New York is a tough nut to crack and bringing awareness to one's work is not
an easy task in this town. The effort and sacrifice are sometimes overwhelming.
Yet Asian import, Vivi Hu, has overcome much of that and has come through with
flying colors. Her singing and songwriting are a crisp blend of R&B, soul, jazz,
and Mandarin pop. She meshes these genres using traditional Chinese instruments.
As a songwriter she offers us stories of how she had to manage through either
rejection or elation. They are lyrics that anyone can relate to.
At first, before planting her flag in New York, she performed in a few high-end
shows in her native China. Shows like Real Live in Xiamen and Dust and Dawn Club
in Beijing. When she made New York her base she began doing shows at such venues
like the United Nations Headquarters, Flushing Town Hall, Museum of Chinese in
America, Queens Library, and Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Festival
etc. We do not want to leave out that she is not only a singer/songwriter but also
plays the flute.
Vivi joined a group in China called Paul & Timothy Gospel Choir which led
to her forming the Hosanna Gospel Choir. In 2013 is when the was stung by the
jazz sound at the JZ Music Festival. Two years later is when embarking onto
New York became important to her. She would complete a master's degree in music
with a focus on jazz performance for voice.
One of her most memorable shows was at the Flushing Town Hall in 2017 with the
theme titled "Shanghai Memories: Golden Songs from the 1930s and 1940s". At this
specific show she performed with the band traditional Shanghainese songs arranged
with a jazz type feel. A few of the songs were translated into English. She also
gave a lecture of Shanghai jazz at Lincoln Center that same year.
"I loved all the venues yet my first at Flushing Town Hall
had a deep meaning to me since it showcased Shanghainese jazz songs. I receive a
similar feeling when I perform in Chinatown since there on the street you receive
an automatic response from the crowd that is uplifting."
Vivi would soon begin to release music so people can enjoy anywhere. Her first
EP was titled "New Creation" (2018) it was a blend of original jazz and gospel
music. The music was in Chinese and English. In the same year she also put out
the single "Moonlight" which was produced in the style of Hokkien folk fusion
jazz. Vivi kept working hard developing new material as she released two more
projects in 2020 "You Stepped Out of My Dreams” and then "1000 Things” both
had an R&B arrangement.
Based on her vision on music and how she offers real life events in the lyrics
it was no surprise when she came out with "Oolong Tea" this year. This track
catches the images and feelings derived from how it was like to enjoy this drink
in her native land. The feedback on the project was a positive one and would serve
as a springboard to her latest lyric video "Vivi, Hu?"
This track which had the original title "Rose in the Snow" is what her name means.
The producer on the project was Poogie and Winston Bell who added flute parts to the
video which was a great addition. Besides performing and singing Vivi is also a leader
in music composition, arrangement, and concert production. Only recently she took part
in the concert "Under A Blue Sky" (https://youtu.be/m1SZeJ_Oxo4)
which was held at the Queens Theatre. It was her own composition and arrangements
which were performed in English and Chinese.
The theme of the concert was about being universal regardless of where one come from.
Vivi has also performed with artists like Burnett Thompson and Eugene Montenero. Presently,
Vivi is working on new material for 2023 but is focusing more on performing across NY
offering her positive and invoking
music to everyone.
