I’m continuing a series of posts talking about the inspiration and stories behind my songs on my “Favorites” compilation CD. The song “I’m Not” originally appeared on my “Revolutionary” album. It’s probably the fastest song I’ve ever written. I remember throwing down a really basic demo in about an hour with piano and vocals right before I was going to meet with my producer, Derek Nakamoto. This song is probably most representative of who I am and who “I’m not.” As I’ve come up as a singer, I’ve heard so many negative things. Some of it was silly logic. Some of it was asking me to compromise my values and identity. Some of it was skepticism about my ability to succeed. I’ve had people tell me I’m not Chinese enough. I’ve had people tell me I’m not American enough. I had someone tell me I’m not going to succeed because I don’t dress sexy enough. I’ve had people tell me that I shouldn’t write music with the word “God” in it. There’s a quote that inspired this song Romans 12:2a “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” At the end of the day, I decided who I wanted to be and who I was not going to be. I was committed to busting stereotypes and living out my convictions.
