Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Jenny Choi and the Third Shift, a loungy Chicago four-piece, followed with a set that alternated between ambiance and jazzy moodiness; "August 1st" combined expressive piano, soaring vocals, and even an element of scat phrasing. - Tom Kielty
Choi applies the results of countless hours of music lessons to jazzy piano-based arrangements that display both taste and grace. And her two sprightly punk numbers are an energizing surprise… Choi’s also a striking lyricist… though the words are often cutting, Choi and her mates make music that soothes. - Noel Murray
Now in her third year at the University of Illinois' Champaign-Urbana campus, Jenny Choi makes music that is best described by her album title. Accompanied by piano, Choi sings and writes heartfelt songs about love, loss and regret. Tori Amos is an obvious comparison, but Choi replaces that singer's melodrama and theatrics with a quieter, more innocent slant.
- David Avery
Discography
Bittersweet (1998)
Grand and Ashland (2000)
Postcard Stories (2003)
Music can be found on mp3 and IUMA.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Jenny Choi began her journey in singer-songwriting in Champaign, IL -- the mecca of indie rock. There, Choi forged for herself an impressive following through her achingly honest performance and unforgettably quirky and charming banter, attracting press from CMJ and attention from major labels. After relocating to her hometown Chicago, Choi collaborated and shared bills with local favorite acts such as the beloved Baldwin Brothers (TVT), Light FM, and Kim, while also touring and opening for diverse acts from Jill Sobule and Dan Bern to Dan Littleton of Ida, Seam, Euphone (Jade Tree), and even Fabulous Disaster (Fat Wreck Chords). Her extensive touring experiences also include joining Emm Gryner (of David Bowie and Mercury fame) for the first ever Asian American Singer Songwriter Showcase.
Her third and newest record, "Postcard Stories," was recently engineered and produced by Brendan Gamble (of Champaign's Private Studios) and Greg Norman (of Chicago's Electrical Audio). The collection of songs were so thematically united in its approach to heartache and nostalgia that Choi wrote a short short (aka "postcard story": a story not to exceed 150 words) to accompany each song. The resulting product is an eleven-song mini epic that traverses the universality of somber emotion over the landscape of urbanity.
This is Choi's songwriting at her most developed and mature; a much more cohesive and self-realized effort in melding her signature piano-based indie rock with thoughtful melancholy. The epic will debut via her website over the next few months in which each song is tied to an image and short short. Although it has yet to be released, the record has already garnered rave reviews from labels such as Double Zero Records (featuring members of Smoking Pope and formerly from the Alkaline Trio) and Ohiogirl Records (C-Clamp, Dianogah, Pinebender). (www.jennychoi.com)
Links
