Meet Chynna Lewis | Music Artist

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

Hi Chynna, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
I feel this is a really relevant question for me and I’m sure for so many other people in the arts industry. After the pandemic, there was an overwhelming fear and resistance in me to go back full time into music when the industry itself had shutdown for two years. Though the financial hit took a huge toll on me, the mental health hit was even tougher to recover from. At that time I seriously considered if I wanted to keep going or to “give up” my music career. Being faced with what felt like the biggest crossroads I had ever come to, I decided to head into therapy and a period of deep self work. I came out of this experience knowing that I wanted to continue with music because I realized something kept pulling me back to it. Deep down, there was a really quiet voice that said “I need to do this”. So I think the “how to know” part is that YOU will always know. Your body will know before your conscious mind tells you. When I said out loud “I’M QUITTING MUSIC”, my body went into deep shock and depression. Clearly, it was telling me something I didn’t even know yet. So, my two cents is that YOU will always know before anything else. Just take your time to find that answer.

I also changed my wording around “giving up” because I think we are always changing and our needs are constantly shifting with time. So rather than thinking of it as “giving up”, I’d like to think of it as “honouring who I am becoming” and “allowing myself space to change and evolve”. It is a much more empowered stance and view of your situation.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a R&B/Pop singer-songerwriter based in Toronto. Having grown up in Taiwan, my family and I moved to Ontario, Canada when I was eleven years old. My journey as a young immigrant growing up in Canada, going through tough times trying to blend into Canadian culture and mourning the loss of my motherland is what inspired me to write my first songs at the family piano and guitar.

Growing up in a tight-knit musical family, my mother sang, my father taught me guitar, and brothers and I played our favorite songs together. These creative instincts eventually led me to a career in music.

After graduating from music school, I quickly established myself as a professional vocalist playing in various projects and backing up artists such as Ed Sheeran, Jessie Reyez, and Charlotte Day Wilson. In 2018, I felt called to return to my original path of writing and performing my original music. Since then I’ve released my first single, first EP, and now I am in the process of recording my debut album, which I am extremely excited to bring to life!

As a first generation Taiwanese-Canadian female artist, I have found it discouraging to see next to zero representation of other successful asian female artists in the media. There is this huge side of me that I have concealed from the world for fear that people will find it “too ethnic” or uncool, or unpalatable because I don’t fit into a box. But being an artist has challenged me to face this inner work; to tell stories that are unique to me, to be unapologetic about my identity, and to blaze trails that weren’t there for me to follow.

Through all of this, I am learning that there is a necessity in connecting to your ancestry. In celebrating who I am and where I came from, I am connecting to and building a community of people who share similar stories and experiences.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Monday – Downtown Toronto Day. See the CN Tower. Jays Game. Dinner on patio at Bar Poet.

Tuesday – Kensington Market Day. Lunch on Baldwin Street. Go Thrifting. Tacos at Seven Lives. Dumplings and Bubble tea in China town

Wednesday – Brunch at Dirty Eatery in the Junction. Then Nature walk in High Park. Check out the free Zoo. Drinks at 915 Dupont after

Thursday – South-Western Banya and amazing Russion Food in Etobicoke (West End Toronto)

Friday – Cameron House to see Live music and Banhmi for late night eats.

Saturday – Beaches Day in East end Toronto. Have patio beers and walk around the waterworks area.

Sunday – Raptor’s Game and Dinner at Bar Vendetta

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 want to give a huge shout out to the incredible women artists in my life: Aphrose, Claire Davis, Mykah Czarina, and Lydia Persaud. These women show me the way forward as an artist and person. The media tends to showcase women when they are younger due to their youth or beauty or talent. But as women age, their socially acceptable rolls shift to “care taker”, “mother”, “wife”, and the inherent expectations for women to sacrifice who they are and the careers they’ve built is at times demoralizing. There is SO much value in the wisdom and art that is being made by women in their 30s/40s/50s/etc. I want to thank the aforementioned women for giving me guidance and support, and leading by example so that women artists like myself have a north star to follow.

I also want to thank my parents who have always supported me in my career. As a first generation Taiwanese immigrant family that struggled with establishing ourselves in a new country, it would have been completely understandable for my parents to ask that I follow a traditionally stable career path over a more uncertain path in the arts. However, my parents always pushed me to chase my dreams and take calculated risks. My dad bought me my very first guitar when I was sixteen, at a time when I was feeling unsure of what career path to take. He and my mom drove me to open-mics and attended all my shows. They gave me unconditional support and space to find who I am, and for that I am forever grateful.

Website: chynnalewis.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chynna-lewis-a5709521a/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChynnaLewis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Chynna-Lewis-38235003660/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrIRcxZ6Bl4S3IrEvhCmWGw

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/69ndDrJGFy55pmTGDqnJ0j?si=DDs-XaArQQaj6wkCbYL2vA
https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/chynna-lewis/1493227469

Image Credits
Photos #1-4 (headshots) – Jen Squires Photos 5-6 (live shots) – Tom Hanley