Cathedral Leung, born in San Francisco, California, is the daughter of a Chinatown minister. She once saw her older brother singing and she decided she wanted to do it, too. Ironically enough, her brother would tell that she was the worst singer ever. Leung worked to prove him wrong. Her first song in front of the congregation at her church was “This Little Light of Mine” and when everyone was clapping, she could have sworn people were chanting her name. That was the event that brought Cathedral into the idea of making a career out of singing.
At the age of 16, Leung was discovered at a Chinese Karaoke contest by a leading Chinese record company. She was flown to Hong Kong, but was sent back to her hometown because she lacked sufficient talent and refused to learn Mandarin Chinese (She only speaks Cantonese.) When I asked her what she would say to herself from 10 years ago, she replied, “Cathedral, stop beating yourself up for not being a successful recording artist in Hong Kong. You will spend many years waiting for them to call, but they won’t call. Instead, become an actress or a policewoman.” In 2005, Cathedral moved to Los Angeles to be closer to the music industry. In the City of Angels, Leung currently works as a Universal Studios Tour Guide and she feels she is closer to the whole entertainment industry. Cathedral, 24, is still waiting for a call from her record company in Hong Kong. Last year, she attended an audition for “S-Cube Entertainment” and was accepted into the girl group, “Umamiya.”
On Umamiya:
“Asian Pop with Urban Flava.” That’s how Cathedral describes the Pan-Asian R&B/Pop group of girls known as Umamiya. When she was signed to Umamiya, she felt it was a natural choice, “because I have been a recording artist in Hong Kong for two days.” She jokes that a big help was the fact that she stood behind the title-character in Annie at her community theatre when she was sixteen. Though she did not write any of Umamiya’s songs, her most memorable memory with the group was rehearsing for the music video of “Hot Sour Spicy and Sweet.” She considers herself a team player and on the set she helped the other girls who weren’t picking up on the dancing as well to help them understand. The most fun thing about being in Umamiya is the ability to be creative. Despite the group not getting paid for their work, their manager, S-Cube, always gives them encouragement. The group understands that they all suffer together. Contrary to popular belief, the hardest part for Cathedral is being the favorite of the group. When S-Cube gives her more attention than the other members of the group, Leung can’t help but feel guilty. But she persists through everything because, “I grew up very religious and I know that God will not give me more than I can handle. If it is my calling to be S-Cube’s favorite, while the other gals are jealous, I must endure it.” She thinks her best feature that she has contributed to Umamiya is her legs. When I asked her about the future of Umamiya, the San Fran-native said she sees the group traveling all over the world. She hopes the group receives corporate sponsors like Kikkoman, House Tofu, Mama Sita or Nong Shim Corp. by next year. She would like the group to be on Music Bank or Mnet Countdown. In five years, she would like the group to be doing television shows and movies.
On the other girls:
When asked to describe each girl, Cathedral starts off by saying she likes them all. If she was to get an injury, she believes Kim Min Jung would be next in line as leader. Cathedral tells of a funny story of how Min Jung’s dislike for American food. “Once, we took her to ‘Hotdog on a Stick’ in the shopping mall and we watched her throw up all over herself. She will get used to it.” Kitty Karaoke, according to Leung, uses her sexuality too much. To Cathedral, Mari.kris.am.I is the best singer in the group. Though she was signed to another record label, “she doesn’t talk much about it.” Winnie Wu, the group’s rapper, sometimes comes off as very tough. Leung tries not to get in her way because it’s been said that she used to fight in mixed martial arts (MMA) before becoming a musician.
On her interest in music:
Cathedral has always enjoyed the art of music, saying that it is an expression of the soul. In second grade, she learned to play the Recorder, “just like every other Asian kid.” As far as inspirations go, Leung gets her motivation from nature and Grammy winner Al Jarreau. She also listens to laughter and that gives her the strength to go on. The best advice she was given wad that, “music is a gift you give others. Don’t be afraid to give, even when people won’t listen. You must make them listen.” Her turn-to song when at a karaoke would have to be Judy Garland’s signature song, “Somewhere over the Rainbow.” Her reasoning is that it’s a beautiful song and once she hits that high belt, “I sound really good!” When I asked about anyone she would like to work with in the future, she replied with a whole array of artists: Lee Hom Wang, Jay Chou, Farenheit, Los Angeles’ Band “Seriously”, Brian Joo, Hwanhee, Justin Chon, Chamillionaire, Daniel Wu, Terence Yin, Andrew Lin, and Conroy Chan (“Alive”). When it came to fans that who want to try and break into the music world, Cathedral gave this advice: “Try not to listen to too many other types of music. You will just confuse yourself. If you sing like a punk rocker, just listen to punk rock. If you like urban music, just listen to Al Jarreau. If you like Asia Pop, just listen to anything from Asia. Every day, I meet people in Hollywood who try to be “eclectic” and listen to tribal music. Why? Are you going to throw a luau and entertain your guests? Or, are you going to be a serious recording artist?”
Other random facts:
Cathedral jokes that her non-musical talents include the ability to stare without blinking for a long time and the ability to turn in really slow motion. She also goes on to tell that if she was not a singer, she would continue her work as a Universal Studios Tour Guide. “I know a lot of television and movie trivia,” she quips. In 5 years, Cathedral sees herself hosting either an entertainment or music television show. She would also like to start a shelter for cats.
