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Jae Song was the only child of a typical immigrant family. His parents had both moved over in their teens and met in high school, fell in love, gotten married, the whole nine yards. His family wasn't what he would call rich, but they were always comfortable and did whatever they could to keep their only son happy. Jae's father, having been totally enthralled by the opportunities that America had, made sure that Jae had every chance he could to succeed.
As soon as he was old enough to sit at the bench, piano keys were under Jae's fingers and his mother was teaching him chords and harmonies, her rich voice mixing with that of the toddler's. Teach them early and they'll never forget. She always said it and it was something that held true. Other than for his own hobby Jae never looked further into playing the piano and assured his mother over and over that Carnegie was not in his future. But those moments that had been planted into his brain at such a young age stuck and his love for music would never falter, though somewhat different from what his parents would have liked.
He moved on after that to any instrument he could get his hands on, teaching himself to play guitar and bass with ease and even drumming out a few beats here and there when he could manage. They were strictly forbidden from being brought into his parents home, and with good reason his best friend reassured him over and over again. The music was within him though and he knew that whatever he ended up doing in the future, it had to be in the industry he loved so much.
With that decision held firm in his head it wasn't hard to make his way. He was determined, passionate, and that would get him where he needed to be, he was sure of it. He started out with classes in music management in school and looking for any intern spots he could find to get him in the door. His hard work paid off when he was contacted by Sony Records with a small opening available should he want the "intern" work. If that's what it could be called. It was mostly small jobs, answering phones, filing, running errands, but it was a foot in the door and that's all Jae needed.
He spent all his free time at the offices after that, wanting to be immersed in the world. His parents and friends learned quickly that if he couldn't be found at school or at home, he was most likely hanging out in the office of one of the A&R managers at Sony HQ, learning all he could on his own, and helping without complaint. It was what he wanted most, he knew that it was means to an end and he'd be in their place one day.
Three years into his schooling, he got an offer he couldn't refuse. A supervisor finally took note of all his hard work and offered him an internship where he could actually learn and hone his skill. No more coffee running and sandwich delivering. The only catch? The position was in Japan. It took a bit to decide.. It was a completely different culture than he was used to. But opportunity didn't knock every day and he knew this could be his only chance.
The record industry is a hard world to live in and though he has a long way to go still, it's a world he's grown into and he wouldn't choose another for himself. One day he'll be successful and lead the way, but until then he's content to be where he's at, building those ties and honing his talents to make his break, and when he does, he won't look back at all.
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