Vancouver musician Alex See is easily underestimated. Even by herself. In an interview at Performance Works, she comes across as kind, considerate, and full of humility. But behind her soft demeanour lies a perceptive mind and keen intellect, which burst forth in her songwriting.
“It’s bittersweet pop—sometimes more bitter, sometimes more sweet, but always on that spectrum,” See says with a chuckle.
Her most recent single, “a love to call my home”, is a prime example. It plumbs the longing for love, a theme addressed by countless songwriters. But lyrically, there’s a lot more going on below the surface in this composition:
“The wolves howled, the moon gleamed like a blade/ I watch the world burn and cry every day,” she sings. “I spent life sad, small and lost and so afraid/ I tried to keep a song in my heart anyway.”
From a musical standpoint, See turns “a love to call my home” into a work of art. It features a catchy, hummable melody, elegantly contrasting the urgency of the search with the poignancy of arriving at the destination. She also provides plenty of room for her soft voice and memorable lyrics to soar. It’s clearly the work of a mature songwriter at the top of her game.
Yet in the interview, See reveals that her younger self never felt that she could cut it as a musician.
“I think I’ve had too much ‘imposter syndrome’, spending most of my life saying, ‘No, I can’t do that,’ ” she confesses.
Watch Alex See’s official music video (above) for “a love to call my home”.
See aims to incorporate other art forms
Now, she’s planning on releasing a full album, which will demonstrate that she can accomplish her goals as a musician. Along the way, See has already released three singles, including “a love to call my home”.
“I really want to thank my younger self for everything she’s been through,” See says. “So, this album is really me, at the other end of that era of my 20s, saying ‘That was a tough time for a younger girl and she figured it out.’ And I’m grateful.”
Moreover, See has ambitions of doing more than writing and performing songs. She plans on incorporating other art forms into her oeuvre.
“I want this Alex See Project to be the fullest expression of everything,” See says. “So, I want it to encompass my dance, my art, and my music.”
On Thursday (November 7), See will perform a set at Performance Works as part of the Jade Music Festival. The free concert, entitled Concerto, will feature musicians Mirabelle Jien, Shinlok, and Daniel Lew.
She credits her parents, who met as dancers, for igniting her deep appreciation for art. Her father is also a talented visual artist.
“They gave me a love of beautiful things and appreciation for beauty, and it just translated to music,” See says.
Her parents moved from Hong Kong to Richmond, where See attended high school. Her mother tongue is Cantonese.
“It’s very elementary-school limited,” See quips. “I say I’m learning adult Cantonese now.”
Alex See released her first official music video (above) in 2020.
Embracing her culture
She sometimes sings Mandarin covers because she feels that this Chinese language is so beautiful. And she’s grateful the Jade Music Festival offers a platform for musicians with Chinese ancestry to perform in their heritage languages.
“My Mandarin has already improved; my Cantonese has really improved,” See states. “You need a way to be welcomed into the culture—to be validated that your culture does want you. I think you can see we are eager to engage, as well.”
For her, it’s been a long and arduous road to becoming a singer and a songwriter. Her parents felt that she should become a piano teacher. See grew up playing classical piano, studying through the Royal Conservatory of Music, and performing in many competitions.
Even though she was often told that she was so musical, she didn’t win these competitions and didn’t always score high grades. As a result, See lacked the confidence to embark on a musical career when she was on the verge of adulthood. She ended up studying communications at SFU and later thrived as a volunteer coordinator and communications and marketing specialist.
“I thought I would go into journalism,” See says. “But I think without the pressure of doing music for a result, I was able to start expressing myself.”
She began writing her own music and posting it on YouTube as a student and continued while working full-time. Then in 2019 after doing this for nearly a decade, she committed herself to her music with all of her heart. Her first official music video was for “at the end”, which was posted on YouTube in 2020.
Addressing internal struggles in “black & blue”
The following year, she released the official music video for “black & blue”. It’s a haunting and sophisticated single showcasing her vocal, lyrical, and musical chops as a singer-songwriter.
She wrote the song while visiting a friend’s home in the B.C. Interior. See went out on the porch and saw nothing between her and the broad expanse of stars in the sky.
“I wanted to express the silence that we feel when we are looking at the sky in that way,” See says in a subsequent video posted on YouTube. “There is this quiet awe. There is this peaceful silence, but you also feel cold and alone. You feel like the sky will last forever and it’s already slipping away. I felt all of these feelings and I asked the music to come.”
She goes on to explain that “black & blue” is ostensibly about holding onto the beautiful parts of a relationship after it has ended. But then, See quickly adds that this is fiction—and the truth is in the bridge of the song, in which she sings “We never knew what to say.”
“So, this song has this internal struggle—push and pull,” See declares. “That is a theme that will be heavily revisited in my upcoming album.”
The Jade Music Fest will present Alex See at Concerto at 7:30 p.m. on November 7 at Performance Works with Shinlok, Alex See, and Daniel Lew. The festival continues in Vancouver until November 9. Follow Pancouver on X @PancouverMedia and on Instagram @PancouverMedia.
