Today we’d like to introduce you to Irene Song.
Hi Irene, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Ever since I was a little kid, I knew my creative outlets were my absolute everything and that I would carry them along with me throughout the rest of my life. My OG passion and still one of my biggest passions to this day begins with dance. Growing up, I trained in ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, jazz, hip hop, and tap and was a member of the company Georgia Dance Theatre for 13 seasons. I also took classical piano lessons during my childhood until I stopped in middle school, transitioning into playing and covering modern day songs by ear. These passions along with painting and drawing guided me through childhood and shaped me into the person I am today.
After graduating high school in Peachtree City, I moved to Atlanta to start college at Georgia Tech. Although I knew it was a great school, I quickly realized I was not happy there. The fact that it was peak Covid probably didn’t help, but I felt completely out of my element and I lacked the determination and drive that everyone around me seemed to be so charged with. As I was struggling between the internal conflict of meeting my family’s traditional expectations vs. living life for myself, I started to get involved in the film industry while maintaining the most atrocious attendance record at Tech. After a long year and a half, I finally withdrew from my all my classes. Like any young adult, I was still figuring myself out and had no idea what I was doing. Tech allowed me to realize what I didn’t want for my life though, so I followed my soul and went along with that. And like any creative, I got a retail day job while pursuing my acting and modeling career on the side.
I’m still doing that to this day. Over these past few years, I’ve been very fortunate to have worked on multiple film and commercial projects, from acting and modeling, to choreographing and dancing, to assisting in art department, to playing the musical score on piano for a short film. I also had the opportunity to do a commission mixed media art piece, “Emit,” that is featured in the zine, “Encounters,” by SUPRA ZINE.
These past few months have also been extremely special to me because I’ve been attending weekly dance rehearsals, something I haven’t done since pre-Covid. It’s been very healing and exciting. I was honored to co-choreograph and perform for the immersive art installation piece “Crazing” by Madison Nunes and Meaghan Novoa at the Goat Farm’s contemporary art festival, SITE. And now, I’m rehearsing under Meaghan Novoa for a mixed repertoire show on March 6th & 7th at Emory Performing Arts Studio.
Amongst all these creative endeavors, I also started my pop-up business last month called Just a Phase. It’s been a lot of long hours and labor, but it’s also been so heart-warming and rewarding to see all the excitement and support.
I am truly so grateful for all the opportunities life has given me so far and all the people I’ve met along the way. There’s still many things I want to do, many “phases” and eras I want to be in, such as releasing the songs I’ve composed and written over the years or selling my crochet pieces at art markets, but I remind myself to cherish and enjoy what I have now in the present, because it really is so amazing and beautiful, while still actively working towards the future I want to create for myself.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. Growing up, my parents who immigrated to the U.S. from China, always stressed the importance of education and obtaining a job that fits into corporate society. For my entire life, I knew wanting to be a creative meant that there was an inevitable clash to come with my family, but I knew I was never going to let that stop me. I was always so certain and willing to fight for myself and my passions. However, senior year of high school right after I submitted my college applications, I tore my ACL, LCL, and MCL in my knee. It felt like my world came crashing down. I was so insanely frustrated. For so long, I thought dance was going to be the main pathway that I pursued as a career. All the colleges that I applied to and cared about, I applied to as a dance major, and my plan was to double major in something else more practical to satisfy my family’s expectations. Because of my injury and inability to attend any of the auditions, I wasn’t able to get accepted into any of the programs I was interested in, which definitely played a part in how I ended up at Georgia Tech. I do believe that everything happens for a reason though, and without that injury, the trajectory of my life journey would look a lot different. I wouldn’t have met the people in my life today and I wouldn’t have gone through the same experiences that resulted in my mental, spiritual, and physical growth.
I never got surgery due to financial limitations, and I’m still reminded of the pain and inconvenience of those ligament tears to this day, although it’s gotten better over the years. I think that’s why these current dance rehearsals and performances have meant so much to me. To be able to dance professionally (while still being careful and listening to my body of course) is something I strived and yearned for for so long, and now that I’m actually doing it, it feels extremely healing but also like I’m taking power back in a way. For a while, I convinced myself that I wouldn’t ever be able to get seriously involved in dance again. That I wouldn’t ever be able to get back to the level I was at, which is true in the aspect that I can’t leap or mindlessly throw my body around anymore, but I feel like being in these dance pieces has allowed me to overcome my mental block that’s been lingering in the shadows for so long. It’s shown me that I still have the capability, power, and freedom to do what I want with dance.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I started my pop-up business right in time for the Mid-Autumn Moon festival this year, which is a Chinese festival that occurs on the biggest harvest full moon of the year. To celebrate, people eat round mooncakes that symbolize the full moon. I never cared for the traditional salted egg yolk mooncake flavor, but what I do care for and am obsessed with is mochi. So I decided to go untraditional and make snowskin mooncakes, which are made out of glutinous rice flour (which is also what mochi is made out of)! Continuing with the untraditional route, I also do fun filling flavors that I like, such as strawberry matcha cheesecake or pistachio kataifi (AKA Dubai chocolate filling). I also make different flavors of Dubai chocolate and I make them into Labubus and Sanrio characters for extra cuteness.
One of the things I prioritize in my life that also trickles into my brand is the quality of ingredients and knowing what is going into my body. That’s why for these Dubai chocolates, the only ingredients that are in the fillings are organic tahini, kataifi toasted with coconut oil, and nut butters that I roast and grind myself (with the exception of flavors like Biscoff cookie butter and Nutella). Everything else is completely handmade from scratch and dye-free. I like to use natural ingredients to add flavor and color, such as adding freeze-dried strawberries to white chocolate (for Hello Kitty—strawberry white chocolate with pistachio kataifi filling) or purple sweet potato powder (for Ube snowskin mooncake).
I also make Dubai chocolate stuffed dates as a healthier blood glucose friendly option…and because I love dates so much. If you think about it, these stuffed dates are a better option than most protein bars on the market and they’re tastier than a candy bar in my opinion. They’re a healthy source for energy and sweet cravings because of the natural sugars and fiber from the dates, the proteins and fats from the homemade nut butter and tahini, and the magnesium and antioxidants from the dark chocolate on top. Of course though, everything in moderation is key.
As of lately, I’ve been getting ready for the upcoming markets that I’ll be vending at: Labubu Mini Con (11/23) and a Christmas Market by Leftie Lee’s and Badass Asian Women (12/13). I am also making preparations for customers to be able to do custom orders and gift sets, especially with the holiday season coming up!
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I definitely think staying authentic to myself and prioritizing quality and community are the most important qualities to success. It will always be about quality, not quantity. I want to be able to create and share fun, trendy sweets that aren’t damaging to our bodies. Everyone should be able to enjoy a sweet treat that isn’t full of ingredients we don’t even know how to pronounce…that our bodies don’t even know how to process…AND still have fun with it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.instagram.com/just.a.phase.atl?igsh=ZzUwb3N3anF6b2tm&utm_source=qr
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irxnesong?igsh=YnJkbmQ2bjgzeHB2&utm_source=qr
Image Credits
Personal photo: Danny White
Art piece: “Emit” by Irene Song (coffee, acrylic, ink)
Hello Kitty Dubai Chocolate: Danny White
Mooncakes, dates, Labubu mooncakes: Naomi Smith
Photo with polka dot lighting dance art installation piece “Crazing” at SITE 2025: Madison Nunes
Dance beach photo: Kara Davel
Crochet piece: Custom Balaclava by Irene Song (irxne), Model: Danny White
