Today we’d like to introduce you to Xuan Nguyen.
Xuan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m the youngest daughter of Vietnamese immigrants; my parents literally escaped Vietnam on a homemade built boat with their two toddlers and 20 other people. I grew up in Carrollton and thought I was a “small town girl,” so I couldn’t wait to leave and see the world.
Being the rational Asian I am though, I figured I’d only be able to afford a state school and went to UT Austin. I actually got a full scholarship and applied to NYU, but I was waitlisted and ultimately rejected. I majored in what my brother describes as two “useless art degrees;” theatre + film.
After I graduated, I spent some time in San Francisco and then booked a one-way flight to Vietnam where I hosted TV shows. I met a songwriter, and we traveled around SE Asia and lived in Australia and Ireland until my parents kindly asked me to come home to take over their upholstery shop.
I did that for five years, but I really had the itch/ need to start performing, so I did everything BUT music – improv, salsa, rock climbing… until I turned 30 and thought “Fuck it, I’d rather try and fail than not try at all.”
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I just went for it. I wrote songs and played them for my friends; I would sing at open mics to get over the fear of looking stupid. I met Salim Nourallah at one of those open mics and a year later, he still remembered me. We bartered; I upholstered a couch in exchange for the production of a song, and one song turned into twelve songs, and those twelve songs just won “Best Album” from Central Track…I still question if I really know what I’m doing.
It’s been a winding road. To know that you want to write songs at the age of five, but also know that you have nothing to sing about, made me make all the decisions I have made for myself: To explore the unknown and hope for the best. And honestly, just learning to accept myself for who I am – with all the faults and cowardice and annoyingness that is me, has been a life long journey.
It’s easy to settle because taking a chance to be the person you really want to be is scary as hell, but there comes a breaking point where you can’t hide anymore. You have to do it, or life isn’t worth living. My need to create is honestly that strong. I just find different ways to distract myself in other art forms because I love learning. I don’t think “success” is a linear trajectory, it’s a beautiful journey I try to celebrate every day.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I like to tell little stories in between songs and they’re always personal. Here’s one – I used to have an unsightly mole under my lip. Very distracting like Enqrique Iglesias’ mole. My cousin has a mole above his lip. He told me his mom said the placement of my mole means I’m very charming and the placement of his mole means he overeats 😂😂😂Asian parents are so fucked up, but I love it. Also I don’t have that mole anymore and I love tiramisu.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
There are too many to count – I really had a wonderful childhood.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.Stoplookingatmexuan.com
- Instagram: Stoplookingatmexuan
- Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/stoplookingatmexuan/
Image Credit:
Mike Dunn, Jessica Waffles, Charlie Chavez
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