Five Minutes With: Jazz-Pop Musician Amanda Sum

Amanda Sum is a dynamic performer and creator, seamlessly blending her talents in both music and theatre. Her latest EP, titled *does it make me naive if I’ve never been part of something where I’ve meant more to them than they did to me?*, was released in June 2024. Accompanying the EP is a short film she produced, which features the collaboration of 13 film directors and is set for release later this year. Amanda’s debut album, *New Age Attitudes*, came out in 2022, with the music video for *Different Than Before* earning a JUNO nomination and winning the SXSW Music Video Jury Award in 2023.

In the realm of theatre, Amanda Sum is equally accomplished. As Theatre Replacement’s COLLIDER Artist, she created the experimental theatre piece *New Age Attitudes: Live in Concert*. This innovative work debuted in spring 2023, toured in 2024, and has upcoming dates scheduled for 2025. Amanda has been involved in numerous interdisciplinary theatre projects, which have taken her to perform in cities like Jersey City, Seattle, and Toronto. Her acting credits include four seasons of the East Van Panto with Theatre Replacement and *Sense and Sensibility* with the Arts Club. Amanda holds a BFA from SFU and is currently developing her next full-length album alongside a new experimental theatre production.

Amanda Sum

Name:

Amanda Sum

Genre:

Confessional Jazzy Pop

Founded:

2020

# of Albums:

2

Latest Album:

Does it make me naive if I’ve never been part of something where I’ve meant more to them than they did to me?

Latest Single:

It’s kinda funny

Latest Video:

Favourite musician growing up:

I LOVED Jann Arden

Favourite musician now:

Lately lots of Remi Wolf!

Guilty pleasure song:

Unwritten – Natasha Bedingfield (no guilt!!!)

Live show ritual:

Wiggle around with headphones listening to Wait for the Moment by Vulfpeck, a few bites of dinner (save the rest for post-show), steam my outfit, lozenges

Favourite local musician:

So so many. I LOVE Devours.

EP or LP?

My latest project is kind of like an EP- lengthed LP! It is 16 minutes long but has 18 short songs on it. A couple of years ago I’d say LP (and I’m currently working on my next full-length record), but I have also loved trying to mess around with form and seeing if there are new ways to structure what an EP can be!

Early bird or night owl?

Night owl!

Road or studio?

Studio

Any shows or albums coming up?

My latest project does it make me naive if I’ve never been part of something where I’ve meant more to them than they did to me? was released at the end of June this year. Its accompanying film, made with 13 directors, is being released in portions and will be released in full later in the year.

Where can we follow you?

InstagramFacebookTikTokOfficial Website

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Rapid Fire Local Questions:

What is your favourite local restaurant?

Tamam on Hastings, Lunch Lady on Commercial

What is your favourite street in your city and why?

I love Commercial Drive for all its quirkiness and because you always bump into someone you know!

What is your favourite park in your city and why?

I love Flat Rectangle Park, which is what I call Woodland Park – it’s so big and has the perfect shade-to-sun ratio. I will also always have a soft spot for Trout Lake.

What is your favourite music venue in your city?

I love going to Green Auto and sitting in the comfy seats at The Vogue. And I’ve loved putting up my own shows at The Cultch, it’s more known as a theatre space than a music venue, but I feel like my music suits that room very well.

What is your favourite music store in your city?

I love popping into Highlife on the Drive. I found a $5 test pressing of one of my favourite records there (Carole King’s Tapestry), and since then, that store has just been an absolute gem in my eyes.

 

About Emilea Semancik 205 Articles
Emilea Semancik was born in North Vancouver. Emilea has always always wanted to work as a freelance writer and currently writes for the Vancouver Guardian. Taking influence from journalism culture surrounding the great and late Anthony Bourdain, she is a recipe author working towards publishing her own series of books. You can find her food blog on Instagram: