MUSICIANS TO KNOW: THUY
THUY
Originally from the Bay Area, this Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter has released several records showcasing her angelic voice and modern R&B style, amassing over 40 million streams worldwide. She began her musical career in stunning fashion with her first radio record, “Hands on Me”. The record gained widespread support in her Bay Area community after winning KMEL 106.1’s Home Turf contest and cemented her first step into pop R&B success.
BY TIARA STARKS
SHEER: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
THUY: I was born in Stockton but grew up mostly in Newark, California, a little city in the Bay Area. I’m currently based in Los Angeles and I am the daughter of two Vietnamese immigrants.
SHEER: What inspired you to pursue a career as a music artist?
THUY: I started singing for fun at a very young age, even when I barely understood the words. I listened to a bunch of 90s and early 2000s artists and knew I wanted to be a pop star but that was all hopes and dreams at first. None of them ever looked like me so I didn’t think it was anything serious that I could pursue. On top of that, while my family are all very talented singers, a career as a singer was never even an idea that they could entertain. So that’s why I initially pursued a career in medicine. After I finished college, I went into the medical field and worked in optometry and soon later was shadowing a physician’s assistant at Stanford. It wasn’t long until I was pretty fed up with the route I was going down. The next step was to go to PA school, but I was struggling with the fact that I was letting my parents down because I was really unmotivated and also letting myself down because I wasn’t doing something that made me happy.
It wasn’t until I tagged along with friends who were doing music at an actual studio and saw what a career like this was like. I kept it as a hobby at first. Then slowly little by little. I was making a little bit of noise up in the Bay Area, and eventually made the move down to LA to pursue it seriously. I guess the short answer would be realizing what really made me happy.
SHEER: How does your culture and upbringing influence your work?
THUY: My childhood was full of family parties and it's very typical to have karaoke on full blast during Vietnamese parties. I feel like as an immigrant, there are a lot of stories and traumas that they bring with them when they come to America, so for my family, singing and music were ways to both cope with that trauma as well as remember the homeland. That’s how I learned much of my own history and cultivated my singing. I admit I wish I knew more Vietnamese songs, but I try to incorporate some Vietnamese lines into my upcoming music. Let’s see if any of my fans can catch them!
SHEER: I see that your work is 90s-inspired, who have been your biggest influences and how do you put our own spin on an iconic era of music?
THUY: Growing up, my biggest influences included Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Tamia, and Mariah Carey! I don’t necessarily think about making music that is 90s inspired but I think naturally, my music does have a hint of that because that’s what I grew up on. To me, the music is super organic and I just like to make what I would want to hear.
“I hope that people who listen to my music will feel inspired and realize that they can go for their dreams. At the end of the day, it’s so important for me to spread love and happiness and I feel like I can truly do that through my music. ”
SHEER: You went viral for your single “All Night Long” back in 2020. How did it feel to have that song gain a lot of attention?
THUY: It’s so crazy! I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that this song would even go viral. I was fairly early in my career when the song came out so I was just excited about anyone listening. Now millions are streaming that song and creating content to it and it just makes me feel so fulfilled. As an artist, I love invoking any type of feeling and this song seems to have that effect on the listeners/fans. It’s having a third resurgence now, so I’m just grateful that people continue to discover it and enjoy it.
SHEER: I absolutely loved your other single ‘Vapor Rub’ and loved how you used the quarantine to your advantage for the music video. What inspired you to write this specific song?
THUY: My boyfriend and I co-write on all of my songs so while we were taking a drive down the 405, we were just playing beats, laughing, and just enjoying each other’s presence. These are the times when we write the best songs -- just no pressure. I heard the beat and I just wanted to write something that was extremely quirky. To be honest, we were just having fun and not taking it so seriously. When the song came out, I wanted to do a music video for it but because COVID shut down everything, I thought I would take it to the fans and have them send in videos of them dancing or singing the song. I felt like it was a cool way to connect everyone; especially during a time when we all had to be stuck in the house and away from our friends.
SHEER: Do you have any upcoming passion projects that you'd like to share?
THUY: I’m super excited about my next single that’s coming out on June 4. This song is “in my bag” and it’s a bad bitch anthem type of song. I wrote it as both a message to motivate myself and as a message to those who didn’t believe in me. There’s going to be a lot of ups and downs in whatever goals you pursue, and I hope this song serves as a motivation for anyone listening to keep going. Also, since I’ve been releasing singles my entire career, I’m so excited and nervous to be releasing my debut EP later this year.
“I feel like as an immigrant, there are a lot of stories and traumas that they bring with them when they come to America, so for my family, singing and music were ways to both cope with that trauma as well as remember the homeland. That’s how I learned much of my own history and cultivated my singing. I admit I wish I knew more Vietnamese songs, but I try to incorporate some Vietnamese lines into my upcoming music. Let’s see if any of my fans can catch them!”
SHEER: What do you hope people take away from listening to your music?
THUY: I hope that people who listen to my music will feel inspired and realize that they can go for their dreams. At the end of the day, it’s so important for me to spread love and happiness and I feel like I can truly do that through my music.
SHEER: Do you have any advice for aspiring artists of color who might be hesitant to put out their music?
THUY: My mantra has always been "On the other side of fear, lies freedom" and I attribute everything that I’ve manifested to this. When I do something that scares me like putting out new music, trying out different visuals or doing something new and unfamiliar, I only find freedom in it and I want others to realize that.
