'Eight Immortals' features a collection of self-contained vignettes, each song serving as a modern interpretation of one of the eight classic archetypes from Taoist legend. The album's tracks range from the absurd to the heartfelt, with a catchy, vocal-driven score that invites audiences on a transformative journey. Included in the lineup are songs such as 'So You Want To Be Immortal', '#MyMorningRoutine', 'I Know The Wildflowers', 'Three Treasures', and 'To Cross The Sea', each providing a unique take on the themes of enlightenment and personal transformation.
Tsui and Breves, a married songwriting duo based in Los Angeles, have previously collaborated on various music projects, but 'Eight Immortals' marks a significant milestone in their artistic journey. With over 3 million subscribers and more than a billion views on Tsui's YouTube channel, their combined social media presence has made a notable impact on the music landscape. Their popular TikTok series, including 'Singing One Song From Every Country in the World' and ‘Musical Theatre Monday’, has further cemented their status as influential figures in the digital music community.
Ahead of the album release we sat down with Sam Tsui and Casey Breves to learn more about the project.
What can you tell me about ‘Eight Immortals’ and the project on the whole?
Our song cycle “Eight Immortals" is an exploration of the themes of transcendence and transformation, based in Chinese mythological archetypes and told from the perspective of eight contemporary characters (including an Olympic gymnast, a mommy vlogger, a disgraced senator, and a drunk uncle at a wedding, and more!) This is our debut work in the musical theatre space, and we’ve recorded the song cycle as a full studio album, featuring some incredible Broadway talent. We’re so excited to share it!
Where did the inspiration for the piece come from?
Sam grew up loving the stories and fantastical imagery of the Eight Immortals, Chinese mythological figures you may have seen in paintings up on the wall of your local Chinese restaurant if you haven’t heard their stories. They are so fascinating- each has sought and gained immortality through varying feats of moral and metaphysical strength, and they represent a real cross-section of society - young and old, rich and poor, from beggar to scholar. There have been many so great adaptations and retellings of Greek and western mythology in musical theater and opera, but very few that explore
Eastern mythological subjects. The world of the Eight Immortals seemed like a really compelling canvas for us to tell emotionally resonant and entertaining modern stories.
The piece is based on a series of popular Chinese myths, but what research did you have to do to aid the development of the piece?
Sam already knew a lot about these characters, having learned the stories from his dad as a kid, but we did a lot of research as we started diving into this piece! Although the piece is a contemporary reimagining, we wanted to make sure we really understood the source material. The songs are connected by narration that recounts the original myths to help give context, and the ensemble numbers feature quotes from Taoist writings in Mandarin. We’re definitely not experts by any means, but I hope our love for the material is evident in the piece!
How is the working relationship between both of you?
We’ve been married for eight years, and have been singing together since we met in our college a cappella group in 2007! We also have a wonderful three year old daughter, Elaia. So we spend basically all of our time together, both working and parenting! I would hope we’ve figured out how to work well together by now- we’re pretty good at disagreeing on things and still finding a way to come together on an idea in the end!
The song cycle has an album releasing on December 6th, what is the moment like when you hear one of the completed tracks for the first time?
Since we also arranged, recorded, and produced the album, there was really no single moment of hearing the music completed - instead we’ve really witnessed it grow through all the stages from demo to final masters - and it’s been incredible to watch it come to life. We started writing in 2021, and getting to record such phenomenal artists on this project has absolutely transformed the work. It’s been a long labor of love, but we’re so thrilled with how it’s turned out.
How did you settle on the casting for the album?
We shot for the moon, and reached out to artists whose work we loved and admired. Each one is a brilliant vocalist and beautiful storyteller. We’re so grateful they all agreed to be a part of this! Some of the cast we knew prior to recording and some we didn’t - but all were so absolutely wonderful to work with!
Do you have any personal favourite tracks?
Casey: I love the ensemble number “Three Treasures”- it’s got really fun rhythmic interplay and the cast brought so much energy and personality to it. It was an opportunity to bring a traditional text into a totally unexpected musical context.
Sam: I’d have to say the final track of the show, “To Cross the Sea” which is also the last number we wrote - it’s a meditation on accepting mortality, and embracing the unknown. The cast sang this number so beautifully and it means so much to us.
What do you hope for the show going forwards?
We envision this album as just the beginning of the life of this piece. We’re hoping to present a concert performance in New York next year, and would love to see it staged after that. Hopefully, the individual songs can stand on their own as well and enter the repertoire as cabaret and audition pieces.
Where did your own arts careers begin?
Casey: I grew up in a family of musicians/artists- my dad is a pianist and arranger, and my mom is a writer. I’ve been singing since I was a little kid. After college where Sam and I first met, I toured for several years internationally with the vocal ensemble Chanticleer and eventually moved to LA where Sam had been starting his career as an artist and content creator. Since then we’ve been writing, recording and performing together!
How has social media helped shape your careers?
Sam: For me, social media has been a huge part of my journey - I started uploading Youtube videos as a college kid over a decade ago, and it allowed me to connect with fans all over the world and do some pretty incredible things - from touring around the world to releasing four full length original albums, to working with some insanely talented people. It’s amazing that so many folks have been following along with me since the very beginning, and will hopefully continue to get a kick out of the new projects (like this one) that I throw myself into!
What do you hope a listener takes away from listening to the album?
In the spirit of the themes of this song cycle- we hope the listener is transformed and transcended in some small way (if not to the point of attaining immortality!) Beyond that, we’re thrilled to introduce new listeners to Chinese mythology and to the phenomenal talents of our cast.
Where can audiences hear the album and follow your journeys beyond?
Eight Immortals is out streaming everywhere on December 6th, follow along with the journey of the project at @8immortalsmusical on Instagram, and you can find us on all the social media platforms as well, @caseybreves & @thesamtsui
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