Artist statement

When I create a song, no matter how complex, it still stays true to its roots. More often than not, I’m usually imagining raw chord progressions or a simple bass line. That may be because I’m both a cellist and an electric bassist. I also draw a lot of inspiration from songs I love to listen to. As a composer and producer, every great work by another artist inspires an infinite number of possibilities, an infinite universe of new ideas.

My composition process is never formulaic. A song can come from any angle, at any moment. Sometimes it’s a melody I can’t get out of my head. Other times I’m sitting at the keyboard playing with a chord progression. It wasn’t always this way for me. Often I would get stuck, or have writer’s block. Now I’ve come to believe there is no such thing as writer’s block, only the fear that all artists have that their work isn’t worthy. If you don’t limit the idea at the start, it could lead anywhere if you let it. You’re the only audience of your work in the beginning but writing in a vacuum isn’t always the best way to create; being alone only feeds the fear. I’ve found that having other people around when you’re creating is incredibly valuable in getting rid of this initial self-doubt. The hardest thing is to keep creating, keep writing even though you may not love one particular aspect at the moment. 

I always loved to write; I have a passion for storytelling. English was always my favorite subject, especially poetry with all its density and word play. I had always been a fan of hip-hop, and admired the work of Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z and Nas. As a lyricist, my Cambodian-American background has given me a unique lyrical voice documenting the identity struggle of people with a multicultural and multiethnic heritage in America. Not every song is completely autobiographical, but my music has been a vehicle for exploring how my own life history resonates with the experiences of my fellow musicians and colleagues.

My instrumental background translates into the digital-audio workstation. I think of production as a type of performance in the same way you master an instrument. With so many tools at your disposal, you become a universal instrumentalist. Knowing how to play multiple instruments has given me a unique perspective on production as yet another musical outlet. When another writer or vocalist approaches me to produce their song, I feel an equal amount of freedom to create something original while catering to their needs and vision. Collaboration has taught me to be versatile, but also how to lend my voice to another artist’s conception. I don’t want to “phone in the vocals,” but rather create a unified vision of the music with the other artist.

But my music or any music is nothing without the final collaborator–the audience. Without a listener the music doesn’t exist. An active listener and long-invested audience member, I have grown to recognize music’s undeniable power and cherish the great responsibility of wielding it. As a creator, it is my duty to evoke emotion in my audience and use my musical voice as a tool for reflecting my reality, the reality of my peers, and of this complex world in the truest yet most ethereal form.