Latest / The Vietnamese with Kenneth Nguyen / 491 - How Much Of Yourself Can You Be In Music? - Bobo.Xx

Transcript

491 - How Much Of Yourself Can You Be In Music? - Bobo.Xx · The Vietnamese with Kenneth Nguyen

0:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Welcome to the Vietnamese podcast today.
0:01
[SPEAKER_02]: I have Bobo here with me.
0:04
[SPEAKER_02]: This is, uh,
0:06
[SPEAKER_02]: an interesting time for you and me because we actually did a podcast before.
0:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
0:12
[SPEAKER_02]: That was like what two years ago, but we couldn't air it.
0:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, because there was a lot of things that we said at the time that we couldn't air it.
0:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
0:20
[SPEAKER_02]: So we're going to start all over, but since then, you and I have had so much experience together.
0:25
[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm glad that we got the chance to redo it.
0:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
0:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And I feel like I've grown so much as a person.
0:32
[SPEAKER_00]: since then and I had so many different opinions and yeah during my journey I was like all right like you know we're like oh should we release it should we not and I was like all right maybe we should
0:44
[SPEAKER_00]: like, you know, take a break on it, come back to it and see, you know, if it's, if we should release it, we're like, are you know what, let me, I think you gave me a lot of space to grow these past two years.
0:57
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think you've seen the development of like, you know, my artist self and how I'm starting to like, you know, become part of the community and all these things.
1:05
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, I think I'm, I think a lot of my opinions have changed, which is beautiful,
1:13
[SPEAKER_00]: especially being in these people.
1:14
[SPEAKER_00]: We're just kind of stubborn.
1:16
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
1:16
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was a stubborn mother fucker.
1:18
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
1:20
[SPEAKER_02]: And just watching the journey is beautiful for me because you know, I get to see the change in a beautiful way, you know?
1:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Because I don't think people would change for the most fart.
1:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
1:29
[SPEAKER_02]: In bad ways.
1:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
1:30
[SPEAKER_02]: Because the more we were exposed to each other or our community, the more we grow and the more we grow, the more enhanced our views become.
1:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
1:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think it just
1:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I wasn't very open back then, and I think I'll, I went through a lot of experiences where I was like, all right, like, and just having so much love around me?
1:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
1:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Especially from you guys and like the Vietnamese community, I was like, all right, like, let me just like accept the love and accepting the love is so hard, you know, because I think the way we grew up sometimes,
2:07
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of interesting how we accept love, you know what I mean?
2:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that's a thing that I've been thinking about recently.
2:17
[SPEAKER_00]: And it comes in all different ways.
2:20
[SPEAKER_00]: And you just have to be open to it.
2:22
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, what do you mean?
2:23
[SPEAKER_02]: How did you grow up?
2:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I know you didn't grow up around a lot of Vietnamese people.
2:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you didn't grow up in Southern California.
2:29
[SPEAKER_00]: No, I grew up in the Bay Area, California.
2:32
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was a place called Semitale.
2:35
[SPEAKER_00]: And then, yeah, I wasn't really exposed to many Vietnamese people.
2:38
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, there's like San Jose right there.
2:40
[SPEAKER_00]: But I never really, like, it was just like my family, you know.
2:44
[SPEAKER_00]: And there's all different types of races and ethnicities there.
2:48
[SPEAKER_00]: But I never really had a Vietnamese friend growing up.
2:51
[SPEAKER_00]: So when I would talk, it would just be with like my family.
2:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And we would take trips down Orange County.
2:56
[SPEAKER_00]: and that's where my grandma lived and my mom would kind of just drop me off there for a month and I would like get to walk around and like see the culture but I never really was able to get immersed into it and have friends and a community that spoke Vietnamese and taught me all the traditions of it so really in the family you know.
3:14
[SPEAKER_02]: I think a lot of all kids like you you're not a kid.
3:17
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm saying the kids that grow up like you and become adults like you now.
3:22
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like a kid though so okay.
3:24
[SPEAKER_02]: It's all what I'm saying now.
3:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I think about you a lot because when we don't get to grow up around Vietnam, we don't get to grow up around Vietnamese communities, we become a product of our environment.
3:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Whether it's Mexicans or Black America or White America, we are not the same as the Vietnamese that are growing up together, right?
3:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Tell me a little bit about how you think that affected you growing up.
3:54
[SPEAKER_02]: I know now that you have some space between the last time we talked and now, but yeah.
3:59
[SPEAKER_02]: Tell me a little bit about like how that difference of like the last two years have really affected the way you view the Vietnamese community.
4:07
[SPEAKER_02]: And the reason why it's so important for me is because I like to track this stuff.
4:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
4:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
4:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
4:11
[SPEAKER_00]: So how I grew up in the first place, like the Bay Area is such a...
4:17
[SPEAKER_00]: It's such a crazy place because everybody is there.
4:21
[SPEAKER_00]: And then there's a Bay Area specific kind of language that it doesn't matter where you're like, black, white, Latin, Asian.
4:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Everyone is kind of the same.
4:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Everyone uses the same lingo.
4:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Everyone hangs out together.
4:35
[SPEAKER_00]: And is it different than Ellen?
4:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, really.
4:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Even a lot of the music that we make out there, it's like,
4:44
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of crazy, it's interesting, you know what I mean?
4:49
[SPEAKER_00]: And a lot of people don't make it out of the bay.
4:51
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like kind of a bubble.
4:53
[SPEAKER_00]: A bubble.
4:54
[SPEAKER_00]: But then you hear so many influences in like, you know, like DJ, or yeah, like DJ mustard and like all these like,
5:01
[SPEAKER_00]: New LA are all these like LA artists essentially that they take these certain beats and bounces from the Bay area But the Bay area doesn't really get credited like that, but you know, there's like the high fee movement that you know I'll grew up with and yeah, it was very interesting, but even in San Mateo There is a lot of like Every single type of culture, you know, there is skate culture.
5:23
[SPEAKER_00]: There is like gang culture.
5:25
[SPEAKER_00]: There is like you know the rich it and my high school is very
5:30
[SPEAKER_00]: weird too because they would like smash all the kids from like Hillsboro and like really like high-class places and then like the super hood kids and all in one school.
5:41
[SPEAKER_00]: So I got to experience you know when I was partying in high school we would go from in the same night we would go from a trap house to like a $20 million mansion all in one night and we would just it would just be like
5:56
[SPEAKER_00]: a weird experience on how to connect with each individual.
6:01
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's why it makes me so good at talking to different kinds of people.
6:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I was like, oh, yeah, I had to learn how to slang like this.
6:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I had to learn how to slang like this.
6:13
[SPEAKER_00]: And over here, I talked like this over here and adapting as a chameleon.
6:18
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think that's why I'm always interested in where people came from as well.
6:22
[SPEAKER_00]: When did you start thinking about music?
6:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Kind of all my life, but I think I grew up with around so many talented people.
6:31
[SPEAKER_00]: I was never like, oh, like, I could do that.
6:36
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know what I mean.
6:38
[SPEAKER_00]: So I kind of just, and I was like doing martial arts at the other time, and that was like my life focus.
6:44
[SPEAKER_00]: I wanted to be like the next.
6:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Bruce Lee Jack really really that's why I did like martial arts tricking and stuff like that and yeah, I was very confused to do it now I still cut there's like a little bit like that's why I do the back flip and in my in my show now because it's like kind of like an All my homage to my tricking days.
7:04
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, oh, I could still do this.
7:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I still got it in me and like the rage and like the chase of of my passion That's it comes from that culture.
7:13
[SPEAKER_00]: How long were you doing martial arts?
7:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, dude.
7:15
[SPEAKER_00]: So I was like
7:16
[SPEAKER_00]: seven yeah up until prior was like 26 so pretty much all my life and how did that music seep into the martial arts world i think i just always loved music and um so tricking is is a specific sport it's like uh
7:34
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of new, but it's a very enough martial arts and then like break dancing culture, dance culture, and like acrobatics and all these things.
7:42
[SPEAKER_00]: So you chase these combos and it's like, the progression is very similar to the skate culture, where it was like, very rugged at first and then now there's like new rules and how you do like judge things and, um, yeah, the sports is growing and it's very beautiful.
7:57
[SPEAKER_00]: But back then, it's like,
7:59
[SPEAKER_00]: You try a backflip, you eat shit, you eat shit, you eat shit, until you get it.
8:04
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's kind of my mentality with things.
8:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I'm gonna eat shit for the first 20 times I try this, but eventually I'm gonna figure out that technique and then I'm gonna get it, right?
8:14
[SPEAKER_00]: So applying that mentality to art is kind of just natural for me, coming from that world.
8:20
[SPEAKER_00]: When did you start the music?
8:22
[SPEAKER_00]: I've only been making music for like seriously for like maybe four years, you know, I did like a couple like, you know, I had like a rap crew in high school, but, you know, we're just like just having fun.
8:35
[SPEAKER_00]: But then, you know, the pandemic kind of hit and all the photography slowed down.
8:41
[SPEAKER_00]: And then I was like, oh,
8:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe I should just, like, what am I waiting for?
8:46
[SPEAKER_00]: I just tried this.
8:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Why not, you know, and then I had to learn all like the basic rules of music and, you know, try to like train my voice and I didn't realize like, I never really thought that it was just like a muscle.
9:00
[SPEAKER_00]: and like you just have to study and like train your brain and your body and your vocals.
9:05
[SPEAKER_00]: And then I kind of just started applying the same methods and, yeah, I was like, oh, yeah, of course the first 20 are going to suck.
9:12
[SPEAKER_02]: That's crazy that you started just four years ago because I saw you perform about two years ago.
9:18
[SPEAKER_02]: on stage for 10 years.
9:21
[SPEAKER_02]: I appreciate it.
9:22
[SPEAKER_02]: It looked like you've been added for a long time, but I think now it makes sense because in martial arts background.
9:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
9:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Sort of like that journey of like, it's part of it, right?
9:30
[SPEAKER_02]: If you think about it, because there's rhythm.
9:33
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
9:33
[SPEAKER_02]: There's...
9:34
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, there's routine in an act, yes, in a performance that you do on stage.
9:40
[SPEAKER_02]: It's kind of all the same.
9:42
[SPEAKER_00]: It's all the same.
9:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, because I would go up and do my open forums and perform and you have to be serious and you need to learn the right of how you move and stuff like that, right?
9:52
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's kind of the same thing.
9:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And plus, I think being a photographer for all these amazing artists, I got to study.
9:59
[SPEAKER_00]: literally every night when they're on stage.
10:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, what works on stage?
10:04
[SPEAKER_00]: What does it work on stage?
10:05
[SPEAKER_00]: How do I do stage banter?
10:06
[SPEAKER_00]: How do I connect with the crowd?
10:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if I'm a nobody, nobody knows me, but how am I going to connect with them?
10:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Beautiful.
10:13
[SPEAKER_00]: You have a lot of stage presence.
10:15
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, that's why I'm not.
10:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you, man.
10:17
[SPEAKER_02]: That's what I'm fucking with you, right?
10:19
[SPEAKER_02]: I appreciate that.
10:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Here, we just was like, this is, uh, this is some,
10:24
[SPEAKER_02]: personality in the making.
10:26
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I can recognize that.
10:27
[SPEAKER_02]: It's like appreciate that.
10:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Senior on stage is electrifying.
10:31
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, it's crazy.
10:34
[SPEAKER_02]: How did you pick the genre of music?
10:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I grew up like as a skater.
10:39
[SPEAKER_00]: I've always loved this shit.
10:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, okay, I'll tell you this.
10:43
[SPEAKER_00]: In fifth grade,
10:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like leaving my like private school to go to a public school and like I was like begging my mom as I please like I want to go to the public school.
10:51
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to be surrounded by more people and you know like finding my identity and stuff you know and then I did I performed
11:00
[SPEAKER_00]: uh... the anthem by good charlie and if you know that song it's like it's about like stepping out of place and like fighting yourself essentially like in fucked the rules like this is this is me essentially and i didn't realize that at the time of what that song is about i just like that you know and i think it just naturally i just naturally gravitated towards like rock music and plus like
11:24
[SPEAKER_00]: There was no Asian America is making rock music.
11:27
[SPEAKER_00]: There's still not a whole lot.
11:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
11:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Now I'm starting to discover so many people that are like, oh yeah, I grew up and everyone's kind of diving into it and like I was like, I love this shit, you know what I mean?
11:36
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think it's a beautiful thing.
11:38
[SPEAKER_00]: So, and then also embracing American culture.
11:41
[SPEAKER_00]: So, this is who I am.
11:43
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know.
11:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, there's actually a rock band.
11:48
[SPEAKER_02]: here in LA, Southern California called Yamaha and a bunch of these rock musicians are playing heavy metal music love that yeah, and it's you know these guys are good Yeah, they're super good.
12:02
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah, you know guys have been at this for a long time and I just saw them at the at the Viper room
12:10
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going on Sunday to the house to bloom.
12:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay cool.
12:15
[SPEAKER_02]: You should come with me.
12:16
[SPEAKER_02]: You're not doing anything.
12:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
12:18
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
12:19
[SPEAKER_02]: To check this out.
12:20
[SPEAKER_02]: This Sunday, I'm going to.
12:23
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
12:24
[SPEAKER_02]: We.
12:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's go.
12:26
[SPEAKER_02]: That's where Nam is playing.
12:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, let's go, brothers.
12:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Our my social media producer my producer and yeah, he's Part of I'm gonna have him on the podcast one day very soon, too.
12:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, yeah, but yeah, he teamed up with a bunch of Metal guys and now they're like playing in their hardcore
12:43
[SPEAKER_02]: And so, having, you know, well, I had hung their lead singer on years ago, too, two, three days ago.
12:51
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's just a beautiful watch, Vietnamese people evolve into the next step.
12:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you know?
12:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah.
12:59
[SPEAKER_02]: But your story's special, and I'll tell you why.
13:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Because what I'm starting to appreciate a lot with a lot of artists is you don't start out.
13:07
[SPEAKER_02]: wanting to become that.
13:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, things just sort of evolve and it's just like, it takes shape and then you're like all of a sudden you're like
13:16
[SPEAKER_02]: You know that this is what you were born to do.
13:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
13:19
[SPEAKER_02]: You just do it and then it just feels right.
13:22
[SPEAKER_02]: And you don't doubt the path that you're doing.
13:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
13:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's funny that you say that because I feel like this was like my dad's plan for me all along.
13:31
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of weird.
13:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Cause so, you know like the certain name like Gwen.
13:38
[SPEAKER_00]: So I feel like that's like what my dad's original last name was, right?
13:41
[SPEAKER_00]: But when I was born, he gave me the name,
13:45
[SPEAKER_00]: So he chased by a whole net.
13:48
[UNKNOWN]: Wow.
13:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And he moved me away from the Vietnamese community, right?
13:52
[SPEAKER_00]: And so he was, and I, you know, sometimes I question it, and I ask you, he's like, because you're you, you're not anybody else.
13:59
[SPEAKER_00]: Or dude.
14:00
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I think that's why I've always kind of had like an interesting identity crisis.
14:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Because my last name is N-U-Y-E-N-T, not N-Win.
14:07
[SPEAKER_00]: He just randomly gave it to you at birth.
14:10
[SPEAKER_00]: He gave me an artist name at birth.
14:13
[SPEAKER_00]: And then he changed his name, too.
14:15
[SPEAKER_00]: He goes by his artist name, purely Duke.
14:19
[SPEAKER_00]: What does he do?
14:19
[SPEAKER_00]: He's a painter, he's a poet, and he makes books, and he makes these crazy Buddha paintings, and he's just like a full-dial artist.
14:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, full-time artist.
14:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and I never really understood him growing up, and then it's bloody, I was like, I naturally grow up.
14:37
[SPEAKER_00]: find myself becoming more and more like him with like my thoughts, my thought process and like how I approach art and how I like, how I just like basically live, you know what I mean?
14:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think all the identity issues, it's kind of made me who I am and I kind of like, I enjoy
14:56
[SPEAKER_00]: the fight that it took to become me, right, I've learned how to embrace it now.
15:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Wait, did you guys get along?
15:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, yeah, like, yeah, for the most part, and like, you know, we've been getting a lot closer recently and like, God, I would've loved to have a dad like that.
15:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Right, yeah.
15:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, who just like really kind of like infused that from day one, yeah, right?
15:16
[SPEAKER_00]: But the funny thing is, he never, like, mentioned anything about it.
15:19
[SPEAKER_00]: He just like, let me run wild, right?
15:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Like literally let you run wild.
15:23
[SPEAKER_00]: He literally just, yeah, and I was like, oh dad, like, you teach me how to paint and he's like, just, you're not ready yet or like, just do your own thing, you know?
15:31
[SPEAKER_00]: He let me find what I want it.
15:33
[SPEAKER_00]: He never enforced like, oh, this is what I'm good at.
15:35
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm gonna make you good at it.
15:37
[SPEAKER_00]: He was just like, just do what?
15:39
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's never like, oh, become a doctor, become a lawyer.
15:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Only from my mom.
15:43
[SPEAKER_00]: She was like, you know what I mean?
15:46
[SPEAKER_00]: She was the, she grounded me.
15:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And your dad said,
15:50
[SPEAKER_00]: do whatever you want.
15:51
[SPEAKER_00]: He was just kind of he just like kept his hands off and he was just like all right like just you know he just supported me how he needed to support me but you know yeah I think where I get my personality from is my mother because she's so bubbly and so intense so much fighting passion fucking
16:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Fucking, let's fucking go, you know what is she doing?
16:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, she takes care of us, you know, she grew up and, you know, she has all her little side hustles of like, you know, selling stuff and, like, businesses that she just rides and I'll just like, uh,
16:23
[SPEAKER_00]: like this is she's just a real hustler you know what I mean and I just I didn't really understand it growing up but now seeing her I'm just like while you really hustled to take care of us and that was her full-time job yeah making sure we're successful you know so
16:39
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, so tell me about this music the last four years like how did you transition into sitting down and focusing and saying, you know what I'm going to become this thing right here like I'm going to write the music I'm going to perform it I'm going to get on stage I'm going to do back flips the whole nine to a lot of it is.
16:58
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just kind of natural.
16:59
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of weird to say.
17:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, of course, I, okay, I guess if we start out with like the makeup thing, right?
17:06
[SPEAKER_00]: So I watch this David Bowie documentary and then the most recent one, the three years ago, it was something with the Mick Rock, who was his photographer, you know, coming from the photography world, I wanted to understand, you know, and Mick Rock, I think he explained how, you know, David Bowie was just,
17:24
[SPEAKER_00]: David Bowie just he was just a kid singer he was just singing right but when he put on the thunderbolt he came Ziggy star dust he became something bigger than himself so you need to find that identity and that alter ego to attach to right and that's when you can believe in something yeah why so I you know I was like you know what put on this make up and sure so people might not like it some people will be like oh that's it's like weird that
17:52
[SPEAKER_00]: People don't realize I was like, I liberated you.
17:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, because this is not me anymore.
17:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not like so attached to this thing that's like, oh my god, like this is like my heart and soul.
18:01
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, yeah, it's a piece of me, but this represents way more than me.
18:05
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's why when I get on stage, I'm like, fuck, you crazy.
18:09
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
18:09
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm free, essentially.
18:12
[SPEAKER_00]: It put on the mask so I can be free, essentially.
18:14
[SPEAKER_02]: So you know what it makes me think of like, what I think about like,
18:18
[SPEAKER_02]: in artists, if you're painting, if you're singing, if you're creating music, if you're writing books, I think the important thing is like it's all there.
18:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, all this rage, all this angst, all of this creativity is inside of us already, right?
18:33
[SPEAKER_02]: And then it just needs that proverbial like Thunderbolt.
18:37
[SPEAKER_02]: to like the next level, right?
18:40
[SPEAKER_02]: And just it opens you up and that's the difference about like the Vietnamese culture is that we're not given license to just put a thunderbolt on it, just be exactly, right?
18:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
18:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's what I wanted to do too, like.
18:53
[SPEAKER_00]: I think in a lot of like, especially Asian American males, like, you know, putting on makeup and, you know, like, essentially just taking care of yourself and looking cool is like kind of feminine and people are scared to be feminine.
19:03
[SPEAKER_00]: So I want to also show that like, yeah, like, sure, I'm like painting my nails and I'm dressed like this and I put on to make up and I'm and then you see me on stage and that's a very masculine performance of me to
19:16
[SPEAKER_00]: to win a back lip, jumping in the crowd and stage diving, and fucking screaming at the top of my lungs.
19:21
[SPEAKER_00]: If that's not the most primal fucking masculine thing, I don't know what the fuck is, you know what I mean?
19:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely.
19:29
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's challenging these certain norms that also pushed me to make these decisions to do what I do.
19:36
[SPEAKER_00]: And now, of course, there will be those old school super hip hop, masculine guys that like,
19:43
[SPEAKER_00]: say something, but I was like, okay, like, let me see you do that.
19:47
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
19:48
[SPEAKER_00]: You're all stage of laughing like that.
19:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, that's not.
19:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And you're also performing to a crowd of like a hundred dudes every night.
19:55
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
19:56
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I don't want just dudes have my shell.
19:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
19:59
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I was like, you know what I mean?
20:01
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
20:02
[SPEAKER_00]: So you can kind of like fuck with them and be like, oh, like, who's more masculine a guy was like, you know, a bunch of like beautiful women and like super cool artists at their show or a guy performing to a hundred dudes.
20:16
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
20:16
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of funny to like fuck with people like that.
20:18
[SPEAKER_00]: And then when you have that when you're not able to just like,
20:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you know, I have the the the the performance to back it up, but also you have to be able to roast on these motherfuckers, you know, to make them feel a little dumb every now and then and that's okay, you know what I mean, people need to be humbled and you know, I hate the injustice of always.
20:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Like the bullies always waiting.
20:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
20:44
[SPEAKER_00]: They be able to watch too many superhero movies growing up, but I love bullying the bullies, actually.
20:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
20:51
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, the genre of music that you do, you could have picked anything, right?
20:56
[SPEAKER_02]: But you pick a very high energy type of genre of music.
21:00
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think about, again, going back to like, what's inside of you, right?
21:07
[SPEAKER_02]: What's inside of you?
21:08
[SPEAKER_02]: And you put,
21:10
[SPEAKER_02]: a thunderbolt onto unlocked doors right to just become you yeah have you seen a different growth trajectory since you've unleashed it or yeah for the same person from day one.
21:24
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it just uh
21:27
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's proved to everybody, you know, I started like going out and partying with it on, right?
21:32
[SPEAKER_00]: And then people started taking me a lot more seriously.
21:35
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of like a interesting thing, you know, like, you know, when I would go out and just regular, like people, especially in Los Angeles, they're just like, oh, you're kind of like a regular person.
21:43
[SPEAKER_00]: But, you know, when you put on the mask, and you put on these, like, clothes, and you know what I mean, you put on, you put on the, this one.
21:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, they're like, oh, you're super hero.
21:53
[SPEAKER_00]: You're an artist.
21:54
[SPEAKER_00]: I believe in it, right?
21:56
[SPEAKER_00]: You believe in it.
21:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I just live it.
21:58
[SPEAKER_00]: It just, I live it.
21:59
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I just, you just do the things, you know, and sometimes, yeah, like, you put on the makeup and I first, I was like, yeah, like, I feel kind of stupid doing this.
22:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's okay.
22:07
[SPEAKER_00]: But the thing is,
22:09
[SPEAKER_00]: If, this is why I always say when people call me fearless, I'm like, yo, I'm not fearless.
22:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm scared every day.
22:16
[SPEAKER_00]: The proper way to say is, dude, you're so brave.
22:19
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's what I wanna show people, right?
22:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, this isn't about being fearless because that's not the emotion that I have.
22:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm scared every day, but when you're brave and you do it anyway, that's where the real power is because you're still fighting for it.
22:34
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know,
22:35
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the greatest compliment someone was like, dude, you're so brave and you're really putting yourself out there and being vulnerable and doing this because I think that's one of the hardest things to do.
22:45
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I'm going to quote Ocean Voon, a paraphrasing.
22:50
[SPEAKER_02]: What are you saying?
22:51
[SPEAKER_02]: This idea of cringe culture?
22:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, where we like, we put something out and we're like cringe about like our own performance.
22:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you don't have that.
22:59
[SPEAKER_00]: I do though, but behind the scenes, I'm like, oh damn, it's just like not cool, and I was like, but also like, yeah, I got one life to live, bro, like what the first year, yeah, okay, put it out, bro, what, like, what it, someone's gonna say, you know, that was dumb.
23:17
[SPEAKER_00]: That was cringe.
23:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I was like,
23:18
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, bro, like cool, but how do you live with it?
23:22
[SPEAKER_02]: I live with that like when you look at something and you're like, that shit doesn't sit well with me I'm cringy looking at my own work.
23:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I think
23:33
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I work in so many different areas of music.
23:36
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think there's so much acceptance for even things that I don't like.
23:41
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, wait, but like, someone else out there likes it.
23:45
[SPEAKER_00]: So, yeah.
23:45
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, yeah, realizing that, I'm like,
23:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, there's gonna be people that don't like my stuff and that's totally fine But there's gonna be people that really love my stuff and it's for them.
23:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't need to speak to everybody You know what I mean?
24:00
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to be able to relate with everybody, but my music is not for everybody And that's totally fine.
24:04
[SPEAKER_00]: It'll find it's group of people and you know what I mean?
24:07
[SPEAKER_00]: That's cool
24:08
[SPEAKER_02]: The music business has changed a lot.
24:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
24:12
[SPEAKER_02]: So how do you do this?
24:13
[SPEAKER_02]: How do you make economic sense out of a model that's really broken with Spotify?
24:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
24:20
[SPEAKER_00]: It's so fucked up right now.
24:24
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think that's where I'm still trying to navigate, too.
24:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Luckily, my photography is also so adjacent with music.
24:32
[SPEAKER_00]: So as I'm working in photography, it still teaches me how to make better music.
24:37
[SPEAKER_00]: And it just teaches me how to be just better, I guess.
24:41
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think as long as I'm chasing art, and I can sustain a living, it doesn't matter.
24:46
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm just happy, and I'm just happy to be here.
24:48
[SPEAKER_02]: That's how I feel about the podcast.
24:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you know, because somebody asked me today.
24:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Do you look at it as a hobby?
24:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
24:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Did you start out as a hobby?
24:56
[SPEAKER_02]: No.
24:56
[SPEAKER_02]: It's my life energy.
24:58
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just what it is.
24:59
[SPEAKER_02]: What it is.
25:00
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think that's the freedom of a real artist.
25:04
[SPEAKER_02]: You think of it as like, I can't do anything other than this.
25:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
25:08
[SPEAKER_02]: It's not a hobby.
25:09
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a life calling.
25:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
25:11
[SPEAKER_02]: And if you have to depend on making money to do this, then what are you doing it for?
25:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and there's some artists that only make music, you know, there's people that approach me Like all this hop on this track, but like you'll like let's do like a pop song So like the numbers will do all like you're not worried about the fucking numbers bro You know what I mean, and so I think my career is very interesting like my numbers aren't dummy pop-in But I get all these beautiful opportunities to like shine very brightly and so
25:43
[SPEAKER_00]: And those same guys might have millions of streams on Spotify, whatever, but they're not getting the same amount of opportunities as I am.
25:51
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
25:51
[SPEAKER_00]: They've never played like a show the same size of the crowd or like had like these commercials where they're the main star.
25:58
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you know what I'm saying?
25:59
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not saying that to brag.
26:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm saying that as an example of, it's not all about the fucking numbers, man.
26:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, it's just how you care yourself.
26:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't know, maybe I am a very lucky person and all these opportunities just like,
26:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm blessed with it in my life, you know what I mean?
26:14
[SPEAKER_02]: But don't tell me that it isn't a fact you.
26:16
[SPEAKER_02]: When you think about the numbers, because it affects me when I think about the numbers, do you think about it or are you not...
26:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I got it a little bit.
26:22
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm like sure, like, how much more opportunities will come to me if my numbers were fucking insane, right?
26:30
[SPEAKER_00]: And yeah, like, you know, like, I chase it a little bit, but it's not my main, when I make art, it is not based on numbers.
26:37
[SPEAKER_00]: It's based on how I feel.
26:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and I think that's the most honest that I can be.
26:41
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
26:42
[SPEAKER_00]: And sure, like, you know, I go and shoot a couple of fucking TikTok things on, you know, performing in front of an iPhone and it's so weird, but I, you know, you do it.
26:51
[SPEAKER_00]: You play the game.
26:51
[SPEAKER_00]: This is what I chose to do.
26:53
[SPEAKER_00]: This is what I want to be an entertainment.
26:55
[SPEAKER_00]: So I just got to play the fucking game.
26:57
[SPEAKER_00]: So what's the game?
26:58
[SPEAKER_02]: What's the game to get to where you want to, where do you want to be?
27:02
[SPEAKER_00]: And what's the game to get to where you want to be?
27:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's just continued doing what I'm doing.
27:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe shoot a couple more TikToks, hop on another podcast or hop on this, hop on that, just making myself a little bit more accessible.
27:14
[SPEAKER_00]: And just, I think what it is is learning how to be comfortable with being
27:21
[SPEAKER_00]: an idiot in front of the camera.
27:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Foolish, you know what I mean?
27:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Because people are so worried about looking cool all the time.
27:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And like, yo, stop looking so fucking cool, dude.
27:31
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so tired of like flexing like I'm sick or like, you know what I mean?
27:35
[SPEAKER_00]: It's so that's according to me.
27:38
[SPEAKER_00]: When you're like, yo, you're cool all the time.
27:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Like chill the fuck out a little bit.
27:41
[SPEAKER_00]: That's be fucking idiots together, and that's why when I like hanging out with all you guys like we drink and We get fucked up, but we have fun.
27:49
[SPEAKER_00]: We're just like crack and jokes.
27:51
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like it's not like about being cool a time and I just That I think that's freedom bro.
27:56
[SPEAKER_02]: That's hard man.
27:57
[SPEAKER_02]: You know it's hard for me because I'm the guy that you just described
28:01
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm the other fucking guy who's always like I got a little cool and I'm always worried with my producer I'm like dude, I'm like, I'm so cringy I'm like so worried about how I'm being perceived Yeah, and that's I don't it's just a personality thing.
28:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, well, I think it's also like that the Asian American identity thing Because we're so worried about what other people perceive of us that's why like we have to continuously it's our job
28:26
[SPEAKER_00]: to the universe, to put ourselves out there, continuously, be vulnerable.
28:30
[SPEAKER_00]: We should get shit on a little bit, because that means you're moving the needle a little bit.
28:36
[SPEAKER_00]: You look at all the great artists, everyone gets shit on.
28:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you're not getting shit on, then that means people probably don't care.
28:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
28:44
[SPEAKER_00]: And even if there's days that people, you're like putting out all these things, and you're like, dude, does anybody even hear me?
28:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
28:50
[SPEAKER_00]: It's the only listening.
28:51
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
28:52
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't know when the negative stuff kind of comes in a little bit.
28:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, that means people are hearing you and you're challenging things.
29:01
[SPEAKER_00]: That's part.
29:02
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to want to move.
29:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Somebody respects so much recently to tell me that.
29:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
29:07
[SPEAKER_02]: I put out these clips talking about our generational trauma with our parents.
29:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
29:12
[SPEAKER_02]: And I was like, oh my god, every time I watch it, like, it's so cringy to me.
29:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
29:17
[SPEAKER_02]: And then there's like comments like people were like,
29:21
[SPEAKER_02]: And then, that person sent me, if people don't engage like that, if you're not doing the right thing, exactly.
29:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
29:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Don't do it.
29:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
29:30
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not like, people don't care.
29:31
[SPEAKER_02]: And if people just, because there are a lot of Instagram pages where there's like a lot of followers, but there's no engagement.
29:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
29:39
[SPEAKER_02]: There's not people like fighting back or fighting each other.
29:41
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
29:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
29:43
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's like, you kind of need them.
29:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah.
29:45
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's a weird thing.
29:46
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you're not the only thing.
29:48
[SPEAKER_00]: But then you go to like the Moma, right?
29:50
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you see this picture of a fucking flower.
29:52
[SPEAKER_00]: And you're like, yo, this is dog shit.
29:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, how the fuck did this make it?
29:56
[SPEAKER_00]: And why is this 20,000 dollars, right?
29:59
[SPEAKER_00]: I fucking do this fucking yesterday, right?
30:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Like whatever.
30:02
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think it's like the intentions behind the piece.
30:04
[SPEAKER_00]: But that's also like, yeah, I'm talking about it.
30:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Right?
30:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Who's the fucking loser that I'm shooting on it you know what I mean instead of but now I'm like, oh, yo That's like a cool piece of art like I wonder how it got here Now instead of shooting on it right away.
30:22
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm like, oh, I wonder how that got here like what's the story behind all these like Whether it's like politics or someone really loved him or he has an insane backstory that got that
30:32
[SPEAKER_00]: You know flour or just a bunch of fucking bunch of splashes on a fucking canvas.
30:37
[SPEAKER_00]: How did this get here?
30:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know, you see all these like TikTok music.
30:41
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of it's ass.
30:42
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of it's the same thing over and over, but why is it so famous?
30:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Why does everybody resonate with it?
30:46
[SPEAKER_00]: How did it get here?
30:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And...
30:49
[SPEAKER_00]: That's just, it's art, dude.
30:51
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's subjective.
30:53
[SPEAKER_00]: You've been a bit numb.
30:54
[SPEAKER_00]: I have not yet.
30:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Why?
30:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Why have you not haven't found the call in, bro?
30:58
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
30:58
[SPEAKER_00]: Have you found the call in?
30:59
[SPEAKER_00]: What do you mean you haven't found the call in?
31:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I think I was never really like accepted by the Vietnamese community like that.
31:06
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, only until recently until I met you guys, you know, I feel like a lot of the other Vietnamese creators in Los Angeles.
31:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Everyone is such a, it's such a lone wolf.
31:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Vietnamese creators in L.A. And all of us, a lot of us are lone wolves.
31:23
[SPEAKER_00]: They're like, we'll talk to each other, but we'll never have a fucking powo and get down, right?
31:30
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't know if it's because, you know, I think we all came from such an interesting place.
31:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Is there a scarcity mindset?
31:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you want to be the one?
31:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Do I want to be the one?
31:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Why are we talking?
31:40
[SPEAKER_02]: We're like, I don't want to be associated with another Vietnamese.
31:44
[SPEAKER_02]: And then we're all being me, we want to maintain our own identity.
31:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
31:50
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're going to be the guy to it, like with mainstream.
31:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
31:53
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I want to be the tokenation in this community.
31:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever it was, right?
31:57
[SPEAKER_00]: It's still going on.
31:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
31:58
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think now what we're building is like, Yo, we're all coming together like that.
32:03
[SPEAKER_00]: The Hennessy event with Demon Slayer.
32:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Shout out to Demon Slayer.
32:06
[SPEAKER_00]: That was another ad us event.
32:07
[SPEAKER_00]: God we're all wearing oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, you you didn't I was wearing some I was wearing some kind of outfit Yeah, there's something it was a bad estimate shuttle to that event.
32:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, would you even swear?
32:17
[SPEAKER_00]: But do you have a very good job in real being the Asian American or the Vietnamese Americans and then like and then just just oh my god He's he's doing the culture right you know, right.
32:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and I went to another couple.
32:30
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll say this.
32:31
[SPEAKER_00]: I went to another couple
32:33
[SPEAKER_00]: like alcohol beverage, sponsored events for Lunar New Years.
32:36
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you can tell who is writing the event that they're not really embedded in the culture.
32:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Just because you look a certain way and does not mean you're embedded in the culture and you can give authentic experience, right?
32:50
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think there's all these people throw in money at the wrong places.
32:54
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know, I think it's beautiful that we have a time where like Lunar New Years can kind of get exploited for money and stuff like that and there's so many events, but yeah, some events are really shitty and I think the atmosphere is doing such a good job of bringing an authentic Vietnamese American experience of like culture.
33:12
[SPEAKER_02]: So, what would it take to get you to Vietnam right now?
33:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, a fucking plane ticket right now.
33:18
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, easy, dude.
33:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Easy.
33:19
[SPEAKER_02]: I think I'm open to it now.
33:20
[SPEAKER_02]: I honestly think Bubble, if you went to Vietnam and you collaborated with some rock artists and rap music, people with some pop music producers.
33:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
33:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, your energy would be really different in the scene of Vietnam.
33:33
[SPEAKER_02]: I think I really hope you open to the idea of going to Vietnam.
33:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
33:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I am now.
33:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I am now.
33:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I'm just uh after I wrap up a couple things this year I think I'm gonna try to do it this year.
33:45
[SPEAKER_00]: This might be the year, you know, and before I was like, no I want to blow up in America first because essentially I see Vietnam as like a small pond, right?
33:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, small?
33:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, dude.
33:56
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, the thing is, okay, 100 million people.
33:59
[SPEAKER_00]: You're sorry.
34:00
[SPEAKER_00]: It's the third of the tries of America.
34:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Think about it as a hobby.
34:03
[SPEAKER_00]: A million people.
34:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I'm talking entertainment wise on how effective it is in pop culture, right?
34:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Because American pop, how effective it is for mainstream the cultural world pop culture.
34:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Dude, I'm telling you, it's going to be right behind Korea.
34:17
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm telling you, I believe that too.
34:18
[SPEAKER_02]: Actually, I believe that too.
34:20
[SPEAKER_02]: I just went to a concert in January, 50,000, or whatever.
34:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Soobin, Benz, all these guys performing on stage, I went to a very chill one more like Hainthon in Delat.
34:35
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm telling you, man, you miss it out.
34:37
[SPEAKER_02]: You don't see what is going on in Vietnam.
34:40
[SPEAKER_02]: It's huge.
34:42
[SPEAKER_02]: It's huge.
34:42
[SPEAKER_02]: You need to get back there and put your creative energy into the entertainment world of Vietnam.
34:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Look, you ain't going back there to help Vietnamese people.
34:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, they're going to fucking help you.
34:52
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that's the whole irony of the situation.
34:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
34:55
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that's the funny part that where I'm being challenged mentally and spiritually and whatever that.
35:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Here to challenge you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
35:03
[SPEAKER_00]: And I love this.
35:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I love being challenged and being like, you know what?
35:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, not fuck that, because like, in LA, essentially, this is the world stage.
35:10
[SPEAKER_00]: If you blow up in America, you blow up in Los Angeles, you can do anything you want around the entire country.
35:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, bad bunny in Spanish.
35:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
35:18
[SPEAKER_02]: Look at all these guys performing in their own language.
35:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
35:22
[SPEAKER_02]: And they're importing their culture back into America.
35:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
35:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
35:26
[SPEAKER_02]: You've got to like open up and see Vietnam is not fucking around in entertainment.
35:30
[SPEAKER_02]: They are not joke around.
35:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
35:31
[SPEAKER_02]: They've got their they're coming up with their process and their factories.
35:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
35:36
[SPEAKER_00]: And how these artists it's amazing.
35:37
[SPEAKER_00]: I actually saw something that you posted the other day about the K pop industry on like how.
35:42
[SPEAKER_00]: when they first started you have to copy copy copy copy copy and then eventually you'll find your own identity right and I think Vietnam is going through that right now right now they have to copy copy copy copy but it's almost like a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy that's like so it's like a little faded but I'm I'm very excited to see the day that they find their own identity it's like yo
36:03
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the Vietnamese sound bro, you know, and that's what I'm looking forward to.
36:08
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's why I would like to.
36:09
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to say this now.
36:11
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to say it because NAMM is my social media producer.
36:15
[SPEAKER_02]: And I'm going to introduce and shortly in one of my podcasts sitting with him.
36:19
[SPEAKER_02]: And I'm going to tell you, he comes from a band called The Flop.
36:23
[SPEAKER_02]: and the flop everywhere I go in America that knows Vietnam's music.
36:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I talk about the flop.
36:29
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm like, oh, that the lead guitar player, the guitar player from the flop.
36:33
[SPEAKER_02]: And they all know.
36:34
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, some people tripped the fuck out that this time.
36:37
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
36:39
[SPEAKER_02]: But think about this, the influence of a band in Vietnam, that's been playing for the last, I don't know, three years up right?
36:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
36:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Where is that going?
36:50
[SPEAKER_02]: They're growing, right?
36:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
36:53
[SPEAKER_02]: And then he's now playing with, you know, bad numbers here.
36:56
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
36:57
[SPEAKER_02]: You need to find your tribe within that kind of like that category, right?
37:02
[SPEAKER_02]: And build it.
37:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
37:03
[SPEAKER_02]: And join forces with Vietnamese people who are talented and young.
37:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Because these guys know what they're what they're doing.
37:10
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and we need to like get together and bring all the music and all the sounds Yeah, and the artistry together to kind of push forward because it's great with you All right.
37:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, no, it's it's one thing to to blow up in the mainstream, but it's another thing to really leverage Yeah, we have in Vietnam.
37:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so really check out.
37:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay
37:29
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm open to it now, so that's why I was like, all right, like, if you're going to challenge me, I'll love a good challenge, you know, I'm like, because I'll tell you what you have that they don't have.
37:38
[SPEAKER_02]: You have this fearless energy.
37:40
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't give a fucking energy.
37:42
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll put the thunderbolt on my face energy.
37:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, right.
37:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
37:45
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm sure that they have an event on sure that they have it.
37:48
[SPEAKER_02]: It's not like they don't have it, but I'm sure
37:51
[SPEAKER_02]: because I know a little bit about them and about you, that they could use your spirit and energy.
37:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
37:58
[SPEAKER_02]: And you could use, just as much as I can use it.
38:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Seriously.
38:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Why not?
38:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Ain't nobody like you ain't going back to Vietnam to help nobody.
38:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah.
38:05
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just collaboration between the two countries, right?
38:09
[SPEAKER_02]: The two mindsets.
38:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
38:10
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's where I had to change my mindset.
38:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I was always like, I need to be this thing before I go back home.
38:16
[SPEAKER_00]: And maybe that was a trauma response on like,
38:18
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't like, I need to become something great or they're not going to accept.
38:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Listen to the great, you know what I mean?
38:23
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's like a deep trauma thing that maybe I got to work by myself.
38:27
[SPEAKER_02]: You've got to work through it because if you listen to K-pop, right?
38:29
[SPEAKER_02]: All the means.
38:30
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, shit.
38:30
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
38:31
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, speaking English.
38:32
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
38:33
[SPEAKER_02]: If you listen to the rap music and Vietnam, they all have some English in it, right?
38:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Mm-hmm.
38:38
[SPEAKER_02]: So now the components of English and Vietnamese, English and Korean, English and Spanish were bad-bunny.
38:43
[SPEAKER_02]: It's all like intermixing now.
38:45
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, right.
38:45
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
38:46
[SPEAKER_02]: We're taking parts of cultures and different.
38:48
[SPEAKER_02]: So let's bring it all together.
38:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
38:50
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, you're the guinea pig.
38:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
38:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, yeah.
38:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
38:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
38:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
38:53
[SPEAKER_00]: No, they said so.
38:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Like this is we're all building something for the future.
38:58
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if I don't fucking make it, my fucking kid is going to make it.
39:00
[SPEAKER_00]: That's like for the kids.
39:01
[SPEAKER_00]: No, you're going to make it.
39:02
[SPEAKER_00]: You're going to appreciate that.
39:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey.
39:03
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll make it.
39:05
[SPEAKER_00]: But what's been going on in your life, recently?
39:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks for asking.
39:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I love this.
39:10
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know about YouTube, bro.
39:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm talking about myself for too long, so I love it.
39:14
[SPEAKER_02]: I love it.
39:14
[SPEAKER_02]: I love it when my guests ask me what I've been up to.
39:17
[SPEAKER_02]: I am, you know, last year produced two films.
39:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
39:22
[SPEAKER_02]: So I didn't get a chance to do all my part.
39:25
[SPEAKER_02]: I tried to do 100 podcasts a year.
39:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Holy shit.
39:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Right?
39:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh my God.
39:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Last year only did 60.
39:31
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
39:32
[SPEAKER_02]: So this year I have to make up 40 episodes this year plus the 100 that I'm supposed to do.
39:37
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
39:38
[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm trying to release three or four podcasts.
39:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Wow.
39:41
[SPEAKER_02]: A week.
39:41
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
39:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
39:42
[SPEAKER_02]: To make up that schedule.
39:43
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
39:44
[SPEAKER_02]: That's it.
39:44
[SPEAKER_02]: This year because of NAM helping me out and my other social media producer, they not have two social media producers.
39:51
[SPEAKER_02]: If you look at my content now, it's yeah, it's an expansion.
39:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, yeah, it's great.
39:55
[SPEAKER_02]: I love it.
39:55
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, oh, he's ramping up right now.
39:57
[SPEAKER_00]: We ran around ramping.
39:59
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
39:59
[SPEAKER_02]: Because I didn't have to produce the two films that, you know, this year or so.
40:03
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm like, yeah.
40:04
[SPEAKER_02]: A little bit more free.
40:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I saw you had a con recently.
40:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
40:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll love that motherfucker, bro.
40:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, my God.
40:10
[SPEAKER_00]: He's sick as fuck.
40:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
40:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like he realized how popular he is.
40:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, dude.
40:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I, I, I, it's many of the hints supporting.
40:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, we are, we are, that's when we all hit it off and then you know what's funny last week I was like walking down and I saw some kid wearing his hat and I was like, I was like, yeah, you don't call He's like, no, I just I just love the stuff.
40:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, and I was like, oh, shoot I was like, that's what dog roll.
40:30
[SPEAKER_00]: He's dope is a bit miskidder He was just a Filipino kid.
40:34
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, oh, shit.
40:35
[SPEAKER_00]: He's not even it's not even like a Vietnamese thing It's just a I mean, but it's a thing and how beautiful is that.
40:41
[SPEAKER_00]: So shout out the car, bro Like it's not just a Vietnamese thing.
40:44
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a it's just a art thing
40:46
[SPEAKER_00]: And LeBron was wearing his hat.
40:47
[SPEAKER_00]: He does.
40:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Amazing, right?
40:49
[SPEAKER_00]: And then this kid's like, oh no, look at my car.
40:53
[SPEAKER_00]: He bought the whole North Carolina collection.
40:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, yeah.
40:56
[SPEAKER_00]: He's serious.
40:57
[SPEAKER_02]: I said to the car right away, I was like, yeah, since, but that's the thing about Khan and you is the confidence to say, I'm a fucking artist.
41:05
[SPEAKER_02]: I got this.
41:05
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I know where I'm going.
41:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
41:08
[SPEAKER_02]: And I'm going there.
41:09
[SPEAKER_02]: I can fearless.
41:10
[SPEAKER_02]: You don't give a fuck about what people think.
41:13
[SPEAKER_02]: And Khan is the same way.
41:15
[SPEAKER_02]: I know I'm great.
41:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I was like, Fulis, I know I did it.
41:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I know.
41:20
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm great.
41:21
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
41:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Damn, like, you know, I met him, you know, that night, and we went out to get Korean barbecue after it.
41:26
[SPEAKER_02]: And I was like, what the fuck?
41:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Where is this?
41:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Where are you from?
41:29
[SPEAKER_02]: This is what I'm all about.
41:30
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I'm like, I'm like, I don't know what the fuck is it.
41:33
[SPEAKER_02]: Anybody in Ohio, so it's...
41:34
[SPEAKER_02]: It's the I see him.
41:36
[SPEAKER_02]: So what else am I doing?
41:36
[SPEAKER_02]: I cover food a lot now because I have a background in food.
41:40
[SPEAKER_02]: I've been.
41:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I've more job, bro.
41:43
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, two restaurants before I had a food business for 12 years at the 6 to 6 night market.
41:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, what the hell?
41:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
41:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I'm a one of the OGs at that market.
41:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
41:53
[SPEAKER_02]: So I did I made fun tacos.
41:55
[SPEAKER_02]: What for 10 years?
41:56
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean for a talk.
41:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Wow.
41:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, so I would take brisket, cook it in fub broth.
42:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and then we chopped it up, and then we made for a taco.
42:04
[SPEAKER_02]: And we sold, I sold it.
42:05
[SPEAKER_02]: I wall fed my family for 10 years.
42:07
[SPEAKER_02]: No, tacos.
42:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Dude.
42:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I did that.
42:10
[SPEAKER_02]: No idea.
42:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Dude.
42:11
[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, so I'm doing more of food videos because my passion is like, yeah, Vietnamese food, right?
42:17
[SPEAKER_02]: I love Vietnamese food.
42:18
[SPEAKER_02]: I love how it's changing.
42:20
[SPEAKER_02]: I love the old dishes like this kind, like blood soup, you know, the blood stuff.
42:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I love more.
42:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't go out to eat with you more because I only really ate Vietnamese food that was like in my household.
42:29
[SPEAKER_00]: We would like go out on special occasions, but I don't a lot of dishes.
42:33
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't really know, you know.
42:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Sure, there's like various that like my mom used to make and I was like, oh, that's what it's called like Look, you know, Vietnamese food in America is stuck in a time capsule right our food is like from from whatever 19 The 70 we out in 1955 right we have a very specific food list right we have fabled my way, but so all those right
42:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and Vietnam is like shit's changing.
43:00
[SPEAKER_02]: It's evolving, right?
43:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah.
43:02
[SPEAKER_02]: They're making spring rolls with like, you know, salmon and mayo and wow.
43:06
[SPEAKER_02]: It's like mind blowing.
43:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
43:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
43:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
43:08
[SPEAKER_02]: So they're doing shit in America.
43:10
[SPEAKER_02]: They're catching up because a lot of the wave of Vietnamese chefs are coming like key concepts.
43:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and orange.
43:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, dude.
43:16
[SPEAKER_00]: There she is.
43:17
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what I was like, yo, this is fire.
43:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, hey, people can hate on the future to shit.
43:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, I kind of love it, it's growing.
43:23
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like art, right?
43:24
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, oh, you're taking this culture, this culture, you gotta mold it all together, right?
43:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
43:29
[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm using this episode to talk about you, who really is not really inside of the changing evolution of the Vietnamese cultural worldwide.
43:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I'm using you to say, hey,
43:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Bobo.
43:44
[SPEAKER_02]: It's massive.
43:45
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a lot bigger than you think it is.
43:46
[SPEAKER_02]: The evolution is huge.
43:48
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a machine that I'm only covering 1% of the changes that are happening.
43:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
43:53
[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, we'll go out for food.
43:55
[SPEAKER_02]: But so I'm covering a lot of food now, right?
43:57
[SPEAKER_02]: And I always thought of it as like low-hanging fruit to me.
44:01
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just like, you know, it's not worth covering.
44:02
[SPEAKER_02]: I rather cover like academics, the history of Vietnam, the linguistic side of Vietnam for me was like always more challenging, right?
44:10
[SPEAKER_00]: What's important is the food is traveling, you know, yeah, it's an art culture and it's so that is art on how people like mix things together So it's I think you you I feel like you think like an artist and you're just more and more of natural born artists of like Oh, yeah, I want to like mix all these things together Whether it's like people and and food and culture and cultivate it and give it like a like a voice and that is like a beautiful art to do bro And I really support you and my
44:37
[SPEAKER_02]: job is really to grow young artists like you and that's my job in the world is to really say hey bubble you can do this yeah because you know you can do it yeah but let's find a way to like use our Vietnamese culture yeah in every way possible whether it's from the words the food to the business leveraging yeah Vietnam's business people yeah all of it let's bring it all together and let's like smash it like the king oh no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
45:05
[SPEAKER_03]: All right.
45:07
[SPEAKER_02]: It's working.
45:07
[SPEAKER_02]: All right.
45:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much.
45:10
[SPEAKER_00]: How can we check out your music on every stream platform?
45:15
[SPEAKER_00]: I go by Bobo dot xx type it in.
45:18
[SPEAKER_00]: You'll check it out.
45:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I have a song called thin line dropping soon.
45:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Or it will probably be out by the time this comes out.
45:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Which is a drop.
45:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I haven't decided yet, but it'll probably be at the end of the month.
45:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, okay.
45:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Cool.
45:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
45:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Check out thin line.
45:31
[SPEAKER_00]: out now under bubble.xx and thank you for having me on the video.
45:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you man, I appreciate it.
45:38
[SPEAKER_00]: It was a lively conversation.
45:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that was great.
45:40
[SPEAKER_00]: We could talk for hours.
45:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll see you guys soon.
45:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for listening to the Vietnamese with Kenneth Win.
45:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Special thanks to Brittany Tran, to Jane Win, Katherine Win, Tina Fam, Sydney Jamie, and Crystal Tran.
45:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Please find us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at the Vietnamese Podcast.