01/14/2013
Peter Chung is pursuing his dream of become a world famous singer/songwriter.
When he was growing up, Peter Chung was surrounded by music. His mother played piano and sang in her church choir, and his father played guitar and also sang in the choir so they both believed that as they were both musically gifted, Peter would be as well. In elementary school through junior high, he was given piano lessons. From middle school to junior year in high school he played trumpet for orchestra and marching band. In his sophomore year he learned to play the drums for his church’s worship team. Then there was the guitar.
Peter liked attention and guitar was the way to get it. Playing trumpet for a large orchestra and keeping the beat behind the band at church was not satiating this appetite. He saw that at church the leader was the guitar player, and in most bands the guitar player was famous, not the drummer. Guitar was the way to go and Peter was determined to learn it. Whoever he considered was a good guitar player was barraged with questions about what songs to play and how to play better. Initially, the music that Peter learned to play on guitar was an odd mix of punk/alternative rock and gospel music, until one day his classmate showed him “No Such Thing.”
John Mayer’s music inspired Peter to practice guitar more and perform in public. Many hours a day were devoted to learning John’s songs on the guitar; as much as eight hours! Due to the complex chords and difficult rhythms, Peter was challenged by each song from the “Room For Squares” album. At first playing John’s songs on guitar was hard enough but through practicing Peter learned how to sing and play at the same time. Encouraged by his friends to play at open mics around the San Jose area, he began to get the attention he desired. At first he only played covers of John Mayer, Alkaline Trio, Incubus and a few others but he felt something was missing; he wanted his own songs. Inspired by high school romance and the lack of it, he began to write his own songs and play these songs instead.
After graduating from UC Santa Barbara and trying various jobs, Peter decided that his music was going to be his career/life. Peter had tried promoting albums and concerts for established artists such as Panic At The Disco!, The Killers, and many others as a job but that didn’t peak his interest. He did various sales positions and that didn’t inspire him either. Pursuing a music career was always tugging at his heartstrings and he was not truly happy. While working at these jobs, Peter would perform music during the weekends, and although a few people would encourage him to become a professional, he did not take this to heart until January 3rd, 2012. The rest is currently happening!
