PIAO is a new age singer with clear late 90’s and 2000’s influence, here to change todays musical landscape. Her production is nuance, her sound is classic; it’s obvious that we are catching her at a very early point in her soon-to-be massive career. She’s pop with a little R&B, and definitely worth exploring if you’re looking for something new in your playlists. Read our interview with her below!

Decker: “PIAO, thank you so much for joining us today. I’ve heard a ton of great things, especially from your manager Dylan. I’d love to just jump into the questions and hear your story.”

PIAO: “Sounds good!”

Decker: “So, you grew up in Toronto, right?”

PIAO: “Yes, I did! I moved from city to suburbs in high school. I was actually originally born  in Shanghai, China, and then moved to Canada halfway through grade one.”

Decker: “Did you go to college or study in some additional music program once high school was over?”

PIAO: “Yep! After high school, I attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts.”

Decker: “Ah, so you always planned on being a musician then?”

PIAO: “Actually, I was very heavily focused on business and the finance side of everything when growing up. I actually had moved to Toronto to attend a high school that was very STEM focused and acclaimed for having been so. As a result, nearly all of the universities I applied to were finance focused, as well. However, I ended up deciding to audition to Berklee on a whim. To my surprise, I was able to receive the Presidential Scholarship, which covered my tuition. I actually had to pull my acceptance to Queens Commerce, which I had gotten into through Early Admissions.”

Decker: “Wow! Thats awesome. What did you study in?”

PIAO: “I majored in Music Business, and minored in MP+E (music production + engineering).”

Decker: “So, what was the moment that really launched you into your singing career?”

PIAO: “Nearing senior year, I was working as a wedding singer. Someone asked me to do a cover of “Buy You a Drank” by T-Pain and it ended up going viral. He actually ended up posting it on his socials, too!”

Decker: “That’s awesome. Ok, so, what does your artist name mean to you?”

PIAO: “Piao is actually my real name. Everyone wanted to switch my name to something English when I came to North America, which is why I wanted to keep it the same. Asian names in the western music scene are very important, not just to me, but to Asian culture across the board.”

Decker: “I love that. So what recent projects or upcoming releases are you excited to share with us today?”

PIAO: “I just released my debut single on Friday of last week called “SFL”, or “searching for life.” Its part of an EP, called “Tissues”, set to release later this year. Tissues will be my first condensed body of work, which I’m obviously very, very excited about, as well. I can’t wait for everyone to see how it came out.”

Decker: “Phenomenal. Who would you say are your inspirations that helped you make music like “SFL”?”

PIAO: “Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus and Avril Lavigne. I have one uncle who knew how to put CDs on MP3, so he did that for me with one of Mariah Carey’s albums, back in the day. Avril Lavigne, because she was the first artist I listened to when I went to Canada. Miley Cyrus, because Hannah Montana was the reason I decided I wanted to sing in the first place.”

Decker: “Awww. Yeah I love Miley Cyrus I was just thinking the other day about how influential Hannah Montana was on our generation. Mariah and Avril are awesome too! So, just because I always love to ask this, what is your favorite food or restaurant?”

PIAO: “In terms of food? Hot Pot. There’s a lot of great places for it around LA. In terms of restaurants, if taco trucks count, the Taco Truck (thats not technically a truck), Tacos El Premo, in Silver Lake. But, your tacos have to be made by chubbier dude!”

Decker: “Hahaha ok, I will make sure to include that.”

PIAO, thank you so much for chatting with us, we look forward to your incredibly promising career in music, and we can’t wait to see the heights you reach. Don’t forget about us when you hit it big!