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Interview & Photos by Yising Kao
Based in Los Angeles, Vietnamese-American singer/songwriter Amanda Tran of In The Mourning has released her At What Cost Deluxe EP, which features different versions of her amazing single, “At What Cost,” and another track called “Complicated.” Her music is inspired by early 2000s Pop and bands such as Paramore, cultivating an energetic sound that compliments her soulful voice. In The Mourning is definitely contributing to paving the way towards a new wave of Pop Punk – make sure to check out her music on Spotify!
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Congrats on releasing your first single “At What Cost!” What made you decide to release this specific song as In The Mourning’s debut single?
I’ve been singing and writing songs for a long time now. And I always have a ton of songs in the books ready to go. But for this song specifically, I felt that it would translate well in the Pop Rock genre. It’s a really nice contrast with the very sad lyrics and the really fun upbeat production behind it. So I thought it would be a good introduction to the sound that I was going for.
Definitely, it’s very upbeat and you want to hype people up!
Yeah, and also remind people that it’s ok to be sad!
How would you describe your songwriting process?
My songwriting process is very much in solitude. I write pretty much everything by myself and im a very cathartic writer in the way that I really write my best when I’m like in the moment. So at my saddest moments is when the best songs will come out ‘cause that’s when my feelings are in their most rawest state. ‘Cause I feel like a lot of times when I try to go back and reflect on my previous experiences and write upon it, it’s a little bit harder ‘cause you're trying to access the feelings that you’ve felt previously as opposed to when I’m writing while it’s happening; I get a more authentic portrayal of how I felt during that time.
It seems like you had fun filming the music video for “At What Cost!” What was your creative process like planning the video?
It wasn’t too strong of a concept but what I really wanted to focus on was the performance aspect of it because although I have been performing in bands as a solo artist for a while now, it’s been a while since anyone has ever seen me perform, along with the pandemic. And especially since it was the introduction to In The Mourning, I wanted people to see the kind of performer that I was. So, it was very live-performance based and I wanted to highlight that and i thought being on a rooftop, it’s a little cliché, but I wanted that because it was definitely a nod to the early 2000s. being on a LA rooftop, very Avril Lavigne, so definitely honoring her and how much she’s inspired me just as a young kid until now. So, I just wanted to highlight the performance aspect but also wanted to have a fun, nostalgic aspect of being on the roof and having a good time with my friends.
You have a lot of experience working behind-the-scenes for music videos as well as working as an artist manager. How have these experiences helped you gain a better understanding of the music industry now that you’re a full-time artist?
Yeah, I’ve been in pretty much every position behind-the-scenes. I’ve been a music journalist, I’ve done band interviews, live show reviews, band photography, social media for bands; I’ve managed people and most recently, I've been doing a lot of music video productions for a lot of artists. I've just always been someone who has been curious, and I've always wanted to learn, just be in the know, and it’s only helped me be a well-rounded creative in a way. Because even if I'm working on a project and I'm not working on a specific role, I know what’s gonna be needed. Having these experiences in all these different sectors in the industry and behind-the-scenes, it’s made me a really good producer ‘cause you kinda have to know everything that’s going on. And now as an artist, I’ve always been an artist but this is kinda my first time putting myself first as an artist. So, doing that now and having all this experience beforehand, it’s only made me a better creative in the way that I know what it takes. And I'm coming in with a certain expectation and things will get done faster because I'm in control and I don’t have to rely on other people.
That’s awesome to have all those skills so you know what type of teams to hire and how to budget.
Yeah, it’s been great because I get to hire my friends who are also in the industry and are really good at their jobs. It’s cool to be able to work with them in that way. On the flipside of it, because I have done everything, sometimes it’s hard to let go cause you want to be in control all the time. But I’ve gotten to the point where I will leave the experts to it and just do what I gotta do as an artist. That way, everyone’s just doing their best work all the way around.
You’ve mentioned that you write songs that are inspired by your vulnerable emotions and experiences. It can be scary for some people to share that with the world. Has it ever been difficult for you to share these experiences by putting your music out there?
Yeah, it’s interesting because I think that vulnerable aspect, I encountered that during the actual writing process and I have to face myself in those moments and be vulnerable with myself to be able to write these songs. But as far as putting them out I don’t feel as scared or hesitant because most of the time, I’ve already gone through most of the healing myself; I've done the self-reflection and the work to allow myself to move on and so, by the time the song comes out, I don’t, at least not yet, feel any sort of hesitancy, it’s more like, I need to get it out because I want people to hear it. And it’s been really cool because all the songs I’ve ever put out, either as In The Mourning or A Tran as a solo artist, they’ve all been really sad but it’s been really cool to have people reach out and tell stories of how they could relate to it or how it’s helped them in a similar situation. So, it’s been cool to connect with people in that way and it blows my mind that people are actually listening. I mean, I've been doing music for so long, regardless of how many people are listening to it, but now people are like, starting to listen to it.
What’s the difference between A Tran and In The Mourning?
It’s not too different, honestly, I think my writing style has stayed pretty much the same. Obviously, it has evolved over time but if you hear songs I wrote like, ten years ago, and you hear song I wrote last month, it’s the same me, it’s just like, an older and more experienced, and a more heartbroken me, I would say. The songs have definitely gotten sadder, but I think in the way that I write it’s very true to who I am and the music I grew up on and that I’m inspired by.
You’ve said that your music is inspired by early 2000s Pop. Who are some of your favorite throwback Disney/general artists?
Avril Lavigne. Also, I’m a Demi Lovato stan. Demi has one of the most insane voices of our generation. It’s often underrated, but justice for Demi. Especially their first two albums, such good Pop Rock albums. I’m a huge Miley Cyrus fan, I think she has such an incredible range. She can literally sing any genre and her voice has only gotten stronger and more mature, and she’s an incredible performer. Obviously, big Jonas Brothers fan. I was listening to a couple of their older albums and I was like, “This is lit.” Like, it is legit Pop Punk. People will say what they say but if the Jonas Brothers weren’t on Disney, they would’ve been on Warped tour.
It’s very inspiring to see a Southeast Asian-American in a Pop Punk band. Do you feel like the Pop Punk scene is progressing with more bands with members who are People of Color?
They’ve always been here, we’ve always been here. I think it’s just a matter of exposure and having the platform to share. Now’s the time, like, bands like Pinkshift, Nightlife, Magnolia Park, that are awesome bands that also happen to have People of Color in them, theyv’e been doing it. It’s cool to finally see some reminisce of recognition. I’ve been doing it for - I’m not gonna reveal my age but if you search the internet hard enough, you could find it – I’ve been doing it for a minute though, and for a long time, I’ve just been the only one. I’ve been like, the only girl of color, let alone, Southeast Asian girl, you know? But also the fact that I’m like, brown, because colorism is a really big thing within the culture but also within American culture. There’s a lot of times in media that, and obviously I love that we’re getting representation but like a lot of people who are half are very white passing. It feels tokenized sometimes like, they’re the Token Asian person, but they’re white passing, or Token black person, but they could be white passing. So, it’s encouraging to finally see more people just visible I'm just like excited to finally be doing it full force and its exciting to be in the scene during this time for sure.
I feel like this is our year!
Yeah, it’s only up from here!
How did you come up with the name In The Mourning?
There are multiple reasons of why I chose this band name. its an ode to the way that I write music. Like how I was explaining before, I'm very much a cathartic writer so I’m writing in the moment, in the feelings, so it’s like in the mourning, while I'm sad, that’s when I’m writing.
That’s so creative!
I love a good pun. But I'm also very much inspired by Paramore, my favorite band. They’re just incredible and it’s been really fun to be a fan of them and appreciate their music evolution throughout the years. And if you're a true stan, on their Singles Club EP, there’s a song called “In The Mourning” that not many people know about. But it’s one of my favorite songs that the band has ever written. It’s so sad and so beautiful. But yeah, two meanings why. It also sounds like, very emo, and when I was thinking of how to release this music, ‘cause I've always done Pop Rock but my previous stuff was a bit more Indie Pop, I’m just gonna be so on the nose that they won’t think that I’m not trying to go for Pop Rock, so In The Mourning sounds very much emo. I just needed to do this so people understand the direction I’m going for.
And you’ve got the green hair, so everyone knows you for that.
Yes, it’s on brand!
What upcoming projects can we look forward to? What are some of your goals as an artist?
Obviously, more music. I think this age of music consumption, everyone has very short attention spans, so although I love albums and EPs. I’ll be releasing singles for a while leading up to an EP eventually. I’m not gonna say when, but in the near future, but soon. I hate saying the word “soon.” As a music fan, whenever I see the word “soon,” I'm just like, ugh. But yeah, coming soon. We’ll be doing some live shows very soon, top of the year, not gonna confirm or deny this statement. But my goals, release more music and I would love to tour; Opening for a band would be sick and eventually going on our own tour would be cool.
I believe in you, you will!
Thanks, live performances are one of my favorite parts outside of the songwriting. Like, I love performing live and I definitely miss that, especially because of the pandemic.
RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS
Favorite Paramore song?
No, I can’t! My favorite Paramore song change with my mood. But if I had to choose in this moment, I’m gonna say “Last Hope,” “When It Rains,” and “Fake Happy.”
Dream venue to play at?
I would love to play at the Paramount in Seattle. It’d be a hometown show and it’s a venue where I’ve seen a lot of my favorite bands play in. it’d be cool to finally play there.
Favorite ride at Disneyland?
That’s so rough, I’d have to say Space Mountain.
Last album you listened to?
The new JoJo album, trying not to think about it. It’s very sad, so if you don’t want to listen to sad music, don’t listen to it. But it’s really good.
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