Music video of Rachel Wong performing “Etched Into My Soul”
Check out Rachel Wong’s songs and videos
Evergreen High School’s We The People team’s fundraising page
Rachel Wong knows the music business is a roller coaster, with jarring ups and downs. But what a thrilling ride.
“When you’re in the music industry, your highs are highs and your lows are lows,” the Seattle singer-songwriter said this week while visiting her hometown of Vancouver. “I just take it one day at a time.”
Wong, a 2006 Evergreen High School graduate in the midst of writing her third album of introspective acoustic pop songs, will perform at her alma mater at 7:30 p.m. today during a fundraiser to help send the We the People constitution team to the national championships next month in Washington, D.C.
The musician was invited to perform at the benefit because she was once a member of the same team, though her group didn’t reach the same level as the current crop of seniors. Evergreen’s We the People did well enough at the state competition in January to earn a spot in nationals.
“Part of why I wanted to be a part of this event is I think it’s important,” Wong said. “It’s really cool for kids to want to make a difference.”
Constitution teams compete during simulated congressional hearings to prove their knowledge of constitutional principles. The Evergreen team, made up of students from the Advanced Placement government and politics class, is the first Washington team from outside the Seattle area to earn a spot to nationals in 27 years.
“These programs are important to make sure our youth and our next generations are informed and intelligent enough to make decisions about our world and where our government goes,” Wong said.
The team has been trying to raise $40,000 for the trip. Their online fundraising page shows that, as of Tuesday, it raised almost $9,000 from 42 donors.
Wong’s upcoming album, “Getting There,” is a reflection on her “quarter-life crisis,” which she said led to her stepping away from corporate paychecks to try her hand at being a performer.
The growing urge to embrace her inner artist led to a sudden career turn in 2010, when she recorded her first album. She left her full-time marketing job to truly find herself, though she still pays the bills doing freelance work.
“I decided to quit my job and focus on what makes me the most fulfilled, which is writing honest music,” she said.
Wong’s heading down to Southern California next week for a Tunes for Tots benefit show on April 6 at the House of Blues in Hollywood.
Her songs seem to be resonating with fans, a legion that includes 56,200 Twitter followers. She’s also racked up thousands of plays of her music videos on YouTube. Her most recent video, “Etched Into My Soul,” was shot in August around Vancouver.
“People go into music not necessarily because they want to make money,” she said. “It’s because it’s their passion and their dream. You find ways to make it work.”
— Stover E. Harger III
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