thuy is in her bag
If you haven’t heard of thuy…in my very best B. Simone impression, “then where the eff you at?”
Bay Area’s thuy (pronounced “twee”) is a Vietnamese American pop/RnB artist who has been thriving in the music industry for over a year now. With her sweet yet striking vocals and her luxurious “bad bitch” style, thuy is making waves as a recording artist and social media content creator. In her music, she sings about love for others and oneself, which is a super important type of love. She also has songs about being a baddie in her bag, as well as taking chances and believing in oneself.
“In My Bag” music video directed by Brandon Lee Davis
I recently got the opportunity to sit down with thuy via Zoom to chat about her life and her music. It wasn’t your normal artist interview though, but a genuine conversation between two music lovers, two human beings.
Now, let’s step into thuy’s shoes. On a normal day, she begins with an exercise, which could range from just walking on a treadmill to a full-blown boot camp class. After a healthy breakfast of avocado toast with a spicy twist and coffee, a shower, makeup, and a spritz of perfume to set up the radiant “work from home” vibes she then puts on her content creator hat. As an independent artist early in her career, her team is on the smaller side mainly made up of herself, her manager, and her co-writer who is also her boyfriend. While she has them to lean on and help brainstorm ideas for social media, all the content she puts out stems directly from thuy herself. From her quirky TikTok videos to her hit Instagram reels, thuy is her own director, lighting operator, videographer, and literally everything else. What a boss! Also, if you’ve ever received a DM from thuy’s official Instagram or a reply to your comment, it was her.
A tiktok created by thuy featuring her song “Vapor Rub”
Throughout the rest of the day, thuy attends meetings with her team and other industry professionals, films Tiktok drafts and IG content, and mothers two amazing little dogs whom she loves to death. To end the day, she goes to a studio session, which sometimes can last until 4 am, and then she starts her day all over again.
“And on the days when I’m on set, I wake up super early if I have a call time at 7 am…don’t even get a workout in to be honest. And then usually shoot times are eight to twelve hours long. After that I go home and knock out…I’m juggling like 10 million things usually in a day – I’m very busy.”
As an Asian American singer-songwriter, growing up, thuy didn’t always think she could follow her musical dreams. The lack of representation in the music industry is prominent and often sways young creatives of racial and ethnic minorities from thinking they stand a chance at reaching their goals.
“I knew that I wanted to be a singer, and I can envision myself being one, but it always capped at a certain point… Nobody in my family has ever done something like that, and I don’t know if I can. Who’s going to help me get there? How am I going to navigate this music industry when I don’t even understand if this is something that I can do, right?”
Now at the age of 29, thuy has accomplished so much in her career already, but she says she is “just scratching the surface as an artist” right now. During quarantine, she pushed herself and took advantage of resources such as Tiktok and Twitch to help build up and sustain her name. She values these platforms because they allow her to have real time interactions with her supporters.
“Even though we’re not actually talking face to face…they’re asking questions, they want to get to know you, and sometimes they’re even funny. I’m so blessed to be able to even have people who listen to my music because there are too many talented people, in my opinion, who deserve the fanbase that I have and the people who support them because their music is amazing. I wouldn’t be here [without my supporters].”
thuy already has her eyes set out on what’s to come. In the future she hopes to get back to performing live - there’s nothing like feeling the energy of the crowd, touching hands, and hearing them sing her lyrics back to her. Her dream venues to perform are Coachella and 88rising’s Head in the Clouds festival.
“I told myself that I would never go to a festival unless I’m actually performing it.”
With a passionate and bubbly personality, a determined mindset, and the talent to match, thuy has set herself up to achieve great things and go far in her career. While she loves music and the thrill it brings to her life, she values being a good and genuine person. Intending to use her platform to be fair and to display respect and kindness, thuy surrounds herself with others who actively listen to and challenge her to be better at everything she does and who she is as a person.
“When I die, I want people to remember me for my music, but above all else, I want them to remember that I was a nice and genuine person, and that they were able to have a good conversation with me…I’m not going to change who I am to fit this mold of what the music industry deems as appropriate.”
So, if you’re looking for an artist to follow who values their craft, genuinely cares about their supporters, and is conscious about the way they interact with and treat others, then look no further – thuy is a top notch example of this and her discography does not disappoint either.
Also, be on the lookout – an EP is coming soon! She couldn’t give too many details about her upcoming project, but she did say the title of the EP is so meaningful to her and it pulls at her heartstrings. Until then, checkout her current releases to get a taste.
Follow thuy:
Others featured on Finessed Media Artist Interviews:
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