Exclusive Interview With Rising Star Arden Cho

Arden Cho has already made quite a name for herself as an actress, and now she is doing the same thing with her amazing vocal abilities. The beautiful actress/singer/youtuber has been on hit TV Shows like CSI: NY and Pretty Little Liars. She’ll also be in the upcoming movie The Baytown Outlaws, which will be released next year and will feature stars like, Billy Bob Thorton, Eva Longoria and Paul Wesley. It’s safe to say the small town girl from Texas has come a long way.

Her Youtube channel has exploded and now has over 100,000 subscribers. Some of her subscribers might have initially subscribed because they saw a beautiful woman with a guitar, but they have stuck around for her fashion advice and her incredibly beautiful voice, which is in full display in her mash-up of Katy Perry’s Wide Awake and Gotye’s Somebody I Used To Know,

We were lucky enough to land an interview with the rising star. Check it out below…

TDF: You’ve had a lot of success in modeling/acting, but do you feel a stronger connection with music?

AD: Music for me means a lot on a personal level. I’ve always loved music but I never thought I had the talent to pursue it. I initially only put my music out there just for fun and as a way to connect with people through my songs. It was very experimental and I still consider music just a side hobby for me. It’s something that takes the stress away from the daily grind of auditions and it’s a way for me to challenge my creative side and stretch myself in new areas of the arts. I do however hope to continue getting better and growing as an artist and hopefully one day I’ll call myself a “singer”.

TDF: I noticed you just celebrated your 27th birthday, and you received a very special birthday present. Your Youtube channel reached 100,000 subscribers! How much did that mean to you?

AC: This really surprised me actually, I never would have imagined more than a few hundred people supporting me. I still can’t believe over 100,000 people support my work. I feel extremely blessed and encouraged by all the love. It means the world to me because as artists we put ourselves out there and risk the fear of rejection every day. But each and every single supporter reminds you that no matter how tough that road gets, if you love it, it’s worth it.

TDF: You’ve been recording more covers for your Youtube channel recently; how do you choose what songs you want to cover? Do you take requests?

AC: I choose whatever song I like at the moment, or a song that has a message I want to share. I do take requests and love getting requests because there are way too many songs I like and it’s always hard to decide what to sing next.

TDF: One of your more recent covers is just breathtaking, visually and vocally. It’s also sort of a ‘mash-up’ of two very popular songs. Katy Perry’s ‘Wide Awake’ and Gotye’s monster hit ‘Somebody That I used To Know’ You sing both songs with such emotion that you make them your own. How hard is it to connect to with someone else’s song?

AC: I don’t think it’s very hard to connect with someone else’s song, I’ve heard songs and felt like the artist read my mind and expressed my feelings perfectly. Wording my emotions in a way I couldn’t even do myself. I think that’s why music is so powerful. It means something different to whoever the listener is and you choose what a song means to you. I connected with Katy Perry’s ‘Wide Awake’ immediately when I heard it because the lyrics were so powerful, simple, yet strong. I loved the way she captured the story and as I listened to the song I thought it was a similar feeling to the later part of ‘Somebody That I used To Know’. Although the original songs are both completely different styles I thought it would be fun to make them unite and create something different.

TDF: You also have original songs on your channel. Your music video for your song, ‘I’m Just a Girl’ has over 400,000 views. You must be really proud of that video, did you expect the video to take off like it did?

AC: I don’t know if “proud” is the right word. It was my first time writing, recording ,and even producing a MV on top of zero budget. So for it being the “first time” I guess it turned out better than expected? But I look back now and think “I definitely want to get better and do better” but it wasn’t a bad start.

TDF: You call music “your hobby.” Would you like it to be more than just a hobby?

AC: I’m open to it becoming more of a career than a hobby but I’m not actively pursuing that. I’m still focusing on acting and if opportunities for music come up, I’m more than willing to put time into it. But for now, I’m still learning and just having fun with music.

TDF: Would you consider combining your acting talent with your musical talent and take them both to Broadway?

AC: I grew up singing musicals and loving musical theater so that might be something I’d want to do in the later future but not something I’d want at the moment.

TDF: Favorite guilty pleasure song?

AC: Anything ADELE. I love her music and I love to butcher her songs in the shower.

TDF: Are you working on any new original songs? How about your movie career? I see you just got done filming a movie with Billy Bob Thornton and Eva Longoria?

AC: I’m constantly writing but nothing new has been recorded. Hopefully one of these days I’ll get a chance to at least record an EP or a mini album. I’m just waiting for the right time. Acting has been good, I’m looking forward to Baytown Outlaws coming out next year and also Olympus Has Fallen which I just finished working on in Shreveport, Louisiana.

TDF: Last question. You have a link on your Facebook page that directs to your Yelp account. As a fellow yelper/foodie I can’t end this interview without asking you what your favorite meal is?

AC: This is tough. I really love a lot of Korean dishes (I have my top 5 Korean restaurants listed on Yelp) but if it was my last meal, I might want a nice fat juicy steak, garlic mashed potatoes, veggies and wine. I also really like all noodles (Asian & Italian) and thai or chinese food… Yeah, see I can’t answer this question. It’s too hard. I’ll just have a big fat burrito! I love Mexican food also!

Arden’s Links,

http://www.youtube.com/user/ardenBcho

http://www.facebook.com/HiArdenCho

http://twitter.com/arden_cho

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3036914/

http://ardencho.yelp.com/

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