Musicians at FuturED#2 Yanyan Pang and Detroit Diamond

This week we hear from the musicians at FuturED#2 Yanyan Pang, lead singer of girl punk rock band After After Party and Hip Hop Artist Detroit Diamond.

Detroit Diamond

Detroit Diamond

US-born Detroit Diamond is a man of many talents; he has got a new hip-hop album under way, a radio show ready to launch on RTHK. He runs his own jewellery company and is a successful visual artist.

Diamond told the FuturED#2 audience about growing up in Detroit and then going to Kendell Arts School before moving around a lot in his twenties. He developed writing skills and started performing for his friends in Atlanta, in New York he got a recording deal and in LA he appeared in movies before moving to Hong Kong.

“Hong Kong is where I discovered that the engine can run on its own! There are five building blocks to success.

• Rhythm – we all have a rhythm we can follow, a heartbeat, creatively we instinctively make patterns and a rhythm or a pattern will help us be consistent.
• Momentum – which is the amount of hard work you put in times how often you do it.
• Self- impress – Impress yourself intellectually, feel proud of your achievements. If you get an award at school, if you get a positive note from a teacher keep it and recognise the hard work you did to get it.
• Accumulation – collect your achievements and your thoughts, write things down you might need the creative ideas you are having.
• Belief is the key that starts the engine that runs on its own. Until you believe it isn’t effective.

“The most important thing to remember is, go where you want to go, stay creative and take your talents to the next level!”

Yanyan Pang

Yanyan Pang

“I have done lots of gigs, in lots of places, in different countries, most of the time I don’t get paid but I don’t care. I just take every opportunity I can to play.”
“Finding gigs means you have to be able to promote yourself, which is a useful skill which I use in my marketing job every day.”

“I have a real passion for what I do which is why I enjoy it so much.” “Life should be about fun, when people go out to see a band they want to have fun, which is why I mixe rock music and comedy.”

Yanyan sang two songs at FuturED#2, ‘Creative Love Song’ about a woman who dates a self-absorbed creative writer and ‘Selfie 101’ which explains what people do to look good online including dating websites.

Click here to read her interview with SCMP – Young Post and see a clip of her performing.