, national and international competitions. Jeffrey recently graduated from Newman Smith High School in Carrollton, Texas, where he was a member of many musical groups and orchestras. When not at school or participating in competitions, Jeffrey enjoys bringing his gift of music to nursing homes in the area where he lives. “America’s got Talent” marks his first appearance on reality television, and brings him one step to closer to realizing his dream of uniting people from different backgrounds and cultures through music.

Also check out Thia Megia on America’s Got Talent.

Jeffrey Ou on America’s Got Talent

Vienna Teng on the 404

Singer, pianist, and former computer programmer Vienna Teng was on the 404 yesterday. (Her segment starts 6 minute 45 seconds into the program after the PS3 Slim discussion.) If you are a musician, you should definite;y listen to the interview. You’ll learn a lot about how the business side works.

Vienna Teng is a San Francisco Bay Area native, who graduated with a computer science degree from Stanford University. After school, she became a computer programmer for Cisco before switching to a music career. The guys from the 404 delve into the how Asian parents react when their kids decide to be artists. The acceptance by parents is slowly changing, but there are still struggles.

Programmer by day, aspiring singer by night. Vienna talks about how her music career started from open mics to coffeehouses. She is signed to a label. However, being signed to a label doesn’t mean the same thing it once did. These days there are a growing group of “middle class” musicians with a fan following in the thousands. Artists can make a “middle class” living selling music to their fans. Although 1 in 4 songs are sold on itunes, most sales for Vienna Teng is from playing live on her tours, but the percentage from digital music continues to grows.

In the interview, you can hear cuts from “Gravity” off her “Waking Hour” album as well as “Radio” and “Augustine” from her current album “Inland Territory.” You can buy her latest album on Vienna Teng & Alex Wong - Inland Territory (Bonus Track Version) or Amazon. If you want to see her live, Vienna Teng is now on tour now. Check the schedule here.

Vienna Teng on the 404

PlayStation 3 Slim

Sony just announced a few days ago that they will be releasing the PlayStation 3 Slim starting on September 1, 2009 with a price of $299.99. The new PS3 continues to offer the cutting-edge features and functions of the current models, such as the ability to enjoy high-definition Blu-ray disc (BD) movies and games, as well as various content and services downloadable through the network. The new PS3’s storage size has increased from 80GB to 120GB. The internal design architecture of the new PS3 system, from the main semiconductors and power supply unit to the cooling mechanism, has been completely redesigned, achieving a much slimmer and lighter body. Check the video as CNET’s Brian Tong talks about the difference between the current PS3 and the PS3 Slim.

Buy the PlayStation 3 Slim on Amazon.

PlayStation 3 Slim with Brian Tong