Welcome back readers to Unheard Gems where we always want to bring you the best in new music. We heard this incredible vocalist and writer this past fall when she opened for pop songstress EMELINE, and wow...when an opener can command a room you know they are destined to be a powerhouse. We are so lucky to be able to introduce you all to the wonderful Chloe Tang!
Chloe, who's proudly Asian-American and frequently pulls inspiration from her Chinese heritage, brings together raw lyrics with immediately addictive hooks. She’s said her music is"about real emotions and experiences — not what people think pop music should be.”
Read her interview with us below:
UG: Welcome to Unheard Gems! We are so excited to chat with you and hear all about what you are working on. How are you today?
Chloe Tang: I’m doing great! Excited to chat with you as well.
UG: For our readers who don’t know you yet can you give us a glimpse into your musical origin story and how you are?
Chloe Tang: Definitely- I was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ and my parents put me in classical piano training from a very young age. Then they really allowed me to follow my passion for music through every stage of it. Long story short, I ended up going to Arizona School for the Arts at age 12, then started writing my own music, playing gigs, and learning about the business. I knew I wanted to study music after high school so ended up getting a songwriting degree at the University of Colorado Denver, where I started releasing music. Then I moved to LA to fully pursue it. I’ve just always wanted to be Avril Lavigne since I discovered her, and haven’t really stopped trying haha.
UG: Just for fun, could you describe your music in 5 words; an elevator pitch, acronym, whatever you want…
Chloe Tang: Horny crying in the club
UG: Your latest song “Hoes Have Feelings Too” just dropped, tell us about this song and the process of creating it?
Chloe Tang: There’s actually a funny story about this song came about. I presented the song concept to my cowriters, Sammy and Harry as a joke and then they suggested we actually try to turn it into a real song. I had the idea for a while but never thought it would turn into a song I released, so their encouragement really gave this song life. Now it’s one of my favorites. I wanted to speak to the double standard against a majority of sexually active and open women. If you’re gonna call me a hoe, then I’m gonna embrace it and live my best life. Just don’t forget we’re people too and we have feelings, so in the wise words of Doja Cat “play with my pussy but don’t play with my emotions.
UG: In your songs, and I think this is a great example, you have really open use of sexual language, and as a woman, trying to break down the double standards around women talking about sex. I think this is incredibly empowering as a listener. Why is this important to you?
Chloe Tang: Ya know when you’re a kid and you have no frame of reference of the world? And you just ask questions based on what instinctually feels right vs. wrong? I’ve always kept that curiosity in me, and sometimes I just let myself kind of eliminate the context and ask myself the most basic questions. In relation to this, it started when I began posting Tik Toks of me singing into my vibrator as a mic and the response I got was soooo mixed. I had a woman reach out to me asking why I did that because her teenage daughter saw it and asked her what it was. That really got me thinking like, why is it so voodoo to talk about sex? It’s not fair that its like, men’s whole brand but when women mention anything remotely suggestive it becomes a negative reflection of her? Just doesn’t make sense. So it should be talked about.
UG: I’m sure you have so much in the works right now, is there anything we should be excited about that is coming soon?
Chloe Tang: Yes, lots! I have a very large catalog of music I’m sitting on so now is the fun part where I get to decide what comes out when. Then I get to brand each song and spend the time on each one that it deserves. At the moment, there’s a song I have called Crying Diamonds that I think will be next…
UG: We actually were lucky enough to see you open for EMELINE this past fall, you rocked it! Amazing energy and we were grooving your whole set. What was that experience like and do you have more plans for live shows anytime soon?
Chloe Tang: Thank you!! That was such a fun show- it was my first time playing The Moroccan, which was a goal of mine since I moved to LA. It was a very full circle moment for me.
UG: Your social media handle “beefjerkybih” made me laugh, I would have failed as a journalist to not ask how you came up with this handle and how it stuck
Chloe Tang: LOL well basically I was driving one time and some high school kids told me to roll my window down so I did, then they threw beef jerky at me and called me beef jerky bitch. I really liked it so I decided to change my handle for a little while then by the time I thought about changing it, it was way too late because now it’s part of me.
UG: I would love to know if you have any advice for other emerging artists these days, if you could have received advice starting out what do you wish you were told or knew?
Chloe Tang: I could write a book. I’m not even someone who has had a great deal of success or consider myself someone with a lot of knowledge about this industry but I am a pisces so I really feel things, which has helped me learn how to be a human. And being a cool human is probably the most important thing as an artist. I would say, in a nutshell, learn how to be yourself. An artist knows who they are- and I’m not talking about branding or anything like that. I mean, make mistakes and try a million things and date a lot of people. Learn about you and write a bunch of songs along the way. People can spot a front much easier than you think. So its worth it to invest time into yourself instead of wasting it trying to be something you saw on instagram.
UG: We always like to know who our Unheard Gems artists are listening to, if you could recommend to us another artist you think deserves more recognition in the music industry who would you recommend?
Chloe Tang: At the moment, I’ve been loving Whiterosemoxie, I think he’s so good and would dieeee to collab with him one day.
UG: Lastly, for all of our readers, where can they find you and your music, and is there anything else you want to leave us with that we didn’t talk about in our questions?
Chloe Tang: @beefjerkybih on all socials, Chloe Tang on all platforms! Just remember- its ok to cry in the club.
Interview by Hannah Schneider