"Music was not really a positive expereince for me growing up [...] the only type of music I really enjoyed was listening to the radio"

The physical piano within their house was also not treated with much enthusiasm by Sandy and her siblings. Her youngest brother, Dave, despised the piano and lessons so much that he wrote profanity between the keys! Around the time she was 15, Sandy had a heated disagreement with her family over the piano. This was the end of formal piano lessons for her, although she would later accompany some classmates for solo etudes and play in the church. 

Outside of this intense world of piano lessons, what was your comfort music? 

My brother, Austin, and I took full advantage of the musical offerings within our public school district (Ann Arbor Public Schools), as well as pursuing Music in higher education in conservatory and more academia-centric environments at Northwestern and Cornell, respectively. 

Laufey and Asian Representation in Music

Sandy loves Laufey, not just because of her music and sound, but also because she is very open and genuine about describing her experiences growing up as a Chinese-Icelandic in Iceland. My mother described how there were never any Asian or Asian American musicians, to her knowledge, in pop music or the music she connected with as a young person. Laufey seems to be a great connection for her and many Asian Americans, as the pop artist they may have wanted but never had growing up.