Chrys Senon of Senona

It seems that the story of Senona is integrally linked to the story of Chrys Senon—so tell us a little about yourself and your own musical background.

I started singing when I was very, very young and then started picking up piano at age 6. I started writing songs at age 10. I was always into choir and putting together my own singing groups in high school.

But I had to take it serious and approach it from a more classical aspect when I went to college. When I went to PLU (Pacific Lutheran University), I had a music scholarship. And then while I was at PLU, I met this producer from Atlanta. His name is Christopher Stewart, and he put me in a girl group named Mia Blaze. We were signed to Arista Records. We just never were released.

Can you tell us a little more about Mia Blaze and your time with that band?

I always looked at myself as being diverse anyways, so being in a pop/R&B group, I guess I was able to fit in somewhat because I like all types of music. But being in that group, I was limited; I wasn’t able to write or take my creative level to where it could go.

How long were you with Mia Blaze?

Four years.

What did you do after leaving the band?

When the group broke up, I got into a lot of yoga and a lot of meditation and being at the piano by myself. I got to feel for the first time, as an adult in my early 20s, how it felt to be alone…because I was always in girl groups or in choir or in college or around people, but when the group broke up and I was still here in Atlanta, I was able to really dive into creative channels that I never knew I had. I started writing a lot of songs on the piano and then eventually started playing guitar.

In 2003, you met with music executive Ian Burke. What prompted that meeting?

Ian is well known in the Atlanta music scene. He has really helped a lot of artists in consulting, management, etc., and I met him when I was in the girl group. He liked the music [of Mia Blaze], he just felt that my look and my personality was a little too funky to be sitting at the piano and making people cry, you know? He said, “I really could see you in a band.”

Was that what prompted you to start pulling together a new band?

We didn’t go into it right away. It was just the idea of it, and I still did a lot of writing on my own and preparation before we found the band members. I wrote a lot of music, went to the producers on my own to try to develop my sound even more, and played guitar even more. And when the time felt right to post an audition call on MySpace, then we did that.

What was the response to your audition call?

It was certainly low-key, because not a lot of people showed up. It was just the band.

Tell me more about your fellow band members.

Each one of us is formally trained in music, especially Justin. He went to school for music—and so did Brian. They actually teach, as well. Actually everybody teaches…I teach piano.

Who does the writing for the band? Is it a joint effort?

I do the bulk of the writing for the band. But now we’re starting to collaborate on a lot of songs.

Are the lyrics largely confessional? Straight from your own experiences?

The EP Lost in Translation is definitely from my experiences, from when I had a lot of experiences I went through and relationships after that girl group. I was writing as I was going along personally.

Can you tell me a little bit about the song “Only Blame Me?”

“Only Blame Me” is a song I wrote about a girl who spent a lot of time and energy in a relationship and really lost a lot of time that she could have put toward herself and her own goals and aspirations. So when the relationship didn’t work out, she only blamed herself for being alone and for being unhappy, because she never really put the energy toward herself.

Tell me about your love of butterflies.

Well, I have a tattoo—in the middle of a butterfly, there’s a music note. And so I’ve incorporated the music with the butterfly symbol, which kind of shows that I have progressed in my life and that music has helped me.

That’s awesome. Now, I have a sort of personal, sort of serious question for you. Feel free to decline if you don’t feel comfortable answering. I’m just wondering, if you could have any superpower, what would it be?

[Laughter] I feel like this is a Miss Universe question…If I could have any superpower, I would be able to heal any disease.

Good safe answer. I think you just won the crown…so, anyways, when you’re not recording or performing, what do you do? Give us a glimpse into an average day in the life of Chrys Senon….

I LOVE to cook. And I love to spend time with my friends…and with my dog.

What’s your dog’s name?

Misu. Like tiramisu. It’s a little Pomeranian. He sings. He actually sings. I taught him how to sing! Sometimes he’ll sing along when I play piano…a little howling thing…it’s really cute.

What about America’s favorite pastime? Do you watch TV?

Actually, I don’t watch a lot of TV. I watch movies every so often, but because I’m in a creative space all the time, I don’t really have a lot of time to watch television.

Except when your band’s on TV, of course…I heard you guys on ABC’s One Ocean View last night. That was awesome.

Yeah, it was really awesome. We were there at Mid City Café [in Atlanta]. And everyone was cheering. It was great….We had a listening-viewing party where we did an acoustic show, and also CD sales, gift bags, giveaways…and we got to talk and mingle with people. It was great.

How did that whole thing come about? Did you guys send a demo into ABC?

LaunchPad Records, our label, submitted the music to a friend in LA, who submitted it for us and got it placed. Which is really good for a new band, I guess.

Definitely! So you guys are all from Atlanta, right?

We’re an Atlanta-based band, yes.

Atlanta’s pretty well known for producing a wealth of musical talent. How do you see Senona fitting in to this pantheon of artists and bands?

Well, I see our band actually helping in the music revolution because we’re so different from what Atlanta is known for currently. I believe that Atlanta is mainly known for a lot of rising R&B stars, such as Outkast and TLC. I think we bring a different aspect to the table by being a rock/pop band.

I also feel like me being female and being Asian-American definitely allows us to bring something new to the scene. You know there hasn’t been a band like us, from Georgia and coming out of this city, with a pop/rock focus and a female, Asian-American lead singer. This is definitely part of the music revolution.

On August 4 you guys released your first EP, Lost in Translation. How was the whole recording experience? And what was it like working with Jason Andrews, producer for the EP?

I had so much fun with him. He is extraordinary. He’s easy to work with and so talented. He’s great. He has a great ear, and he’s open to our ideas.

So where does the band go from here? What’s in the future for Senona?

Senona right now is going through a promo tour. We’ve been doing radio shows and an FYE tour. The FYE tour is where we go to malls and we sit in FYE record stores, do acoustic shows, and autograph and sign our CDs. It’s a good way of meeting people, like our friends on MySpace, and we’re able to get our faces out there. It’s been going really well, and we’re really excited.

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