Quote

For most Americans, my Chinese music feels like a novelty, and it's not what it is for me.

Romantic music really stirs my soul. And, of course, I love Chinese music; it makes me feel closer to home.

I had always thought that I would do something that was connected to music as a career, or possibly Chinese, which was my major.

I do believe that the Chinese are becoming international leaders in showing the way forward for concert music.

I wanted to do something far from my intellectual and physical home, so I went to live in Beijing for eight months and took Mandarin Chinese.

Once I became interested in China, I flew to Beijing in 1996 to spend half a year studying Mandarin. The city stunned me.

I want do a Mandarin language movie. It'll probably be the next movie I do after the one I do next.

There is a definite Chinese pop sound developing, but I was shocked at how influenced it is by American music.

I used to think that, given enough goodwill, anybody would be able to 'get' any music, no matter how distant the culture from which it came. And then I heard Chinese opera.

I listen to a lot of alternative types of music: I listen to a lot of Chinese music, I listen to a lot of Asian music. It might surprise you, but I listen to a lot of Arabic music. And I don't care - music is music.