Chinese character for “music” or “joy” – depending on how you pronounce it

Many people ask us where the name “Chinese Melodrama” came from and what it means. We’ve sort of laughed it off and given vague or cryptic answers in the past, like, “One of us is Chinese and the other is melodramatic.” But we’ve never really shared the deepest truth about it.

The truth is that we are Chinese Melodrama.

When I first met Randy, I knew we would understand each other the moment he said he grew up in a prison, son of the warden in a California state penitentiary. I grew up with Chinese immigrant parents living in a small suburb of Chicago, the only minority for most of my elementary school years, and one of less than ten in my graduating high school class of 500. While these may seem like very different backgrounds, what we share in common as adults is a desire to heal our hearts and create ways for people to come together in harmony.

What you are seeing when you come to watch us play is the unfolding story of two people, coming together to support our breaking free from the self-imposed prison of the mind and coming alive as whole human beings – expressive, tormented, adventurous, conflicted, moving forward, moving backward, confident, vulnerable, growing, learning. We are all these things, and so are you.

We sing and play about the journey of becoming free. We hope to inspire anyone who has ever lived in a prison of their own making…and to send the message that you can learn to free yourself.

Our music is about growing wings; getting to know your true potential which is limitless’ living in the present moment; finding creative outlets for tough emotions; learning to love yourself, others, and life itself; revering the temple of the earth; living in harmony with mind, body, soul, and nature; accepting the things we don’t understand; forgiving; transcending the boundaries set by our conditioning; mustering the courage to look for beauty; knowing that we might (no, we will) upset some people along the way; letting go of self-criticism and perfectionism; and moving forward one moment at a time.