What's Up

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!! March 7, 2010

CJ Li's official YouTube video views: 502,030!! We have hit over HALF A MILLION views!!!! Thank you so much to our loyal fans/friends who watch our slightly crazy, sometimes goofy videos. You are all amazing & we love you! We promise keep those vids coming.

Fall Into a Sea of Cranberries?! March 4, 2010

This is the last of our Vancouver Olympic Adventure vids:Sea of Cranberries. We hope you enjoyed following us around during the Olympics & watching us be goofballs! :)

Goodbye/Au Revoir! March 1, 2010

The Vancouver Winter Olympics have officially come to a close. Huge "Thank You"s to the promoters, co-ordinators and event planners who invited us to play at the Olympic venues! The band and I had an absolutely amazing time, and we were so proud to show the world what our local Vancouver band had to offer. CJ Li Band is always on the go and we always have gigs coming up. That being said, we always update our Facebook Band Page, our YouTube channel & this site with pics and vids for those of you who are overseas!

Olympics Closing Februrary 27, 2010

See you at tomorrow's gig by the beautiful water @ Lonsdale Quay!

We're on a Boat Februrary 26, 2010

New vid posted in "My Inner Rebel"!

UBC Gig Moved! Februrary 24, 2010

The UBC gig has been moved from March 5 to March 26 (Friday). Will keep you updated on the time! The band and I are thinking about roaming the downtown streets with our music this Friday, but it might rain! We'll keep you updated on that as well. Looking forward to our last "Olympic Gig" on Sunday at the Lonsdale Quay as part of Winterfest! See you there!

Zipline & Korean House! February 22, 2010

The band and I have been taking breaks and having some much needed Olympic fun between gigs. Here's a vid of us on the Ziptrek in Robson Square and visiting the Korean House. Will continue to post vids and update you guys on our Vancouver 2010 Olympic adventures!

Edgewater Behind the Scenes & Highlights February 19, 2010

Some highlights and special band behind-the-scenes clips for you guys! Just a note, trust me VIP tent was absolutely freezing! I think the cold also froze our brains which is why we were acting so mega weird! Yay, fun times! Enjoy!

"Hey Look, A Banana!" February 18, 2010

This is a taste of CJ in downtown Vancouver during the Winter Olympics. One word: Madness!

New songs in the player! February 17, 2010

Yeup! Fresh tunes should be playing for you as you read this! Just click on the left/right arrows in the player above, and new songs should appear including our all-time popular "Pizza in your Belly"! The songs aren't actually fully finished or mastered yet, so they are small snippets of what's to come! Also, lots of fan pics have been posted on our Facebook. Big thanks to Gary who seemed to have taken a freakin load of pics!

Edgewater Gig pics uploaded! February 15, 2010

Check out the "pics" section! 14 fresh rocking photos just for you!

CJ Li ♥ s YOU because... February 14, 2010 ♥

CJ Li ♥ s YOU because... YOU push them to become better people/musicians and YOU believe in them to become amazing rockstars! :) Happy Valentine's Day, everybody! ♥ And of course, "Gung Hay Fat Choy"!

What a rush, tonight! Edgewater Gig! February 13, 2010

A huge thank you to everyone who trekked in the cold rain & Olympic crowds to rock out with us! What a rush, tonight! You guys are so awesome and made this gig a blast. Pics/vids to be uploaded tomorrow! Next stop: Fort Langley~

CJ Li welcomes the world to Vancouver! February 12, 2010

The Olympic Opening ceremony was absolutely amazing! I'm so very proud to be a Vancouverite. Today, we performed at Tupper Secondary School, and I must say those students really know how to rock! Thanks to the guys and girls who dance their way up front and came to chat with us after the set. You all rock! The band and I had such a blast, and now we're looking forward for tomorrow. Hopefully see you there! Btw, pics of today's gig uploaded!!

Gigs start tomorrow! February 11, 2010

Gig at Tupper Secondary tomorrow starting at 1:30pm! Also, our Edgewater gig on Saturday is now at 4:30pm! Just check out the "gigs" section, as everything has been updated. We're really excited to start our Olympic gigs! See you at the shows!

CJ Li Welcomes the Year of the Tiger! February 8, 2010

One of the gigs we're doing during the Olympics is for Chinese New Year. We're calling our set "CJ Li welcomes the Year of the Tiger!". You get to party with us for 2 different celebrations, it's free and an all-ages show. Doesn't get much better than that! If you have facebook, invite your friends and let us know you're coming on February 13th! See u there! ...Oh, and if you really, really can't make this gig... check the "gigs" section, we always have tons lined up.

Whoaa! We're Living on a Prayer! February 5, 2010

Ready or not?! February gigs for the Olympics start exactly 1 week from today!~ We're so pumped & ready to rock! Here's Livin' on a Prayer, one of the covers we'll be doing, enjoy! This is such a feel-good song, it's our favorite in the whole set of covers!

Pizza February 4, 2010

Here's one of my originals Pizza in Your Belly, which I actually wrote in the shower! The band does some awesome solos- they are so talented. Check us out and don't forget to subscribe! :)

February 2010 -CJ Li Fan Mission February 1, 2010

Happy February 1st! As usual, you've been given a brand new mission for this month! Your Mission for February 2010 is... here! Good luck! :)

#45 Most Viewed (Today) - Musician in Canada January 30, 2010

Meet our new YouTube award for today~ Hurray! :) Thx for the view everyone. Btw, today's rehearsal went really well and my voice didn't die too much- lol (see blog if you don't know what I'm talking about). We'll see how tomorrow's rehearsal goes!

Beatles-mania January 29, 2010

Freshly uploaded 2 new Beatles cover vids: Yesterday and Let it Be. Check them out and leave us a comment! Oh, and blog has been updated!

More Gigs January 24, 2010

More gigs posted and a time change for our Feb 13th gig! You know where to click to view it... :)

YouTube Charts! January 23, 2010

According to our YouTube channel info, our current top 3 videos are "Wake Me Up When September Ends- Green Day cover" (with a whopping 129,693 views), "Complicated- Avril Lavigne" (79,701 views) and "Feel My Boobies- CJ Li" (22,385 views)! Not bad at all- and altogether we have a total of nearly half a million views...yes, 500,000 views! Damn, that's a heck of a lot of ppl! Thank you again to everyone who subscribed to our channel and continues to give us view hits- you are all amazing. :) By the way, check out the blog- it's been updated!

A song for "Mo" January 18, 2010

The band has been hiding out again, doing multiple rehearsals and getting ready for our upcoming "Olympic" gigs. Send us a message and let us know what's happening in the outside world! lol~ In the meantime, we've posted a new video on YouTube that we recorded during rehearsal. This song was written by CJ for a girl named Monique and is called "Your Smile". See My Inner Rebel for the full story on how this song came to be.

Hey My Friend! January 9, 2010

This is my first Japanese cover song: Tommy Heavenly6's Hey My Friend. Please keep in mind, I've only been studying Japanese for a few months so some words might be funky. haha! :) Gomenasai(sorry) in advance! By the way, even though it's been less than 24 hours since we posted the "Mission", we received TONSSS of jpegs already! Lots of accomplished missions out there and we sent YOU something really, really cool. If you don't know what I'm talking about, click the link below. Rock on!

CJ Li Fan Mission for Jan! January 8, 2010

YOUR mission is here...!

Edgewater Casino January 7, 2010

What could be better than a 'lil gambling (if you're of age), eating food, shopping at booths, counting down to Chinese New Year & watching your favorite band? Nothing! "Gigs" section updated!

Olympic Performances January 6, 2010

The ball is starting to roll on our gigs during the Olympics (which is February). We have a list of venues that still need to be confirmed. Keep an eye out on the "gigs" section for updates! See you there! ...bring us a Quatchi doll! :) lol~

2010! January 1, 2010

2009 has been a crazy year, so I'm glad to say goodbye to it. Welcome 2010 yay! As you know, we'll be having the winter Olympics here in February, and we're planning to gig around town during that time. We'll also be booking more gigs and planning to get album 2 together and ready to go. We're ready to step things up once again and can't wait to get the ball rolling fresh again! :) Hope you guys had an awesome new years- no hangovers I hope! :)

Blog updated! December 30, 2009

What the title says. :)

Shopping Spree! December 26, 2009

Hope everyone had an awesome xmas and got some good boxing day deals today! The band and I did a "band gift exchange" and we got some pretty interesting things... some of which are not appropriate to put up here! :P Hope you guys have a great New Years!

CJ on Violin~ December 23, 2009

First off, thanks to Mayuko-san and everyone at Clubhouse. We had a gig there today and it was so much fun! We even included a special bday song for Victor. Everyone say Happy Bday to him! Thx again to the Clubhouse crew, you're all so awesome & thanks so much for supporting our music! I've uploaded some new vids but I'll post the links on "My Inner Rebel" as I don't want you to watch those vids without reading a bit about them first... Your ears will hurt and you'll wonder why I've posted such a horrible music playing vid. Click the "My inner rebel" tab up top to get the full story!

Supporting fellow Vancouver bands! December 22, 2009

New vid of Hedley's For the Nights I can't Remember (wow that's a long title). Again, this my coworker Evan and I jamming away while we're supposed to be working. lol Also, oh em gee! We're officialy 2 people away from 1,100 subscribers on YouTube! As we would say en francais, "Youpi"! Merci d'avoir regarder nos videos... merci mille fois!

Facebook Fan Cookies! December 21, 2009

You know what Facebook fan cookies taste like? Pretty damn awesome! The whole story updated on "My Inner Rebel"!

Let it Jingle Snow Rock December 19, 2009

Hey everyone! Just uploaded another xmas jingle for you, and while doing so, noticed updated YouTube awards on our site! #57 Most Viewed (Today) Musicians in Japan & #38 Most Viewed(This Week) Musicians in Japan. Thanks again for watching/commenting and subscribing! :)

Kiss from a Rose December 18, 2009

Took some new vids with Evan again today! This was a fan request: Seal's Kiss From a Rose & another xmas jingle. Msg us on YouTube or email us if you have any requests! :) Will upload the rest of the vids tomorrow. ...xmas is less than a week away! Yeah!

Paparazzi Retake & bLoOpeRs! December 17, 2009

We've been getting lots of requests to re-shoot our Paparazzi video that we originally recorded downtown. The traffic/pedestrians were really noisy, so we took your request and here it is! I also put together a BloOPeR vid, because we had some good times recording and wanted to share some good memories with you guys. Enjoy~~~

New YouTube Awards! December 15, 2009

Wow! New awards popped up on our YouTube today including "#11 - Most Viewed (Today) - Musicians in Japan" and "#81 - Most Viewed (This Week) - Musicians in Japan". How super cool is that? Thanks for all the views everyone! My Inner Rebel has also been updated!

"Rarararara mamamama gaga ooh lala" cover December 13, 2009

Today Patrick and I recorded some more Lady Gaga cover songs. Bad Romance is so super catchy even though it's just "rarara mamama"! I need to write a song like that. Also, if you've been following us on Facebook, a fan posted that they thought our Haruka Kanata (Naruto cover song) was actually "Hakuna Matata"! As to not disappoint them we also did a Hakuna Matata cover. It also helped having our fans bribe us with cookies and pastries to cover this song... lol! Hope you like the vids!

GnR cover uploaded! December 10, 2009

As promised, new vid Guns n Roses cover here! We filmed this at work between teaching students, so you can hear other music in the background. I had to even steal a mic stand from the next room and prop it on the desk to get the camera to stay put... lol Enjoy!

Old School Rock covers December 9, 2009

We've been getting lots of requests for tunes, but lately it seems like you guys are wanting those classic 80's rock tunes. I've never done one before, but will some out.

I Challenge YOU! December 6, 2009

Japanese exam on Tuesday and then done! YESSS!!!! Good luck on all your exams, everyone! :) I hope you're all working hard, unlike me. lol If you ARE like me and happen to be stalling on the net, I welcome you to take on my challenge! Do a cover of your favorite CJ Li tune and post them on YouTube. Make sure you let me know the link, email/facebook/twitter it to me, and I'll post it here for all to see. :) Here's a vid of a CJ fan, Stephanie, doing her cover of Something Beautiful. Rock on, guys! Looking forward to hearing your beautiful covers!

New Tunes in Audio Player! November 26, 2009

See that little audio player up above? If you click the left/right arrows, there will be a preview of 2 new unreleased tunes: "Halfway there,Not Halfway Dead" and "That's How the Story Goes". Hope you guys enjoy them! Oh, and also, thanks to everyone who have been commenting on our YouTube channel. You're all awesome & we really, really, really appreciate your support!

Label Interest November 19, 2009

It's really exciting that I've been getting awesome label feedback and interest for my second album. The new tunes are currently brewing in the studio, and I just recovered. Looking to do a cover song -YouTube marathon where I'll release a song a day for a month or so. Should be fun! Drop me a msg if you want to request a particular cover tune. Later!

Paramore cover November 10, 2009

Wow, thanks for all the positive comments we've been getting on YouTube. A few weeks ago, I did a cover of Paramore's "Misery Business". After that I got tons of requests to do Ignorance- so I did. Hope you guys like it!

Guitar Slap YouTube vid! November 3, 2009

Hey everyone, my computer is completely busted, so I haven't been able to update this in a while. Anyways, I'm in the midst of uploading a new YouTube vid! This time, I let the guitar do the singing. This vid is completely different from ones I've done in the past so I'm REALLY curious what you all think! I originally ran into this vid on YouTube after seeing another guy do a cover. It was really hard finding good tabs online for it, so I had to listen to the guitar slap scene a million times to get it right... I actually haven't even seen "August Rush" before (shame on me!!), but yes I plan on seeing in soon. haha! Anyways, pls leave me a comment on YouTube, pass it on to your friends too- and lemme know what you think! :)

Costumes! October 27, 2009

Halloween's coming up! We wanna know what you're doing/dressing up as! So far, we (the band) have no idea what we're gonna be. Someone suggested dressing as a "Rockstar"??? haha What on earth is a 'rockstar' costume like anyways?? @_@ If you've got any ideas for us- hit us back with a Facebook msg or email!

Busking 4 free?- Lady Gaga cover October 21, 2009

New YouTube vid of me and the band busking on the busy streets of downtown Vancouver (with our ghetto duct tape made djembe strap)-lol! Check it out!

Busking! October 19, 2009

MIR (My inner rebel) update!

Officially 1,000! October 18, 2009

We officially have 1,000 subscribers to our YouTube Channel! Yay! Thx to all the subbers, you're all amazing.

Awards for Thanksgiving October 11, 2009

Whoa!~ We have an award feast on YouTube!: #86 Most Subscribed (All Time) Musician in Japan, #27 Most Viewed (Today) Musician in Japan & #88 Most Viewed (This Week) Musician in Japan. Thx so much everybody for your views... and of course, to my fellow Canadians: have an awesome Thanksgiving! :) Save us some turkey!

Misery Business & New Award?! October 10, 2009

I've been asked by a few of you now to do Paramore's "Misery Business", so here it is. The song is so damn hard to play and sing at the same time. You have to ask you brain to work seperately for voice & strumming pattern as the rhythm is MESSED up! Well, I tried, so lemme know what you think! Oh and hurray for our new award, we're stepping up a little: "#87 - Most Subscribed (All Time) - Musicians - Japan".

Now and Forever October 9, 2009

Ooh, it's getting chilly! Still can't believe it's already October! I've just posted a new YouTube vid of Richard Marx's "Now and Forever". My buddy Homerous always did such a good job covering this song, I attempted to outdo him! lol! Friendly rivalry is always fun. Check it out here! New blog post on our adventure in "Inner Rebel" & more pics on our Facebook!

Most Viewed- Japan Sept 30, 2009

Hurray to our new award that arrived today for "#36 - Most Viewed (Today) - Musicians - Japan"! This is so awesome, thx to everyone who watches our vids!

You Are Not Alone Sept 29, 2009

MJ was seriously such a good singer & especially songwriter. My fav song of his is You Are Not Alone, so I did a cover version of it. Btw, we shot this at the Lighthouse in Vancouver & had to hike up a long trail to get there. Took a while to catch my breath to do this vid- lol. Say hi to the hiker kid in the background & comment on YouTube!

Studio Time! Sept 24, 2009

We've got our studio time booked and songs ready to go! This time around we'll be doing 3-4 songs, one of which is Pizza in My Belly. So excited to get these songs down, keep you updated!

CJ loves Daisy Rock Sept 11, 2009

Thank you so very much to Daisy Rock guitars for officially sponsoring me! You guys are so amazing & I love my beautiful D.R. guitar! Guitarists out there, if you haven't tried out these yet, you're missing out. Trust me, these guitars are seriously sweet!!! By the way, they aren't just for girls- so don't be shy if you're a dude. ;)

My Inner Rebel

Darwing Duck Rockstar (his new name) March 7, 2010

Shh... secret! ... we stole a duck! ... ;)

Paralympics March 5, 2010

The Paralympics will be here exactly a week from today! Can't wait for more fun! :)

Olympic Adventures with the Band! February 26, 2010

We're so proud to be living in Vancouver and having the world realize what an awesome city we live in! As promised, the band and I have been shooting our adventures and posting them on YouTube. Only 2 more days to go until closing ceremony (and re-start school). T_T But for now, we're gonna continue on with our adventures for you! Just to give you an update on what we've been up to, we started off checking out the crowds downtown where I found a human banana, held an Olympic medal, then Mili & I freaked out on the Zipline, visited the Korean house, saw some dancing snow creatures, got lost on the "Olympic Line" train and went on a boat to Yaletown. Keep in mind, this is only a small portion of all the stuff we've been doing and seen. Ahh, we wish we could bring all of you to Vancouver and hang out with us! Will keep those "Olympic Adventure" vids coming for you for sure!

Proud to Be Canadian~! February 15, 2010

Yes! We've finally got the Plaza of Nations/Edgewater pics chosen and ready to be uploaded on the site! We literally had hundreds of pics coming in from fans, the media and our very own Mr. Manager. We cut them down to the best ones and will have them posted tonight. I think the Edgewater gig was one of our best gigs to date in that we had so many fans come out, and made tons of new fans/friends. Also, the sound system was amazing, the stage crew was incredibly kind and I could actually hear my voice clearly in my monitor (usually I can't). Looking forward to our upcoming gigs over the Olympics. Speaking of Olympics, I'm currently watching the Pairs Freestyle Figure Skating and I'm so damn proud to be Canadian. It's about time Vancouver got a chance to show the world what a beautiful city it is. On Friday, the band and I are doing a mini Downtown Vancouver Olympic traveling. Going to wait a whole 3 hours to go on the zipline downtown, visit the torch and of course try to stalk/hunt down a few athletes! lol. As usual, our adventures will be posted here!

Happy Vday and Chinese New Year! February 14, 2010

Just in time for Chinese New Year! One of our fans, LiuChangZhuo, kind enough to translate one of our tunes "What Happened to the World?" into Chinese! Unfortunately, nobody in the band speaks chinese (although CJ is chinese). Maybe some of you can read this! Here's a verse & chorus for you guys!

Sometimes I don't wanna get out of bed 有时我不想离开床
I used to think I could change the world 我曾经以为我能改变这个世界
But instead 但却不能
I found everyone lacks morality 我发现人人缺少道德
I didn't want to make it real to me 我不想让这成为我所看到的现实
I woke up in reality 我在现实中醒来

Chorus
Oh, where did all the moral people go? 君子们都去哪了？
What happened to the empathetic world? 这个善解人意的世界怎么了？
It's like we all got sucked down into a selfish and despairing, hopeless world 好像我们都陷入了自私，绝望，无助的世界
Where values don't exist and greed is gold 那里价值不复存在，贪婪却令人崇拜
Please save us 请救救我们
What happened to the world we used to know? 我们曾熟知的世界怎么了？

Let It Be January 29, 2010

It was weird doing the Let It Be cover song as the last time I sang that was at my Grandma's funeral (last year). I don't know if any of you have known anyone that's passed away before, but it's a strange feeling. I think of her all the time and still don't really believe she's not here anymore. Sometimes I feel like she's gone on a long vacation and that I'll see her again at our next family get-together. Anyways, I was happy do this song again as it brought back lots of memories- mostly good ones. On a lighter note, the band has still been rehearsing like mad. I ended up losing my voice today, so don't know how rehearsal will go tomorrow. Gotta drink lots of honeylemon! lol~ Will keep you guys updated!

Rehearsals and guess what... More Rehearsals! January 23, 2010

The band and I have been doing some mega, mega rehearsals lately as we're getting ready for our "Olympics" gigs. I can't believe the Olympics are almost here! I'm excited to see my hero- Quatchi. lol~ Today, we've decided on a few cover songs that we'll be performing, including Jay Sean's "Down" and our favorite- Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi". I must say everything is coming along nicely, although we still have some polishing up to do. Btw, here's some silliness pics that happen during our rehearsals! :)

The Story behind "Your Smile" January 18, 2010

Once upon a time, not too long ago (...on Friday), my Japanese teacher mentioned an award students could apply for. This award was in honour of a girl name Monique who passed away. I ended up looking at a website dedicated to Monique and was captured by her story. All of her friends wrote wonderful and fun things they did together and it really broke my heart. Monique was so young and her life was taken from her. Although I didn't even know this girl, I felt like we weren't so different. She was about my age, both studying Japanese, and she had a passion for art as well. I really wanted to do something for her family and friends to remember what a wonderful person she was, the fun times they had and that she led a beautiful life.

After reading her friends' comments, the lyrics to the song came naturally as I borrowed some of the touching things they said. The melody came surprisingly quickly, as I tried to imagine how Monique would have wanted her life to sound like as a song (based on the site). And voila, within an hour, "Your Smile" was born! I was excited to present the song to Mili and Patrick (my best friends/band) and told them a little about Monique's story. They were really thrilled with the song which made me happy, and they were both excited and eager to record it for Mo's peeps.
After Mo's dad heard the song he messaged us with: "This is stunningly good. Wish [she] were around to hear it.". Wow, that's the icing on the cake. The band and I are really glad that he liked the song and we hope it will help everyone remember Mo's beautiful life. xoxo

More Fan Cookies for "CJ Li"! January 12, 2010

We must have the sweetest fans. Here's another "virtual" cookie made for the band from Vivian and her friend! Apparently the thing in the middle is a car and that person on the right is our other fan, Jacob, who is on fire and being "rained on"...? lol. Thanks so much, cookiechefs- we love it!

Baby Sushi December 30, 2009

Just got back from eating sushi- again. We ended up sitting at the sushi bar and had this really cool chef show us what he was making. He was really talented & placed everything so nicely. Food that's beautiful is wayyy more fun to eat. :) I decided to order 5 tuna sushis along with some other stuff. Soon after, the chef handed me a plate and he had a huge smile on his face. On the plate were 5 big tunas and then this itty-bitty little one. lol! It was so cute, I didn't want to eat it! I had a good laugh and decided to take a picture of it for u guys after thanking him. Eventually, something else I ordered also came with a tiny roll on it. (Notice the baby Masago above) lol~~ Had a lot of fun today and surprisingly, that tiny sushi was the best one I've ever tasted!

CJ on Violin?!? December 23, 2009

Most of you don't know, but I actually started playing violin when I was 3. I studied it for 8 years and haven't touched a violin since. I went to Amanda's house today (my oober talented friend who recorded "Music in My Soul" with us), and she let me try her violin out. -_-... I forgot how light they were compared to electric guitars and felt like I was gonna break the thing in half! The vids you see are first shot, completely improvised playing. Twinkle, Twinkle was the first tune I ever learned when I was 3, and actually made it through the tune! Yay! Then, played Minuet 3 and completely sucked at it. lol While reading the music sheet, I was placing my fingers on the fingerboard where I would normally place them on a guitar. This doesn't work. haha! Anyways, now I know why my parents always said to practice! Lol- anyways it was so much fun to relive memories. I apologize in advance for hurting your ears when watching the vids!

"Fan" Cookies December 21, 2009

Once upon a time, my band and I did a gig and covered a song called "Haruka Kanata" (Japanese tune). Fans on youtube watched this and one of them commented that they thought it was actually "Hakuna Matata" from the Lion King. This entire chat then started on our Facebook page, and fans requested us to cover "Hakuna Matata" for fun. We took it as a joke and were hesitant to cover such a silly song. Fans then crossed the line and bribed us with cookies/treats/pastries... we gave in, and came up with this. Today, one of our very beloved fans named "Stephanie" posted the pic above on Facebook. Our fans are not only supportive, but also keep their promises! Who could as for anything better? :) We (heart) you all so very much! ...and thanks again to Stephanie for her cookies. They "tasted" "virtually" awesome!

2010 Olympic Store December 15, 2009

Amanda and I went to the Olympic Store downtown for the first time to do some xmas shopping. It was really, really, really sweet. I'm probably way too into Quatchi and all the Olympic mascots for my own good. I wanted to seriously buy everything. There were the cutest shirts, books, toys, bags, clothes... everything! Damn them for not making adult-size mascot t-shirts! I tried to fit in a little boys' large shirt and it fit! But, the arms were too short. Ohhh~ so sad! T_T Amanda, by the way, is the same girl who played piano in our new recording of "Music in my Soul" which is a tune that hasn't been released yet. :) It's still brewing in the studio, but so far, it sounds pretty awesome! Back to the story, Amanda was kind enough to take a pic of me & Quatchi, and we went for some yummy sushi. Good times! You guys done your xmas shopping yet?

Songwriting Workshop November 28, 2009

Today I went to a Canadian Songwriting workshop and OMG it was so fun! I've been to workshops in the past (like the Taxi workshops in California), but never to a Canadian one. I don't mean to brag about my country or anything, but MY GOSH Canada has some amaaaazing songwriters! I picked up a lot of useful info. Two of the presenters were John Capek (who is an amazing, super talented songwriter) & Janis Nixon (who knows just about everything there is to know about marketing on the net... and she's super pretty, which is always nice! lol). I took a lot away with me today and am starting to try some new tools out. AHH~~~ I just remembered that exams are next week! I'm sure you guys have your exams too- at least we're all sinking in the boat together. lol~ I should really study right now. Good luck on finals everyone, study hard! I will too!........(but first, gonna try out stuff I learned today. heheh!) :P As usual, feel free to vent an email to me regarding your exam week depression. I got your back! :)

My 2 Loves November 26, 2009

So much for that last post! hahaha Ok, so I've found a way (thanks to the help of some very awesome ppl & sensei) to work on my 2 loves: Music & Japanese. In the end, my family members encouraged me to keep taking the courses and I'm planning to live there next year, and they said it'd be a shame to stop halfway. I agree and I feel complete again. :) Oh my, next year is going to be so crazy busy working on both things, but at least I have a chance to pursue both passions! :D YESSSS!

Staying Focused November 23, 2009

Is there such thing as having too many interests? I get influenced quite easily and want to do everything. Well. I've been taking Japanese at university for nearly a year and I absolutely love it. I would say it's my second passion (music, of course, being first). However, I'm super super sad today because I realized I neither have time nor money to continue on with the courses. It might sound like "ok, then don't take it", but I really, really enjoy being in Japanese class. I'm in love with a language- is this possible? Ahh~~ I'm so sad. When I become a mega superstar, I'm taking that damn class that I'll be missing out on next year!!! It's so frustrating, but I gotta stay focused and spend even more energy/time on music. So much depends on this.

12-hour studio marathon November 9, 2009

Last night we did a 12 hour studio marathon. Omg, it took forever, but it was really, really fun. Being in the booth is always really weird. I like to feed on my band members' energy and so it's really different doing it standing alone between sponge walls. We recorded some new tunes and got a copy of the "rough" versions. Wow, the band sounds so good... And thank goodness for vocal lessons! lol- I feel like I'm getting vocally stronger, which is so awesome. I'm listening to some of these rough tunes right now and really wish you hear them! GAHHH!! I'm working really hard for all of you and I know these tunes will make you wanna dance!

"I want ICE CREAM!" October 19, 2009

We went to a really nice place near the water in West Van and saw an ice cream store. Too bad we had no cash, but we had a GUITAR! So, the only thing I could think of was busking! Lol- the ice cream was $2.50 each and there were 2 of us. I figured 15 mins or so would get us $5. Oh my... talk about being poor music students! Well, busking is always interesting. I (honestly!) love it not for the money, but watching the different faces go by and their expressions. My 15 mins turned into an hour because I couldn't stop cuz I was having way too much fun! We actually ended up making much more than I had anticipated, so we upgraded to sandwiches at a nearby "home-cooked food" place that had cool blue candles. Thank you to those who sponsored my sandwich, it was super yummy! It's fuel to write new tunes!

"I'm holding a fortune heaven has given to me" October 9, 2009

I am totally in love with that Richard Marx song & wish I had written it. Songs that you can just 100 % feel are always the best ones & most sincere. One of my best friends sang this at an audition and that's when I fell in love with it. Our YouTube vid we posted was an interesting one as we climbed a freakin huge island (seriously, an island!) to film it. There were these poor mussels all over the rocks that made a path to the island, and when you stepped on them you'd hear a big CRUNCH sound! Felt so bad! The rocks were damn slippery and my poor "cameraman" did the splits and landed "bad place" first into a pointy rock! The things we do for music! After we had done the filming, we noticed that the tide was coming in so we had to rushed like madmen across our rock-bridge. We would have honestly been stranded on that island and would've had to swim back with the guitar. lol~ Actually, that would have made an interesting video... Well, I'm extremely happy with how the vid turned out & hope you like it too! Onto the next adventure!

Lighthouse September 30, 2009

Yesterday I posted our MJ You are not Alone cover. Here's so pics from our hike up to the lighthouse! It was so nice & peaceful. Funny thing is, when visitors come to Vancouver, they usually don't go to the Lighthouse. I've lived here for most of my life and it was the first time I've been. So worth it, even if we had to huff and puff up the hills. Damn, I hate hills... but only when they go up! Once we got to the "lighthouse" I was slightly disappointed because you don't actually get to go up and touch it. I knocked on some lady's door who lived in the area and asked her how we could get in. Apparently it belongs to the govt and fisheries dept- gotta hand in that resume, just so that I can go there! lol~ Despite being only able to look at the lighthouse, it was so beautiful & the view was amazing. Oh, and of course, it made an awesome video. Thank you, lighthouse!

Back from Camping! September 4, 2009

Ahhh~~ Back from a relaxing week of camping at Manning Park. It was nice to get away from life's hussle & just chill with nature for a while. There was a beautiful lake with clear, cool water a few minutes from our cabin. The mountains and trees overlooked this lake and it was absolutely stunning. The family & I rented a canoe and we went off like little explorers! There was this little hidden stream around the bend and we decided to be brave and keep rowing off into who-knows-where. We ended up finding a beaver dam, a hidden bridge and found a few hikers fishing. Even though I had a restful time, I'm certainly glad to be back home. I think I'm addicted to my busy musician's life-lol. Ok, back to sending out press kits and working like mad! Msg me... Later!~

Neighborhood BBQ August 25, 2009

This summer, my whole neighborhood got together to help us paint our house. It started off with just one neighbor who knew a lot about gardens and offered to help us out. Then, a few weeks later, we had tons of different neighbors all around our house, painting and helping. We had a BBQ for everyone and I got the band to perform. Ahh, it's so nice to have everyone come together. :) ...and I love bbqs!

Dindin August 16, 2009

My awesome guitar player Patrick, cooked me a nice dinner today! I completely suck at cooking, so I made iced tea (which even that I had no idea how to do...). lol~ Patrick ended up making an awesome Prawn/Chicken Vermicelli w/ pesto & it was awesome. Thx dude~ :)

Running into Fans August 13, 2009

I was waiting at the bus stop the other day, when this mom and her son asked me "Are you CJ Li?". I was completely caught off guard. She said she saw me at one of our gigs and thought our music was great, which made me really happy. It's still strange to have ppl out of nowhere ask if I'm CJ. I've been working on music for seriously so many years, and still haven't gotten used to the idea of ppl stopping me on the street. It's exciting to know that my music is picking up momentum and my hard work (and my band members') are paying off. :)

CJ loves Quatchi! August 9, 2009

Yesterday's performance was tons of fun! I'm a total Quatchi fan. Oh, for those of you who don't know, Quatchi is one of the mascots for our Vancouver 2010 Olympics (see pic). He's a cute sasquatch, ie. Big Foot! Anyways, during the performance, these huge life-sized mascots were walking around and we had some dance to our music! Yay! :) After the gig and some good conversations with fans/fellow music-lovers/friends, we ate some awesome $0.25 hot dogs, got some fake tattoos, oogled at the local firefighters and played Wii. Had so much fun- I love community events!

Water Day~ July 11, 2009

I just got back from a crazy fun day! Today, a few hundred people showed up at Vancouver's Stanley Park for a massive water fight! Our for-fun team name was "Wolverine", inspired by Patrick (my guitar player)'s hairy chest/back. bwahaha!! :) I couldn't take pics, but basically, it works like this. I think I got "bucket"-ed 10 times and my gun was super weak. Little kids completely owned me! T_T Next year, I'm buying a water machinegun/bazooka!!! :P When I got back home, I went swimming with my friend's super cute dog. Ah, I'm seriously done with water for one day and totally smell like chlorine! lol~

Aqurium July 2, 2009

When's the last time you guys have been to the aquarium? :) I went w/ a friend of mine & I forgot how much fun it was! Ok, let's get something straight- of course I feel really sorry for the poor fish who are stuck in a mini-cube. But, also slightly thankful as I would've never had the chance to see such beautiful animals otherwise. Seriously, I'm such a water person! I love all sea creatures. Oh, and there was a garden as well. This was the first time I ever held a real butterfly. For some reason it was super friendly and just sat on my finger while showing off its wings. Kinda tickled when it moved around. We saw tons of really cute fish of course- dolphins, jellies, turtles, sharks. You name it! (Actually got kinda hungry for sushi afer... I'm evil!! T_T). lol~ :P


After, we walked around a beach-like area and saw some dude fishing. I asked if he had caught anything, which he didn't... and asked if I could try it out. I seriously felt a tug on the string and got so excited! Then, I reeled it up only to find an empty hook. Apparently, I mistook the current of the water for a fish. T_T so sad! Further along our walk, we ended up at a water park, which also had a life-sized dryer! Very exciting. haha~ Umm, I think it was for kids only, cuz it wouldn't turn on when I stepped in it. Perhaps I broke it or something. Our day came to an end with some awesome Italian food.
Such a long, but awesome day! I wouldn't trade days like these for anything. I'm not into "partying"- in fact, I really hate alcohol & clubbing ><. I love my friends & am so lucky we're content with hanging around a campfire, sipping on a latte, rocking on stage or even mistaking current for a fish. :) Good times, good times.

Coolest Teens June 25, 2009

Yesterday the band and I did a show at BC Chidren's Hospital. We got to perform in an awesome teen lounge & had tons of fun! After the show we had a chance to mingle and play a bit of Rockband with the teens! It's funny how Rockband can be so much harder than actually playing/singing in real life, lol! We totally sucked & I managed to "fail" singing Joan Jett's Bad Reputation. >< Oiii~~ The kids were wayyyy better than us! Overall, we had an good time there & made some cool new friends! :)

Pics & More June 18, 2009

Funny to think that this time last week, I was checking into my anime evo hotel! Time passes way too fast! Anyways, I just went through the pics today and had them uploaded. They are so cool, and I seriously had the most fun at that gig than any other. I also found some vids of our performance floating all over the net- haha! Oh my~~~ It's still weird to have people call themselves my "fans", etc... I like to use a more personal word like "friend" or something. Anyways, glad the pics turned out, and I'm working on getting approval to upload the concert vid to our YouTube page. :) Off to a friend's house- talk soon!

Anime Evo Madness Starts June 11, 2009

Wow, after all that, our gig is finally tomorrow. We're good to go, and so is the poster! Yay!!! It's finally finished and I'm really excited to post that huge thing behind us. I'll be sure to take pics for those of you who can't make it. One of the cover songs we're doing is Naruto's "Haruka Kanata". I still haven't fully memorized the lyrics... T_T It's so confusing with all the different syllables and the verses are so damn similar. I'll try not to mess it up. (And I'll sure to play guitar SUPER LOUD so you can't hear my Japanese) :P Anyways, off to the hotel (wow, sound so rockstar @_@)- hopefully see you tomorrow!

Power Rehearsals! June 7, 2009

Nikko, Patrick and I rehearsed at school for a whole 5 hours straight and were absolutely POOPED afterwards. Lol. We got a lot done and managed to get through the set a few times- hurray! Best part is, we hung out for sushi after. Sooo worth it! :) Can't wait for the gig, it's gonna be awesome! OHH, and in one part of the set, we play a version of Musical Chairs (well, musical instruments in this case), where I hop on drums, Nikko on Bass and Patrick on guitar/vox. It's so fun changing things up once in a while.

I dunno what to call this post! June 5, 2009

I've ran out of creativity- it all went into the 5 hours of working on that poster today. My back is breaking from hovering over the poster & carefully placing masking tape. Lol- I used up the whole roll, which is exactly 200 metres! That's a lot of metres! Anyways, I was complaining about how hard the "C" and "J" were to stencil out last time. This time, we put vine-like swirls EVERYWHERE which made it a million times harder. haha! Well, I must say, the poster is coming along nicely and I'm really happy with it so far.
Since Mili (my drummer) is still in Korea (T_T), we had to find a temporary Mili-replacement. His name is Nikko, and he's Patrick's friend- really cool guy. His drumming is much more "adventurous" than Mili's, which is neither good nor bad. We're working on teaching him 12 new tunes in one week for Anime Evolution. Oh man... that's a lot of songs to teach someone, but Nikko's catching on quickly. Looking forward to the many hours we'll be spending banging away on the drums & guitars in the steamy warehouse! :D Yeah!

Arts & Crafts! June 1, 2009

Since Anime Evolution is coming up, I figured it's about time I get my very own "CJ Li" poster that I can stick behind me & the band while performing. Well, I never realized just how much work & how expensive it was going to be! My buddy and I went to buy the fabric and paint. The fabric is really cool- it's like a jeans/canvas material & the paint is a bright white colour. Very, very sweet! Well, the hard part began with hem-ironing the edges. We then had to draw (free-hand) the letters with chalk & tape the "curved" edges with an inconvenient straight-edge, ie. masking tape! The "C" and "J" took forever with all the curves! Good thing my name only has 4 letters!~ Anyways, the poster is lying on my living room floor (thanks, mom! lol!) and drying from the prep paint. Looks good for now, hope we don't mess it up! haha- I'll keep you updated!

You'll Always Be the Warmest Hug May 26, 2009

My grandma passed away peacefully, with family by her side last week. Family & friends were busy the whole week planning the funeral, going through old pictures, editing pics for the slideshow, etc... I've never had anyone I've been close to pass away before. Sometimes I don't think it's really hit me yet, as I used to see my grandma only once a week anyways due to school and what not. I thought that maybe at the funeral, it would really sink in and I'd be able to get a good cry out- but I didn't too much. When I saw my grandma's body, I didn't feel that it was my grandma. I obviously knew it was, but it felt like more of a doll to me. It was very clear that her soul was gone and all that remained was a shell- strangest feeling, but also reassured me that her spirit was around us, rather than just lying in a coffin box. It's a really, really sad feeling, knowing that even if I wanted to, I would never be able to see her again. "I'll miss you" doesn't do this feeling justice, it's a million times more than that.

I used to think that love just hurts people- I know, it sounds stupid. But for once, just seeing how many people showed up to the funeral, I really got a sense of how one life made such an impact on other people's lives. My grandma was the trunk, and we were all the little branches that grew from it. I hope one day, I'll be able to make such bonds and inspire so many people as she did, of course, with music at my side.
RIP 'Grandma'- I love you and I'll miss you.

"Show Me the Guiding Light that Brings Peace of Mind."- Randy Adams (1950-1993) May 17, 2009

That was a quote, written on the fishtank in the Palliative Care unit. My grandma's IV's came off today, and we're trying to keep her comfortable and letting her know that she's going be in heaven soon. I can't look at her for more than a minute without having tears blur my vision. I know she's had a really long and wonderful life, but it's still really hard letting someone you love go forever. I also wonder if she's going to be alright once she leaves earth and if she's scared or ready to go? All of us will have to go through this one day or another, but it's different when you KNOW your time has finally come- what exactly would be going on in your mind? She can't speak.

There's a little lounge where I guess family of loved ones can go for a rest. It was empty. I got curious and decided to check it out. Once I turned on the lights, the first thing I noticed were these beautiful strings of origami, draped like curtains along the ceiling. Whoever made them had so gracefully folded and placed their work of art so precisely under the lights, that it gave the impression that the cranes were floating. In the room, there was also a floral couch, fireplace, bookshelves, stereo, flowers, paintings- everything and anything to make people feel "at home". After taking a walk through and looking at all the decorations, I wondered how many people had been in this room before me. It seemed that everyone who had, had left a little footprint or their story behind by leaving something beautiful and sentimental in that room. You could just feel the warmth in the air and it made you feel less alone...

Sunset May 14, 2009

I know a lot of you have been wondering why I've been neglecting my site and music lately (which is completely unlike me). My grandma had a stroke about a week ago and has been pretty much unconscious since. My grandma, btw, is 96 yrs old. It's been really hard on the whole family. Sorry about not doing gigs lately or what not, but even as an artist whose whole life revolves around music, I have to prioritize my time, and right now, my grandma needs me. While I was at the hospital, I took a look at the sunset and really wished my grandma could see it. It was so beautiful. And at night, when you walk out on the balcony, you can see a shinning moon hovering above the city. I really hope my grandma can get through this again. My heart is broken.

Mom's Day May 11, 2009

Yesterday was a really good Mother's Day. My sis and I decided to surprise "mother" by taking her to a picnic on the beach. We told her to walk a few blocks down to meet us, but she ended up walking wayyy too far in the wrong direction! lol- she said it the only Mother's Day lunch she ever had to work so hard for! Besides that, the surprise plan went really well. My sis and I bought some nice red wine and baguettes which my mom loves, along with fruit (I cut a pineapple for the first time!-yes!!!) and desserts. After, we snoozed on the picnic blanket and that's when I took that pic of the ppl playing hockey across the field. :) The lunch was a lot of work, but obviously worth it!

Buzz, buzz, buzz May 8, 2009

That's the sound of the tattoo machine thing, buzzing in my head. I can still hear it, even though it's been a week. lol~ :) I finally stole the pics back from my sister's phone, and voila, there they are. Yikes, it looks really painful!

Tattoos Burn! April 30, 2009

As you guys know, I got my tattoo done about 2 days ago. I was so nervous, but it really didn't hurt at all when I got it. It felt kind of like someone's nail scratching you, along with some vibrating- it's more annoying than anything. Right now, my tattoo feels like a sunburn. I really hope the pain goes away soon and I'd like to sleep on my back again. Oh, and for those who don't know, you're supposed to put "hemorrhoid" cream on it to make it heal twice as fast. THAT STUFF SMELLS LIKE @$$- kinda ironic, since it's supposed to go there- hahaha~~~! K, I'll stop being gross, but trust me, it's really not fun! Anyways, the tat looks awesome and I'm so happy with it! I don't have any pics just yet, as it's all on my sister's camera. I made her hold my hand through the process cuz I was scared. Soooo not rockstar! ;) Today, I worked on a lot of music stuff and decided to go out for a rollerblade. Got to watch some hardcore football dudes on my outing (see pic)! I've been rollerblading since I was really young and always wanted to be a hockey goalie. Funny how things change. Maybe I can use my guitar to block shots- oi, poor guitar!

The Beat Music Awards- THE STORY April 25, 2009

Competitions are so weird. I'm so used to performing my own songs in front of a real audience and feeling so comfortable- then, when I'm put in a situation like a contest, I freak out over nothing. I did the contest just for kicks in the first place. The first round was in front of 3 "judges" and was really fun. I would have obviously loved to have my trusty guitar and sing originals. Well, OK, I guess I did unknowingly "cheat" in that I already know a good handful industry ppl. Lol- yes, all 3 judges heard of CJ Li and so it was easy building a good connection. In my defense, I really didn't know they were going to be my judges! Second round was in front of the rest who made it through (Left pic). The singers were really impressive- I felt like a proud mother. lol. I ended up singing "For the Nights I can't Remember" by Hedley. Oh my, it was such a last minute choice as I wanted to choose a song based on what they suggested in the first round. See the second pic? That's me writing out the lyrics 100 times on a handy-dandy notepad I grabbed in my car! Thank you, Craftsman Collision. ;) Anyways, the competition went really well, and I met some super sweet people.
Btw, tomorrow I've scheduled to get a tattoo done. I'm so super excited, and hope it doesn't hurt too much! I'll be sure to keep you updated- Can't wait for you guys to see it when it's done! Keep those emails a comin'! You know I always msg back.

Over and Done! April 16, 2009

My last exam was today. Can you hear the big sigh of relief? Feels so awesome, but at the same time, I'm sad. I'm really, really going to miss my "music" friends and a handful of teachers. My final jury today went alright I guess. Lol- yesterday, I studied. But I also took a long break. haha I just felt like I really needed time for myself and had a good think about where my life is heading. I took a nice walk along some cherry blossoms (then bees started attacking my red hair thinking I was a plant -_-'). Then, sat by the water and soaked in the sun, while sipping on a cappuccino. I think ppl should always make alone time for themselves. :) Well, glad exams are done, and I can finally start working on POP/ROCK music, instead of Jazz. :P~

1 More to go!!! April 12, 2009

...One more exam to go! YESSSS!!!!! You have no idea how happy I am. :D Oh, and I also checked out my final Japanese mark and got a B+, which is totally awesome. I don't even know how I got that mark to be honest. I think the teacher liked me or something. I'm excited to finally be able to start working on booking gigs like crazy again for the summer. I feel like my life is finally starting, as I graduate with my Music Diploma this month (yay). Thanks for the encouraging emails that I've received btw. It's nice to know that we're all in the same sinking "exam" boat at the same time. haha, I'm tired. Off to bed.

Exams and Boobies :P April 6, 2009

Well, it's 12:22am over here, so technically, I have a Japanese exam today. My eyes are so heavy, and I've been studying/cramming for way too many hours. Maybe I should've started earlier. lol But that never happens. I'm sure you students can relate. You know, I'm so excited about how well the Boobies video is going. We've really got a lot of hits, considering the vid has been out for less than a week. I'm just stoked that the message is getting out there! Hurray! Ok, I should really stop stalling and finish this last stupid chapter of the text. Ahhh~~~~~ this really sucks! I'd so rather be surfing Youtube or something.

Feelin Your Boobies? April 1, 2009

By now, I hope you've seen the "Feel My Boobies" vid. :) I actually found 'feelyourboobies.com' through a friend's Facebook page. It really hit home (tell you more about it later), and felt a huge urge to help the cause. I'm sure a lot of us 'young ladies' don't do regular self breast examinations, which is actually really bad! @_@ I wrote the song with the same "I'm too busy" and "I forgot" excuse in mind, and came up with a great lighthearted, yet serious message. Hope the vid and song inspired you peeps to "feel your boobies" and to remind your friends to do the same! :)

X-aaams R StreSSssssFuL!!! March 31, 2009

Yeup, it's already that time again. Exams always like to creep up on you like that. OH MY GOSH I'm so stressed!!!! I really don't wanna screw up these exams, cuz if I do, I don't get to graduate with my Music Diploma. Feel the pressure?! Haha, I had a Japanese powerpoint presentation to do. I was partnered up with that gorgeous girl above, Cathy. We took that pic after our presentation, while ppl were doing theirs. lol, we're such (rude) rebels. Cathy's really smart so I was really lucky to get paired up with her ;) - we had tons of fun. U know, I've never been so nervous in front of ppl before. I could literally feel my jeans shaking with my legs! I'm such a nerd. And yet, singing/playing in front of tons of ppl gives me an incredible high. Weird how that works... Anyways, back to studying.

Fallin' off the Dock March 27, 2009

Took a little time off today and walked around the quay (pronounced 'key', I still don't get it) with a friend of mine. It was really nice getting away from stress and just staring at the water. Btw, I love water- especially water-sports! We found some cool binoculars at the end of the dock, and were able to stalk ppl on the ships. lol! We then got a little crazy and dared each other to climb down these little ladders on the sides of the huge dock. Keep in mind, these ladders are meant for boat-related things, so there's not much room for your feet! I climbed down that rusty ladder only to find that it was shaking like mad with the dirty, cold water under me! We then met this dude named Steve, who was playing guitar in the middle of nowhere. He had a great voice. Vancouver is filled with so many talented, awesome ppl! Makes me wanna work even harder! Yeah!

Video Hunt March 25, 2009

I did a gig at Rekados Lounge a while ago. Sang a slightly different set which included more cover songs than normal. It was a lot of fun, and soon packed it away in my mind. Today, a buddy of mine showed me a link on YouTube of a vid that someone had filmed. Lol, I'm sure you can guess it was of me singing at Rekados. -_- Being a singer/songwriter, you'd think I'd get used to these types of things, but it's still strange when ppl come up and ask for an autograph or something. It gets even stranger when ppl put vids on the net without me knowing. Don't get me wrong, let's call this a good kind of strange. I'm very flattered- but still don't think I'll ever get used to it. Anyways, here's the link if you're curious.

CJ sings Jazz?! March 23, 2009

But Not For Me- CJ Li

As promised, here's the raw recording of my school project/Jazz standard "But Not for Me". Thx to Jesse and Malcolm, on guitar and bass respectively. And of course, my awesome drummer, Mili. I know the levels are wayyy off, haha- but it's raw and I don't have time to edit/mix it with finals coming up. Lemme know what you think!

Playing Tour Guide March 22, 2009

One of my buddy's cousins came from the Philippines to visit, so we got to play Tour Guide for a day. I always love showing off Vancouver, because really, it's such an awesome place. We brought her to a crazy sushi place called "Eatery". Their sushi is really non-traditional. Best of all, their restaurant is strangely designed with mythical creatures flying overhead, and even had a huge "Bruce" statue (the shark from Finding Nemo) up there. Very cool!

We hopped over to the very artsy Grandville Island. Snapped some pics of a few things, including a cute old French man who was playing me some music. While we were at the Marketplace, cousin "Arvi" told us that our potatoes and bell peppers were really huge compared to those in the Philippines. Funny how you don't think of those things until someone from overseas points them out. We ended the day by feeding a bunch of hungry ducks. Turned out to be an eventful Sunday. If you ever visit Vancouver, let me know and I'll gladly give you tips on the coolest placest to visit- including one of my gigs! ;) lol~

The Story

CJ Li has a passion for music that breaks all boundaries -- she speaks her mind and stands up for what she believes in. Born in Vancouver and raised on the tropical island, Mauritius, this pop-rock talent is in the music industry to stay.

CJ is an active member of Vancouver's local music scene and has a rapidly growing fanbase. Known for being a physically tiny yet confident powerhouse, CJ has proven time and time again that she knows how to rock the stage. Last summer, CJ made an appearance at Vancouver's popular "Anime Evolution" and performed for over 5,000 excited fans. Currently, the young songwriter is increasing her exposure by playing various gigs around town including performances for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

On the web, CJ has created an empire. Her YouTube videos have attracted favorable attention, especially in Japan. To date, CJ's videos have had over a half-million views (www.youtube.com/cjlimusic) and she has been crowned the "24th Most Viewed Musician in Canada" and "80th Most Subscribed Musician in Japan".

Previously known as the timid 7 year-old who wrote melodic harmonies in her room, CJ has spawned into the in-your-face rocker that fans have come to love. The Canada Music Fund Council has acknowledged CJ's potential as a musician by granting her assistance in producing original music. The Chinese-Canadian artist, who has earned her diploma in Vocal Jazz, has also been nominated "Best Songwriter" for the International MusicAid Contest. Recently, CJ Li has also been sponsored by Daisy Rock Guitars.

Fun Facts: CJ is fluent in French, Creole & English, has studied German & Spanish, and is currently learning Japanese. CJ loves snowboarding, Quatchi, and drinking way too much coffee! Her favorite colour is blue and she named her guitar "Doki Doki".

シィージェーの話 (Japanese biography)

バンクーバーが生んだ情熱的シンガーソングライターCJのモットーは、自分の心を、自分の信念を、歌という音楽にかえて、世界中の人々に届けることであり、彼女の才能は音楽の中で輝き続けている。

彼女はバンクーバーで活躍している、若手ミュージシャンの一人である。CJの伝えるメッセージや音楽性に共感するファンは着実に増え続けています。また、バンクーバーで開催されるショーやイベントなどの場に積極的に参加し、その存在感を高め、知名度も高くなってきている。そんな彼女は今年、大学で音楽の学位を取得。また長年、日本語文化に魅了され、音楽活動の傍ら、日本語の勉強にも力を入れている。来年、日本に舞台を移し、さらなる飛躍を目指す。

インターネット上では、彼女は多くのファンを引きよせている。彼女のYou Tubeビデオには、25万以上の閲覧が記録され、900人以上ものファンから常日頃注目を浴びている。さらに、最近「カナダで24番目に最も閲覧されたミュージシャン」、そして 「日本で80番目に最もサブスクライブされたミュージシャン」として表彰された。

CJは7歳の時に既に作詞作曲をしていた。　しかし、その頃の彼女は思った事を全て表現するには少し臆病だったが、今ではウイットの効いた大胆な表現をするロックシンガーにまで成長した。The Canada Music Fund Councilは彼女を“スターミュージシャン”として認め、評価し、アルバム製作に関しても多大なサポートをしている。またInternational MusicAid Contestにおいても"Best Songwriter"としてノミネートされた。彼女の曲はカナダだけでなく、日本のラジオにも登場している。最近では、"Daisy Rock" Guitarsにスポンサーとしてバックアップしてもらっている。今年の夏には、Vancouver’s massive convention “Anime Evolution”に出演し、5,000人以上の観客を魅了した。

CJの曲は一度聞いたら、頭に残る、そして考えさせるものとなっている。曲はそれ自体がストーリになっていて、聴く人を魅了している。

備考　　CJはフランス語を流暢に話せる。またスノーボード、ドラムを叩くこと、コーヒーを飲むことが趣味であり、日本のアニメが大好きで、特に「ワンピース」と「ナルト」に最近魅了されている。また、音楽活動の傍ら、ギター、発声、英語の先生として、アルバイトをし、学校の授業料を支えている。

What Others are Saying About CJ:

"CJ Li's lyrics can be syrupy sweet, but her music comes complete with a hard edge." - Derek Sivers, Former President/Founder of CD Baby

"CJ Li's music is equally as infectious as her tomboyish charm. She bluntly hits you with sharp lyrics, raw emotion and pure talent. Keep both eyes on CJ- she's an artist that would be foolish to ignore." - Janelle Chung, Radio Host at CiTR 101.4fm

"CJ is really, really good with an amazing voice. It is rare that you come across an artist with a voice as beautifully haunting and rocking as CJ Li's. She is definitely a force to be reckoned with and Daisy Rock is proud to endorse her and be part of her team." - Tish Ciravolo, President/Founder, Daisy Rock Guitars

Music

Still working on this part of the site... But for now, you can purchase your fav. CJ songs on iTunes!

Vids

Vids on our YouTube site for you!...

Photo Galleries

CJ	CJ x Band	Gigs

Gigs

March 26, 2010- Asian Canadian Music Festival

Where: Student Union Building (Room: SUB Ballroom), University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
The Scoop: Raise funds for the Downtown Eastside Women’s Shelter & to promote and celebrate emerging talented, local Asian Canadian performers.
Time: TBA

April 24, 2010- Beacon Point Battle of the Bands

Where: TBA
The Scoop: Easy- come cheer on your favorite band, CJ Li!
Time: TBA

Our gigs are always being updated, keep checking! :)

Contact

Fanmail: cj@cjli.net
Booking: management@cjli.net

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/cjlimusic
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cjlimusic
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cjlimusic
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/cjli