Trading in Wall Street, Lin '99 releases debut album solo album

Like many Princeton students, Cynthia Lin '99 majored in economics and joined the business world after graduation. Unlike her coworkers, Lin picked up a guitar and snuck off to auditions whenever she could. After a year of working, and after the "novelty" of the job wore off, she realized that music was her true vocation.

Now she has put out her debut album, "Blue and Borderlined," funded by her earnings that year. The music mixes jazz with a sort of coffee-shop feel and exudes originality. Lin, however, like all artists, wrestled for a while before she got to this point.

Lin did not resolve to become an artist immediately for a number of reasons. As a Princeton student she participated in the Tigerlillies, Disiac, and a tour with the Triangle Club. However Lin felt unsure about a future in music. When commenting on Princeton's influence on her career choice, she confessed, "To be honest, I felt discouraged."

Lin noticed that people at Princeton were very determined in their decision to commit themselves to the arts. Early on, Lin did not feel the same level of readiness right away and struggled with her curiosity in several majors.

Now Lin has come to realize that art is "more about finding yourself." The singer/songwriter has done just that. With nothing but a guitar and her smooth voice she produces beautiful and, more importantly, honest music. She says the best part of this type of career is "the ability to express myself" and the emotions of others as well.

Drawing inspiration from Joni Mitchell and Jeff Buckley, Lin seems to have developed a sweet tell-it-how-it-is style. Hints of Ella Fitzgerald and jazz influence can be gleaned from "My Song." Fiona Apple serves as a major inspiration for the artist as well — "even though she is younger than me," jokes Lin.

Not only does she draw her inspiration from big influences in music, but from the daily newspaper as well. In the early stages of her songwriting she used her own experiences, as many other artists do at the beginning, she says. Taking the newspaper and writing about a person's feelings in a situation has provided Lin with a "new pathway" for her work.

Drawing from sources like the newspaper and actual personal experiences, Lin cannot help but be honest. She tells it like it is in the song "I'm Shy," in which she expresses the fear so many people have of communicating their true feelings sometimes.

Aside from being honest, Lin considers herself "self-aware" and open-minded. She says "[even] economics guides me — I think about opportunity costs." She lives as an artist, but she remains practical, ready to take the right risks.

But if Lin wasn't an artist, she could also envision herself being comfortable in a boardroom: "I'd be some crazy female CEO type," Lin said. She added that if she was part of a business, she would try to rule it, because "I am a control freak."

And with such control over her career, where does Lin see herself in the future? "I want to continue as an independent artist for as long as I can," Lin said. Because of her work in business she was able to fund her own debut. She plans to put a new record out each year.