Processing New Sounds

Carnegie Mellon University sophomore Eric Parker II's brain is wired for music. Since his early teens, he has helped his father produce music, from mixing tracks to playing tenor saxophone for recordings. Over the summer, the family business expanded to Vietnam.

"The music production isn't as big in Vietnam, so my dad and I got pulled in to help," said Parker, who is studying neuroscience. "We wanted to blend American sound production with Vietnamese vocals."

Parker has worked with international artists previously, most notably Tyla, a South African singer and songwriter who won a 2024 Grammy for Best African Music Performance. He has played music with her live, and his family offered guidance to Tyla's family while they navigated their complex management relationships with Epic Records.

Carnegie Mellon University neuroscience sophomore Eric Parker is keen on more than just the brain. Eric is a sponsored musician and producer partnered with Universal Music Group while in the midst of undergraduate studies. In 2024, Eric attended the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. During his trip, Eric played in different ensembles for events and in the recording studio. While in L.A., he met famous names in the music industry, and he watched collaborator Tyla win the Grammy for Best African Music Performance for her song "Water."

When producing for international artists, Parker developed a strategy of understanding each artist's musical influences. Before he starts music production, he listens to the music each artist likes to can get a feel for their tastes.

"Tones are a huge thing in Vietnamese culture, so a lot of stuff involves being able to sing with these tones," Parker said. "Vocals are a bigger thing, so their music is less production-heavy and more vocal heavy."

His production on Vietnamese artist CherryNL's song "I Need to Know" caught the attention of both Sony Music Vietnam and Universal Music Group Vietnam. Parker drew inspiration from the artists' influences and used production from Korean pop and Japanese music to produce music that he said makes him and the artists are proud.

Recognizing the talent and potential in Vietnam's music scene, Parker and his father helped to establish LAMERIC Entertainment Group in Ho Chí Minh City. They are backed by Virgin Music Group, Razor's Edge Music Group and Universal Music Group, and he said hope to provide Vietnamese artists with more opportunities for music production and global distribution.

Parker plans to return to Vietnam to continue his work in 2025. Until then, he said he is excited to learn more about neuroscience. To Parker, understanding neuroscience helps him learn more about music.

"Music is a really subjective thing between people, and neuroscience makes it clearer," Parker said. "You can learn how you elicit this kind of reaction, and it can help you realize what to add to make a song more complete."

Parker is conducting neuroscience research this fall. He said that in the future, he said he hopes he can pursue both his passion for neuroscience and his love of music.

"I like following my hobbies and passions more than anything else," Parker said. "With my music, I want to make a song that I'll like more than anything else. And at some point, I hope to get a Ph.D. with something to do with neuroscience. I hope to do both."