Interview with 'Duel Native' Stephen Choi
By Mick Michaels
Cosmick View: Hello, Stephen! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thanks for taking some time out of your day to speak with us. It's greatly appreciated.
Stephen Choi: Thank you so much for having me!
CV: Define for us what an "eco warrior" activist is and how does that combine with being
a musical artist?
SC: There’s
not a short answer to that question! What I will say is that whilst I don’t
really love the term “eco warrior”, I think most people use it to describe
someone who cares about the environment and wants to do what they can to
protect it. I would take a step back and say that for me, it’s about realizing
that irrespective of your politics, wealth, religion, or even what species you
are, we all share one common planet. In other words, we are nature - not
separate from it - and to damage nature is to damage ourselves.
Musicians are particularly special because we have a unique platform and can not only do things that are “environmentally positive” so to speak, we also have a huge influence in society as a whole - we arguably have a more powerful voice than most politicians.
CV: As an artist, are there things you avoid doing or
being involved in that could be or is considered environmentally compromising?
If so, how does that affect how you function as an artist? Do you find it
constraining at all?
SC: Every
time we make any kind of decision, it can either have a positive or a negative
impact. For the everyday person, that might be something as simple as choosing
what you buy at a shop - at the extreme end, buying some products might be
inadvertently supporting slavery, causing destructive pollution, or extracting
resources that displace communities. We just need to read the packaging a
little more carefully and then we can make better choices!
The one thing to remember is that a lot of what we do is environmentally-compromising, but I embrace the fact that every choice is imperfect. That doesn’t mean we should do nothing. I find that thinking about all the impacts I have as an artist does provide constraints - and that’s exciting to me, because constraints are where opportunities are found. Sometimes it means avoiding certain products, and sometimes that means making changes to the way I create or release music for example.
CV: What made you become environmentally conscious? Was
it something you found yourself drawn to at a very young age or something you
have grown connected to as you grew up?
SC: I
think my upbringing was a huge factor. Both of my parents grew up in what
people called “developing country” circumstances, in places that are amongst
those that are the first to feel the brunt of global climate disruption.
I also think I’m pretty practical. In my mind, it is just logical to be environmentally conscious. I mean, who wouldn’t want renewable energy, clean water, fresh air, beautiful wilderness, etc.?
CV: Can you give us some meaning behind the term “DUEL NATIVE?” How does it personally
describe you and your music?
SC: My
artist name came from being a child of two places - Trinidad and Hong Kong -
and that I don’t feel “native” to any one place.
The “DUEL” part is also a play on words - it comes from the continuous battle I kind of have internally, about lots of things really. It’s not so much a “fight” in the etymological sense of the word; I see it more as a “dance” between one thing and another. I’m being vague, I know!
CV: Additionally, you are also an architect. Architecture
can often be looked at as structured, defined and possibly even confined to a
set space and framework. The opposite can be said about being a musical artist;
considered to be erratic at times, subjective and even open to emotional whims.
How do you balance the two and how do you see the two complimenting each other?
SC: You’re
right! I have been thinking a lot about how architecture and music are really
interconnected. They both involve creating something, often with other people,
in a process that has many layers that unfold over time, and whose final
outcome will likely impact the world in some way. They involve using both head
and heart, being rational when it’s necessary, being completely free when it’s
appropriate.
Architecture has given me skills in complex project
management, huge financial and public health responsibilities, and great
patience, because buildings usually take many years to construct. Music has
helped me develop a very creative practice, higher emotional intelligence, the
bravery to perform in public, and other communication skills. They’re very
complimentary from my experience!
CV: As an environment activist and a musical artist, what
would you consider a perfect world to be? Would those two roles ever find
themselves at odds at some point?
SC: A
perfect world is one where we are - as individuals who are all connected -
simply more conscious. It’s a world where we are aware of how special life is,
and we cooperate to keep making it better. As an artist, I’m often in contact
with my “inner world”, and I find this affects how I approach the outer world,
so to speak. I do find that being an environmental activist and a musical
artist can seem at odds - which is what I meant by the “DUEL” in the “DUEL
NATIVE”! I believe it’s up to us to be as conscious as we can, and if we are,
that whatever the situation is, the best answers reveal themselves.
CV: In your opinion, how can both the artist and the
modern music industry be more environmentally friendly as a whole?
SC: There
are quite a few common decisions that artists and their teams in industry that
can be better. For example, we can advocate to the studios we record in to use
green power; we can be mindful about where we choose to play live shows and how
those choices influence audience travel, which by the way is one of the biggest
environmental impacts; we can explore environmentally-conscious merchandise; we
can understand the impacts of digital platforms better - for example the
non-fungible tokens we do or don’t decide to invest in; or we can make sure
that the vinyl we get pressed isn’t made with toxic plastics. Then, we can talk
about it.
CV: Has being environmentally friendly as an artist ever
limited or pigeon-holed you for the type or style of music you do or with the
goals you wanted to achieve?
SC: I
think in the past, people associated the “environmental movement” with hippies,
wearing hemp pants, playing folk songs around a fire. But even in the
seventies, when this cliché started to grow, there were environmental protest
songs in lots of musical styles. Yes, Joni Mitchell’s amazing anthem “Big
Yellow Taxi” is in the folk genre, but I think about some of my other favorites
of that time, like “Apeman” by The Kinks, or Marvin Gaye’s “Mercy Mercy Me”.
Those songs came in response to the environmental disasters of their times,
like oil spills in the ocean. We’ve had song after song since in every kind of
genre that can’t be pigeon-holed - think about Michael Jackson’s ‘Earth Song’,
or S.O.S by will.i.am, or Billie Eilish’s ‘all the good girls go to hell’...
All of those artists reached dizzying heights, and I’m sure that being environmentally-conscious is only going to help me achieve my goals.
CV: What more can fans expect to see coming from you as
the New Year quickly draws closer?
SC: Well,
we’re really excited because there are two more singles to come in 2022, and
then back in the studio to record new songs that are waiting to be out in the
world! I’m looking forward to playing more live shows too, and being able to
connect with fans on a deeper level.
CV: Thanks again Stephen
for taking the time to share with our readers. We wish you all the best and
continued success.
SC: It
has been an honor and a privilege. Thank you for your ongoing work Mick, it’s
much appreciated.
Check
out DUEL NATIVE at:
https://www.facebook.com/DUEL.NATIVE/
https://www.instagram.com/duel.native/
https://www.youtube.com/c/DUELNATIVE
https://open.spotify.com/artist/765noYDUYGtU0EMVoqexKp?si=d7DeiU5XRH6DTt2XzKpaYg
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