Sui Zhen
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Sui Zhen

There’s a lot more to Sui Zhen than her electro-pop music. In fact, she’s even formed somewhat of a split personality in her newest clip. We had a chat to Sui Zhen, and possibly Susan, on what she’s been up to, wearing Kung Fu pants and her pastel world.
Hi Sui Zhen, thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte Magazine, how are you and what are you up to at the moment? 
I’m eating kiwi fruit, strawberries and yoghurt whilst wearing my new Kung Fu pants and Feiyue shoes around the house. I’m enjoying how much better my new pants feel than what I had before and I’m slowly working through all the music and design tasks I have to get through this weekend.
You sure have been keeping yourself busy with radio appearances and gigs and the like, are you someone who can’t sit still and has to remain active? 
I can definitely sit still, but I keep myself pretty busy most of the time and I probably pack my days a little tighter than most. Outside of music, I produce creative technology for museums and study design. My newest hobby is practising Kung Fu. So, when I sit still I feel like I’ve really earned it. Music has been the most constant activity throughout my life.
What do you do when you have down time? 
I started Kung Fu to better maintain healthy balance between the various work I do and ‘mind and body’ wellness. Exercising is a big part of that. I tend to carry tension and stress otherwise, and lose perspective of what’s really important. I usually aim to have one adventure each week, where I can stop checking emails and Wunderlist for a few hours. This week I went to the Rhododendron Gardens in Olinda and whittled the day away in the damp forests trying to find early blooms.
So your first 12″ vinyl is almost out, how important was it for it to be a vinyl release?
It was very important to me. I collect records and enjoy listening to music on vinyl more than other formats. It’s a certain way to ensure your music will last a long time. It’s being produced in a limited pressing so there’s a greater value to it than a purely digital release that can have endless incarnations but then sits in a sea of endless incarnations of all the music that ever existed. Vinyl is a bit more special in that way.
With this new release is also the addition of ‘Susan’. Can you tell us a little bit about her, what does she love, long walks on the beach? 
Susan is not entirely real. Her personality has been cultivated from the collective anxieties, hopes and dreams of the digitally documented public. She’s someone’s digital doppelganger, meta-data manifested, and in this video she is trying to connect with her true self – the one that exists beyond the screen. She isn’t doing so great when we meet her. She’s a little uninspired and she’s turning to procedural pleasures to connect with her emotions. She’s looking for something more.
And how long has Susan been waiting to show her face to fans? 
Fully formed Susan has been waiting to show her face to fans for several months now. Patiently waiting in the wings until her special moment to shine in the spotlight arrived. I think Susan is locked in time, almost immortal. Her tear will forever fall into that yellow flower, like an aging star.
You’ve certainly created your own ‘pastel world’ in the clip for ‘Take It All Back’, was that one a fun one to film?
Yes, it was the most interesting because of my own transformation into Susan. I was very relieved to complete shooting, remove my wig and contact lenses and just be me again. It’s fun to dress up, but it’s a very strange feeling to walk around visibly as someone else. It’s a little uncanny valley, but then again something is always a little bit off in Susan land.
Thanks again for having the chat with us, are there any last words of wisdom you’d like to share with our readers? 
Release your inner Susan.
Release: Secretly Susan is available from August 28