Chanze Xiong
sound engineer / musician
Chanze Xiong is a music artist and storyteller. He has been writing and performing since he first visited In Progress more than 3 years ago. He specializes in sound engineering and over the past year has been working as a peer mentor for In Progress.
Much of Chanze's music centers on Hmong identity with his latest work featuring his father's migration story song entirely in the Hmong language.
QUALIFICATIONS
Pro Tools software application
Vocal mixing and mastering
Vocal recording
Song writing
Multimedia software applications
PORTFOLIO SAMPLES
This song has 3 main points. It starts off remembering life in laos. The roles our parents, children, and elders played back home. Then it phases out to leaving the country and relearning everything. Living conditions in a new place is scary but we have to push through. Witnessing our children graduate from school, blending in with the American dream, and striving for a higher status; our Hmong roots are still growing. No matter how far we have come, we should always remember to love each other.
KWI TiJ Hmoob Sib Hlub
TRANSLATION OF SONG FROM HMONG TO ENGLISH
Oh my dear Hmong family, thinking back to when we were still living in Laos, how peacefully we lived up in the mountain side.
Families, remembering when we lived in our old country with no worries. Mothers, Fathers, Grandparents, relatives, and friends laughed together, the old helped the young and worked together to provide for the family without any worries of debt.
Oh my dear Hmong family, unfortunately our country is not stable and we all have to be separated. Our families and relatives, brother, sister, friends have to say good bye to each other. Only in our dreams do we see each other now and how much I missed them.
My dear fellow Hmong, like a dream we’re in America, our hearts are full of sorrow. We’re here now but we have to survive, we must learn their languages as well as adapt to their culture.
All mothers and father as well as relatives are mindful that they know no English, does not drive that makes our mind so full of sorrow. Tears drop and flood our pillows without anyone knowing it.
My fellow Hmong, with many passing years, our hearts are mending because our children are adapting well in this new country. They are thriving in their education and in the job market. This is giving us hope that our dreams are coming true.
Oh, my Hmong relatives, living in the land of opportunity, we’re able to thrive, just remember that those who are wealthy are to love the less fortunate, the educated should respect the uneducated with that, all should be blessed.
My fellow Hmong, like a blink of an eye we’ve forty years, we’ve living the American dream. We have politicians and people is high status. Oh, my Hmong friends, if we keep up one day we’ll have our dream come true.
Oh my fellow Hmong, we’ve all worked so hard to adapt to this country; we’re educated, become homeowners, owns cars, have businesses. Oh my fellow family, how happy we are our success.
Yes, my fellow Hmong, we are thriving but one thing we lack is the love for each other.
My dear Hong family, what happened in our past, we must learn to forgive and forget.
