Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
By Suchi Rudra
Singer Teresa Lee may not speak fluent Chinese, but that hasn’t made any difference to the hordes of her devoted fans in China. In fact, since Lee and her indie pop band PaperDoll were invited to play at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, the New York City-based group has been back to tour the country of Lee’s heritage three times (most recently in November 2012) with yet another tour in the works for late 2013 or early 2014. PaperDoll’s third US tour will take place in late summer or fall of this year.
Lee believes her Chinese fans view PaperDoll as an American band, “so I try to represent the US when I’m in China. And in a way, I’m also representing Asia when I’m in the US.”
Indeed, Lee’s professional choice certainly does stand out in the US, since music hasn’t really been one of the more popular career choices for Asian Americans. However, Lee says her parents, who are both from China, have always been supportive of her passion for music.
“I was class president, got good grades, played a lot of sports. I had a resume that a parent would be proud of. But I was never driven by my parents to do something I didn’t want to do,” she notes.
Lee spent most of her childhood summers in Taiwan and Thailand with her family and found inspiration in famous Asian musicians like Taiwanese singer Jay Chou and Tony award-winning Filipina singer Lea Salonga. “And I would watch Rent which was very multicultural or see singers on TV who kind of looked like me,” she says.
The band’s first album, Ballad Nerd Pop was released in the US in 2008, but as an experiment, PaperDoll’s second album Sashimi Deluxe was released first in China in September 2012, and a month later in the US. The Chinese release includes one track translated into Mandarin–with help from her mother and aunt–and another track that is a cover of a classic Chinese song from the 70s.
Aside from music, Lee is also passionate about food. Any spare time between performances in China is always devoted to exploring local cuisine, which the singer faithfully documents on the band’s Facebook page. One of her foodie highlights in China? The infamous mantis shrimp. These colorful crustaceans wield such powerful claws to smash their prey that they are kept only in plastic containers, never glass. “I guess they’re such vicious creatures that it makes them that more delicious,” Lee laughs.
When Lee isn’t hunting down mantis shrimp, the singer keeps busy writing new lyrics, booking the band’s next gig or marketing. After all, being an unsigned indie band means working on a budget.
But the hard work is paying off and PaperDoll’s music has been reaching ever-wider audiences in the US and abroad, with songs featured on the Today Show and an MTV show, in TV advertisements for Nike and Vick’s Dayquil, and most recently, in the 2012 film “White Frog” by Quentin Lee.
It helps that both albums are full of fun and catchy tunes–even if the lyrics tell a different story.
“I’m a pretty empowered person, and I don’t shy away from conflict, so that comes across in our music,” Lee explains. “I use a lot of dialogue when I write—it’s a way of getting the last word.”
To hear PaperDoll’s music and watch their catchy videos, visit www.PaperDollBand.com
Asian Fortune is an English language newspaper for Asian American professionals in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Visit fb.com/asianfortune to stay up to date with our news and what’s going on in the Asian American community.
