FEATURE:
Spotlight
thuy
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APOLOGIES if I repeat any…
information or fact about the amazing thuy, but I wanted to highlight an artist who is going to be among those to watch closely through 2023. Released in October, the long-E.P./album, girls like me don’t cry, is an exceptional work from a singular talent. I will come to interviews around that later. First, here is some biography about the sensational thuy:
“Vibrant Vietnamese-American artist Thuy is setting herself apart in today’s pop R&B scene. The Bay Area native grew up surrounded by music and treasured pop idols Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. At age 9, Thuy knew she wanted to be a pop star. However, with no artists to look up to who looked like her, Thuy traded her musical hopes for a career in medicine. After a few lackluster years in the medical field combined with a chance visit to a studio session, Thuy finally saw what a professional career in music could look like. In no short time, Thuy recorded “Hands on Me”, winning KMEL 106.1’s Home Turf contest and cementing her first step into pop R&B success.
Since then, the now Los Angeles-based artist has released several records showcasing her angelic voice and modern R&B stylings and amassing over 150 million streams worldwide. Released in 2017, Thuy's most commercially successful track to date, "All Night Long", had a viral resurgence in 2020 and proved that Thuy’s celestial voice and knack for earworm melodies were here to stay. The track’s viral success organically crossed over to streaming platforms and skyrocketed to widespread recognition, setting the perfect foundation for her long-awaited debut EP.
2021 marks a turning point for the relative newcomer who is quickly gaining recognition for her powerful vocals and skillful songwriting having garnered support from premier outlets and major DSPs including, Billboard, Paper, NBC, Lyrical Lemonade, Flaunt, Earmilk, Spotify’s New Music Friday, and Apple Music’s Best New Songs. Thuy advocates for being true to yourself and hopes to be a voice for those who want to feel seen. Living by the quote, "On the other side of fear, lies freedom" Thuy shares, “Now, when I do something that scares me, I only find freedom and I want others to realize that. I want my music to give people the strength to shine and inspire them to go for their dreams”.
I am going to bring in a few interviews. Earlier in the year, BLEU Magazine stepped inside thuy’s beautiful universe. I have known about her music for a little while but, as she is being tipped by multiple sources as someone to watch in 2023, it is fascinating discovering more about her:
“Bleu: As an adolescent, you came across pop music at the age of nine, what made you dive into R&B?
Thuy: In junior high, YouTube became very popular in my everyday life. Have you ever heard the phrase ‘going down a rabbit hole?’ That rabbit hole was R&B music, I listened to so much Avant, Mia, Brandy, the list could go on. At nighttime, I would always put my headphones on and have one R&B song on repeat. I’d wake up and that same song would be playing. [LOL] But I love Pop music too; Britney Spears was another one of my favorites growing up.
You always had a love for music, but you started pursuing a career in medicine first…what led to the switch?
School was always embedded in us since we were young. Being the people pleaser I am; I’d always say ‘I want to be a doctor. At a young age, I knew how important it was to go to college and have a high-paying career to support myself, my family, and my elders. When it was time to go off to college, I went to UC Santa Barbara; my goal was to become a doctor. Once I was near graduating, I just didn’t have the passion for it anymore.
When did you start taking music seriously?
After college, I started to dabble into music more. It got serious once I started going to the studio. It got to a point where I wanted to live for myself not others. Music was the only constant in my life, through all the career changes and other obstacles life has thrown at me, music was the only thing that stayed constant. And I told myself, if I put 120%, it’s going to happen.
What obstacles did you face after making the decision to take your music career seriously?
Moving to Los Angeles was a big challenge for me. In 2019, I betted on myself and moved to a new city to solely focus on music. I just knew this is where I needed to be. Ever since then everything just elevated, my career has gone to a place where I’m very grateful for. Having my parent’s full support means everything to me.
You released your debut EP, I Hope U See This, this past year. Can you talk about what went on behind the scenes creating the album?
It’s funny you asked because two years ago when the pandemic started, I felt like my career was starting to take off, then the lockdown happened. At the time, I was finding ways to keep myself relevant by getting on any social media platform and promoting my music. It was hard for me because music is a form of therapy. When I’m not doing it, I feel stuck. Moving on, a colleague of mine who’s a producer sent a beat pack to me. Immediately I went to the studio and recorded three full songs. Working on the project, I started to see the full impact of what this project can accomplish for me. I Hope U See This, this is the full epitome of who I want to be as an artist, sonically”.
I want to move to a RAYDAR interview. I was intrigued to learn that thuy grew up with influences like Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears. You can feel a bit of that in her music, but she very much has her own sound and drive. She is an artist people will be listening to for years to come. I would urge anyone who has not heard her work – including the recent girls like me don’t cry – to do so now:
“An indie Pop artist with an R&B-charge aura, Thuy is in her bag. Making her debut some years back with “Hands On Me,” the Bay Area songstress grew up surrounded by music and influences such as Brittney Spears and Christina Aguilera amongst others. The daughter of two Vietnamese immigrants, Thuy carried on their resilience and ability to get through it no matter what through medical school before eventually pursuing her purpose, music. “I wish I started sooner but I think that everything happens for a reason,” she tells us.
Her debut single serves as a building block for her formidable catalog which contains an endless array of bops that put her honey-drenched vocals on full display. Her 2017 track “All Night Long” is a massive success and one of her biggest to date with her catalog amassing a whopping 40 million streams. What’s more important is how Thuy has molded into a young icon for fellow Vietnamese Americans and minorities through her music. “It means so much to somebody that never thought that they would see somebody who looked like them in film and media,” Thuy emphasizes. “I’m all for it!”
2021 has proved none short of a miracle for Thuy. With her latest slew of songs accompanied by visual efforts, she undoubtedly places herself out of the box and excites her audience every second she can. Records like “chances,” “universe,” and “in my bag” are just the beginning as Thuy prepares the release of her very first EP later this year. “I don’t want to jinx anything but lots of exciting things! You’re going to see more of Thuy so just be on the lookout,” she shares. Be on the lookout for more Thuy in 2021.
We had the opportunity to chat with Thuy about transitioning into music, her latest string of singles, diversity efforts in music, and much more! Read below.
From singing and songwriting to bringing everything to fruition, when and how did you discover your musical talents?
Honestly, I’ve always loved to sing ever since I could talk. I grew up in a family where karaoke was huge and I remember being a little girl, I would find some Brittney Spears song and perform. They wouldn’t understand anything I was saying but I knew I just loved to perform. Slowly that confidence I had as a little girl kind of declined with high school because you don’t really want to stand out or give people the opportunity to judge you. I still loved to sing but I just didn’t have the confidence to sing and it wasn’t until after I graduated college and met my boyfriend that I started making music in the first place.
I wish I started sooner but I think that everything happens for a reason. It’s like okay, I went to school and did something for my parents, but now it’s time to do something I like. I had this weird thing in the back of my head that I’m going to be a singer and nothing can stop me. I made my first song ever “Hands On Me” and it got on my local radio station and at that moment, it was like I know I can do this. I just knew I could do it!
Growing up, what role did your Vietnamese heritage play in finding your sound or how you create music?
I wouldn’t say that it influences my sound directly. What I can take from it is that my parents are both immigrants and it was such a hard journey for them to get here. They were really grinding so that they can support me and my five other siblings and they always figured it out. I feel like they’re so resilient and resourceful and I think I’ve taken those qualities into my music. When I first started, I didn’t know what I was doing and I wouldn’t take no for an answer.
What message did you want to get across to your listeners with your new track “in my bag”?
In my normal life, I am probably one of the most timid people and I’m kind of a bit of a people pleaser. I’ve never made a song like that where I was speaking from a standpoint of “you kind of slept on me.” So with that record, I just wanted to have fun with it and talk my shit a little bit. I wanted to be like you’ve been looking for me, but I’ve been here the whole time. I found that when you let go of that ego, life is just so much better because you’re not comparing yourself. There’s room for everyone!
One thing that I really love about your music is the creative direction you take when it comes to visuals and your aesthetic. Tell me a bit more about how you come up with all these concepts and ideas.
I love that you said that and I love that you used colorful! I feel like I’m a very colorful person. I definitely deal with social anxiety and it’s that mentality of fake it ’til you make it. I think I mask it very well by using colors and being bubbly. I try to be very methodical with how I’m releasing it because the song itself is very important but the marketing behind it is just important. I’m very hands-on with everything I do and
I’ve actually had to scrap music videos that I’ve spent thousands of dollars on things that didn’t reflect my artistry. I feel like it’s just so important to know what you want and I just love creating in all aspects from music videos to cover arts and overall aesthetic. Visually, that’s so important as an artist and you should think about what type of brand you want to build. For me, I want to build one that’s bubbly, fun, and colorful!
What are your thoughts on the music industry’s diversity efforts? What do you think needs to be in order for everyone to be equally represented on both an artistry and executive level?
I think it’s fucking awesome! Just to be included in the AAPI month and it was such an honor to be in that whole realm. I think it’s so awesome to bring more visibility to POC creators because there are so many talented artists out there. We shouldn’t just be narrowed down to a month because there’s a lot of Asian and Black artists that I wouldn’t have known about if it weren’t for a month that highlighted them. I know a lot of talented people that are behind the scenes because maybe they’re afraid of being the main face, but the more you bring visibility to that, will inspire others to showcase their artistry.
I think that’s why representation is so important. Me being in R&B, I have so many young Vietnamese-Americans reach out to me. I think for me, I started to actively think about how important it is for me to be in this space. When you get to a certain level, your existence has a huge impact on perception and all of that. There becomes a point where you have to understand that you being here in this space actually makes such a difference. It means so much to somebody that never thought that they would see somebody who looked like them in film and media. I’m all for it”.
I will end with a recent interview from HYPERBEAST. It is a great interview. An artist who is trying to break boundaries and affect change, her music teaches people to embrace weaknesses and vulnerability. It is uplifting and powerful stuff from a seriously impressive artist:
“In an industry where Asian-American artists are continuing to break barriers, thuy stresses being comfortable in her own skin. Not only does she prioritize comfort when it comes to putting together her outfits, but she makes sure she can be as free-flowing as possible. Growing up in a Vietnamese refugee family, she often felt restrained by her parents’ expectations to fulfill a dream that wasn’t hers. By day, thuy found herself shadowing a physician’s assistant and applying to medical school. By night, she poured what was left of her energy into making music.
“I was taking all the necessary steps but I just wasn’t happy,” she shares. “Music was the only thing that stayed constant throughout all my career changes. I fell in love with it because I could be my authentic self.” Like many 90s kids, thuy’s inspirations ranged from pop legends like Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears to R&B staples like Tamia and Brandy.
PHOTO CREDIT: Nick Llanton/Hypebeast
It wasn’t until she decided to pursue music full-time and made her first record in 2015 that she finally found her groove. As a self-made Vietnamese-American artist, thuy carved a space for herself and within the community for like-minded individuals around her to thrive. She recalls, “growing up you don’t see a lot of people like us doing this. It could feel like unchartered territory but I was lucky to be surrounded by so many cultures in the Bay Area. I never felt like being Asian was different because I had the same playing field as everyone else. This helped shifted my perspective growing up because representation matters.”
“A lot of hurdles have yet to be overcome and there are so many ceilings we have to break too. The more people do it, the easier it becomes for the next generation.”
thuy carries this thought forward in her music. She made her recent album girls like me don’t cry to teach people a powerfully uplifting lesson about embracing weaknesses and vulnerability. During times of overwhelming change in the world, her upbeat and sultry anthems serve as a gentle reminder to “use resilience and not let anything stand in the way.”
When it comes to scratching the surface of the music industry, thuy knows there’s more work to be done. “A lot of hurdles have yet to be overcome and there are so many ceilings we have to break too,” she notes. “The more people do it, the easier it becomes for the next generation. So I hope I inspire even just one person, not within music, to always live for themselves”.
Go and listen to the amazing music of the even more amazing thuy. She is definitely one of the most promising rising artists. I think that there are so many terrific new artists emerging, it can be hard to see who is worth stick with. You can feel there is this longevity with thuy. Her music will definitely ensure. She has shown with girls like me don’t cry what an amazing artist she is. I know she will continue to release music of this quality…
FOR a long time to come.
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