Born in Australia and based in Taipei, vocalist Caitlin Magee bridges cultural landscapes through music and broadcasting. Her 2017 victories at the Taichung and Taipei International Jazz Festivals launched her into Taiwan's spotlight, where she now headlines the jazz collective ZY THE WAY. She also divides her time between performing with the Taipei Professional Orchestra and hosting daily shows on ICRT FM 100.7, Taiwan's English-language radio station.

ZY THE WAY sets ancient Chinese poetry to modern jazz, incorporating multimedia elements under the direction of Magee, pianist Matt Fullen, and visual artist Bruce Tsai. With two Silver Medals already secured from the Global Music Awards, their full-length album Then And Now drops in November 2024, featuring Mark de Clive-Lowe and DJ Spinna remixes.

Lawrence Peryer: What is your first memory of music?

Caitlin Magee: When I was 6, my parents moved to Moscow, Russia. Watching the Swan Lake ballet was my first sense of awe related to music. Following that experience, my parents signed me up for piano lessons, which, as an immature kid, I did not appreciate, and regrettably, I gave up!

Lawrence: You want someone to understand you. What song or album do you give them?

Caitlin: Once our ZY THE WAY album comes out, I'll send them our album! However, until then, I'd probably send them Esperanza Spalding's album Esperanza. She's my favorite artist of all time; her first vocal album embodies contemporary jazz from a woman's perspective. However, it's still radio-friendly, making her the first jazz artist to win Best New Artist at the Grammys. Her story, the sound of her music at the beginning of her recording career, and the fact that her music is also accessible reflect my world of being a mainstream radio host while also being a jazz lover.

Lawrence: What instrument(s) can you play?

Caitlin: Properly, I only sing! But I grew up learning music as an oboist and almost decided to do my music degree, majoring in classical oboe.

Lawrence: What is a skill you wish you possessed?

Caitlin: To play piano like a bad-ass

Lawrence:  What song, album, or artist never gets old for you?

Caitlin: The Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley album. It's so hip, but it's so old!

Lawrence: What music do you and your significant other disagree about?

Caitlin: Mandopop. He is Malaysian and grew up with all the Mandarin ballads from Taiwan. I am half-Taiwanese but not a mandopop lover, and I grew up with all the Western rock hits from Australia instead.

Lawrence: What creative work or artist do you love or admire outside of music?

Caitlin: I appreciate concept artists who advocate for something beyond their work, like Keith Haring supporting AIDs and gay rights or Yayoi Kusama supporting mental health. However, I'm still quite a beginner in understanding them or contemporary art.

Lawrence: What was your first paycheck related to music?

Caitlin: When I was 18, I was at a local jazz club called Sappho.

Lawrence: When you were 15, your favorite artist, song, or album was:

Caitlin: Amy Winehouse's Back to Black and Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad.

Lawrence: Who is the biggest influence on your musical life?

Caitlin: A guy called Chris who worked with my father at the Australian Embassy in Saudi Arabia. He didn't teach me much music, but he's the first to encourage me to perform regularly during his karaoke nights and through anthem singing service to our country. As I began to perform more, I started to explore more music and make it a part of my lifestyle.

Lawrence: What are some of the places you have saved on your phone's weather app?

Caitlin: Taipei, Taiwan (where I live) and Canberra (where I'm "from" and my parents still live).

Lawrence: You are programming a music festival. What artists, dead or alive, headline Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night?

Caitlin: Alive: Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding, Nubya Garcia; Dead/Disbanded: Weather Report, Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis.

Lawrence: What was the last concert you saw?

Caitlin: Terence Blanchard and the Turtle Island Quartet.