Vienna Teng
Q: How long have you been playing piano?
A: Since the age of five. I studied classical piano with private teachers until I graduated from high school.
Q: How did you learn to sing?
A: In the shower. I sang in choral groups in high school and college, but that’s as far as my training goes. Oh, and I took classical voice lessons for a year after college, which amounted to paying $40 a week to be told that I was doing it all wrong. I don’t think we fixed anything. So maybe I haven’t learned to sing, actually.
Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: It depends what you mean by “this.” I started writing songs at age 6. I started playing shows (of my own music) at age 22. I’ve been a full-time musician since August 2002. I’m a newbie at this whole music business thing.
Q: How old are you?
A: Born in October 1978. You do the math from there.
Q: Is it true that you used to be a software engineer?
A: Yes. I got my bachelor’s in Computer Science at Stanford University, and went to work for Cisco Systems for two years. I was a faux software geek, though. I don’t write scripts for fun, just for my own website when I get tired of doing things manually.
Q: Is it true that you went to/dropped out of medical school?
A: No. Can’t imagine paying off med school loans and funding an album…
Q: Who are your influences?
A: Artists from my parents’ record collection: Paul Simon, Peter Paul & Mary, Don McLean, Elton John. And artists that college friends introduced me to: Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Indigo Girls. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Radiohead, so we’ll see what happens on album no. 3.
Q: What kind of music do you listen to?
A: I try to keep my ears open to all kinds. I think Eminem is amazing. I can get high off of Josquin and Rimsky-Korsakov. Miles Davis hurts my brain in a good way. But generally my comfort zone lies squarely in pop/rock: I love a good hook, an arresting voice, succinct writing. I’m finding most of the good stuff below the Top-40 radar these days.
Q: Where do your song ideas come from?
A: It’s a constant game of outwitting writer’s block. A lot of the starting fragments come from just playing around, whether with a new audio toy or a piano motif or an interesting string of words. But for anything to grow into an actual song, I need to find its purpose: the story underneath, the emotional imprint. There needs to be a reason for me to sing it to other people. And finding that can take a long time. I never know where it’s going to come from.
Q: Do the lyrics come first, or the music, or…?
A: It depends. Usually they come in tandem: a handful of lyrics inspires a melody or vice versa, and it grows from there. But some songs come out lyrics first, like Daughter and Shasta, while others arrive with complete music first, like Mission Street.
Q: How do you characterize your music?
A: I’ve never liked this question. It’s somewhere between folk music and pop music. Maybe “chamber folk,” since it involves classical instruments at times. I don’t know.
Q: What was it like being on Letterman?
A: Surreal. Pretty much like how it’d be for you if you got called to play on the Late Show. I still think I dreamt the whole thing. Except the studio was very, very cold, and my dreams aren’t often cold.
Q: Who is the Eric in Eric’s Song?
A: Wouldn’t you like to know?
Q: Which of your albums is the best one, in your opinion?
A: Like any recording artist, I’d hope that my most recent effort is always my strongest. I think I’m getting better as I go…
Q: So when’s your next one coming out?
A: This year, we hope.
Q: Do you ever reply to emails?
A: No, and I apologize. It’s not a policy or anything; I’m just not good at staying on top of it. I do read everything that lands in my inbox, though, and some of it tumbles around in my head for days afterward. There are some amazing, brave, wonderful people out there, and it’s an honor to make music for you.
