#11: theoneDNA - Becoming an Indie Artist, Vietglish EDM, and Mental Health - One Thousand Gurus Podcast

Episode Transcript
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J.R. (00:01):
Hello everyone and welcome to 1000 Gurus with me, your
host, J.
R.
Yonocruz.
So today's guest is the One DNA, a Vietglish EDM singer and
songwriter.
He strives to use his music topromote self-expression, mental
health and empower theVietnamese diaspora to recognize
and embrace their heritage byincorporating bilingualism into

(00:23):
his work.
He is a board member of hisnonprofit organization, the
Vietnamese Creatives Collective.
He is also the co-founder andlead vocalist of his band, new
Tradition, who received theopportunity to perform at Disney
California Adventure for LunarNew Year and Downtown Disney for
AANHPI Heritage Month, bothearlier this year.
So the One DNA, or Dewey, knownas the One DNA, on stage is the

(00:47):
first musical artist, singerand songwriter on my show.
So it was super exciting.
Funny enough, all of my guestsso far that I've met I've met
them through dancing and he's noexception because we connected
after I judged a talent show forOC's TED Festival back in 2019,
I believe, and obviously I wasone of the dance judges, but

(01:08):
there were other judges on thepanel for singing and I believe
the one DNA was in that show forsinging.
Obviously, and thisconversation in particular, was
a lot of fun.
It was a good look into whatit's like being an indie artist,
at least in his genre, and wecover some insights that he's
learned as an artist his pivotto Vietglish EDM.
We also have an insightfulconversation about mental health

(01:31):
, as it is something that mostof us will face in our lifetimes
, and overall it's a greatconversation that I really
enjoyed and I hope you will too.
So, without further ado, pleaseenjoy this conversation with
the One DNA.
The One DNA, welcome to the show.
Thank you for having me, jr.
I appreciate it.
Yeah, of course, thanks for ourlive studio audience,

(01:52):
definitely here.
So, yeah, thank you for beingon the show.
I think this is I'm rearrangingthe season, so you're guest
number one on season two.
So you have the revamped rapidfire questions.
It'll be a lot of fun, okay,very excited, yeah.
So it's going to be a lot offun.
I really wanted you on the showbecause, like I mentioned in
our pre-recording, I tried toget a lot of people my first two

(02:12):
seasons of one who I respected,two had really good
accomplishments and uniquecareers and stories and I feel
like you epitomize that, atleast from the people I know and
again, I consider you a friendbecause it's going to be easier
to get friends on my show andit's no proof of concept.
So I'm like all right, who do Iknow?
Who I simultaneously like,respect and are accomplished and
who will be on my show.
So I'm grateful that youaccepted.

theoneDNA (02:33):
I am honored that you even thought of me, so thank
you, I'm very excited to be here.

J.R. (02:35):
Yeah, thank you, thank you , so I'll start off with how I
know you.
Sure, so I believe after one ofthe festivals several years
back right, and then you invitedmy girlfriend and I to your
live show in 2021, near the endof it, which was amazing.
I'd heard you sing on stagebefore, but then hearing you
sing live in the show that wasjust all about you was, my
girlfriend and I were like wow,he's a singer.

(02:57):
Filipinos, we like singing andit's fun.

theoneDNA (02:59):
And y'all have standards, yeah, so yeah, and.

J.R. (03:00):
Blessy's actually trained, I just do for fun.
But then when we're likelistening to you, we're like,
okay, we don't actually sing, hesings, so you're amazing.
And then later on the next yearyou invite us to your birthday
for karaoke, which is a lot offun, but again you had your own
music video.
So we're like, damn, this guy'slegit.
And then we also went clubbingafter that, and so it was a lot
of fun.
And since then you've been doinga lot of good stuff and, like I

(03:23):
said, you're one of thosepeople who I know personally who
are like doing something thatthey're passionate about, do
something that they enjoy, and Ithink a lot of people like we
need to see people like thatright, because it's easy to just
get into.
Okay, well, society tells methis and I should do this, but
if, when you see someone likeyou going after something that
they want, I feel like it's veryinspiring.
So that's how I, you and you'vebeen doing a lot of stuff, and

(03:44):
I think you launched a new albumrecently.
Am I mistaken?
You are not mistaken.

theoneDNA (03:47):
You are correct, nice .
Wow, what an introduction.
I don't even know how to followup with that.
No, but seriously, To answerthat little… or segue rather
into the first point ofdiscussion, yes, I just released
my Vietglish EDM EP on allstreaming platforms, so Spotify,
apple Music, tidal, pandorawherever you stream your music,

(04:09):
it's on there.
And yeah, it's been about amonth now and, honestly, the
reception that I've been gettingand still been receiving has
been phenomenally positive.
I'm super grateful for all thelove and support that I've been
getting and I just feel veryblessed to be doing what I do.

J.R. (04:24):
So yeah, thank you.
I love that.
Anything else that I left outof.
Well, that's mostly just ourjourney.
Before this, I would havealready read your bio.
Any other clarifications orthings that you're up to that
you want to throw in before westart?

theoneDNA (04:35):
Yeah, sure, just like upcoming things going on in my
life yeah, why?
Not.
I don't know if I should revealso soon.

J.R. (04:42):
Oh yeah, you don't have to .
We can save it for later.
Okay, we'll save it for later.
Nice, all right, so let's juststart off.
I want to go into first, likeyour journey as an indie artist,
but maybe just for some contextfor our, the listeners, who
maybe don't know who you arelike, could you give us like a
little bit about your background?

theoneDNA (05:09):
like where you grew up, what was that like?
And then, eventually, how didyou get into singing and wanting
to pursue this as like yourthing?
Yeah, I was actually born inaustralia, minus the accent good
, I might that was so bad.
Never again.
No, but I was born in australiaand my family and I moved here.
I have two younger brothers.
We moved halfway across theworld to california, the
american dream about 15 yearsago.
So I was like barely asophomore in high school and one
of the main reasons why myfamily and I we made the

(05:31):
executive decision to move tothe US is my parents.
They wanted to support my musiccareer.
Growing up, I was alwaysimmersed and very involved with
music and entertainment and I'mpretty sure I brought this up to
you when we first startedtalking, but to the viewers here
watching 1000 Gurus, I startedsinging for as long as I could

(05:53):
remember, probably when I waslike five or six and I knew I
wanted to pursue professionallywhen I was 10.
And I've been holding on tothat dream ever since.
And, yeah, definitely a lot ofexperiences, definitely many
challenges, many blessings andall those things I wouldn't
trade for anything else.
And yeah, and also my parents,I guess they felt like stagnant

(06:15):
where there were in Australiawith their work and everything,
my parents.
They took the leap of faith,they took a major risk, mind you
, and we all packed our bags andmoved here.
And as for me personally, I'vejust been like grinding and
hustling, chasing my aspirationof being an artist.

J.R. (06:34):
Nice.
That's pretty cool that yourparents were very supportive of
your singing career.
Were there any specificinfluences so you said you knew
you wanted to be singing at like10?
Were there any other likeinfluences that kind of you felt
like guided you towards thatdirection?

theoneDNA (06:52):
or was it just like, yeah, regardless, I'm, you know
I'm gonna be singing you know,I'm glad you brought this
question up because, truthfully,back in the day, there wasn't
much api representation.
So, to be honest, like thereweren't many people you know
within my age group at the timethat I could look up to now,
it's a totally different story,which is great, you know, like
AAPI representation iseverywhere and we love that.

(07:14):
But I guess, from the top of myhead, like seeing young
prodigies like Justin Bieber,for example, and people within
his I don't know how to word it,but you know what I mean yeah,
just seeing artists like himreally take form, it really
inspired me and I'm like youknow what, if someone like him
can do it, then maybe I could doit too.
And yeah, I growing up, I knewI've always wanted to do this

(07:36):
and just keep your eyes on theprize and I knew that I wanted
to do something related to musicand, for me, I always love
being on stage, I always love toperform, I love interacting
with the crowd.
It just really makes me feelwhole and safe and, yes, I've
been doing it all my life and Ireally can't picture a day where
I live without it to be honestwith you.

J.R. (07:59):
I can see that if you ever watch him on stage or any of
the videos, you can tell thatit's oh, he's, that's where he's
meant to be.

theoneDNA (08:05):
Like you, I feel like that's like my element, yeah
exactly.

J.R. (08:07):
It's like a fish in water, right, it feels natural there.
Um, did you ever and maybe this, maybe you don't have an answer
, this, or maybe there wasn'tever and but did you ever feel
like there was an alternatecareer path, that you might have
gone or pursued your passion?

theoneDNA (08:20):
I don't think so like maybe in the back of my head,
like I had like a semi-plan A,a.1.
But then what I've learned isthat and this might be a toxic
mindset, who knows, and maybeI'm like unconsciously trying to
like unwire based on whatsociety has taught us, but if
you have a backup plan, thatmeans that you don't believe in
your primary plan enough and Iguess that kind of stuck and

(08:43):
especially me being so involvedin music at such a young age,
mind you, that's all I everreally thought about Like for me
my life had to be around music,no matter what.
And you know, knowing that, myparents and my entire family
moved halfway across the world.
You know, in many ways I wantto make them proud too, because
it was such a big move.

(09:03):
Even, you know, many of myfamily members at the time
doubted us and I didn't knowthat until like much later in
life when my mom and I had a ata heart-to-heart conversation.
So it was very interesting tosee familiar support and how
that's grown and shifted overthe years.
But yeah, it's, it's all beensuch an interesting journey,
very fulfilling, very gratifying, tiring at times, but again I

(09:27):
can't really see myself doinganything else other than music.
To be honest with you, niceyeah.

J.R. (09:32):
Two questions.
So, you said, you had twoyounger brothers how?
Did they feel about moving atthe time?
I think they're like ugh, okay,whatever.

theoneDNA (09:40):
And plus they're really young too, but they're
chilling now.

J.R. (09:43):
Yeah, they're like okay, we're here now.

theoneDNA (09:44):
My youngest brother.
He's studying art.
I'm about to transfer to CalState, Fullerton he's still
talented, by the way and themiddle child?
He studies kinesiology at CalState, Fullerton.

J.R. (09:53):
Nothing to do with the arts.
I guess, on the topic of that…oh sorry.
One more thing on music is…what were some of your musical
influences?
I'm just curious.

theoneDNA (10:01):
Mariah Carey, okay, there you go yeah, I've seen her
eight times and oh, so you're afan, then that would be an
understatement.
Yes, no, in terms of like vocalinfluences, definitely Mariah
Carey you can hear like theinflections um Mariah Carey,
ariana Grande, demi Lovato,bruno Mars, michael Jackson,
like those powerhouse singers,um.
But actually, interestinglyenough, I was first exposed to

(10:22):
Vietnamese music long beforewestern music, so I had my
Vietnamese vocal influencesgrowing up.
So, yeah, let's just say thatit became a huge melting pot for
me and because I was soimmersed with both the
Vietnamese and the western musicelements at such a young age,
it's also it also plays aninfluence to towards my EDM EP

(10:47):
that I just released about amonth ago and I wrote all my
songs.
I write all my songs, but forthis specific album, I wanted to
pay homage or tribute toVietnamese culture and my
heritage, so I wrote.
I really do take pride becauseI'm really not the best, not the
most fluent in terms ofVietnamese, but I really do try.
But I do take pride knowingthat I wrote all those songs in

(11:09):
Vietnamese and English, prettymuch all on my own.
I would only use GoogleTranslate to confirm like one or
two lines, but pretty much Iwrote it all on my own Wow.

J.R. (11:16):
Yeah, that's impressive.
Yeah, I'm quite proud of it.
Maybe we'll get into this later, but this dude can sing in
multiple languages.
You Maybe we'll get into thislater, but this dude can sing in
multiple languages.
You know some like Tagalogsongs, right?
Oh my gosh.

theoneDNA (11:26):
Filipino culture, Filipino music, Filipino food
yeah, they're amazing.

J.R. (11:30):
Yeah, this dude is a very… what's it called?
In a lot of different culturesand gets like… Learns about them
, gets inspired by them andappreciates them, so I think
that's a really good thing to do, especially as a singer.
You can't just stick to onething.
You need to grow as an artist,right, like being exposed to a
lot of different things, right,you can't be in a box.
Exactly, you can't be in a box.
So maybe this is like a biggerquestion, but I'm curious if you

(11:52):
had any answers Like what aresome of the challenges of being
an indie artist?

theoneDNA (12:02):
And then do you have any advice for people who have
aspirations to singprofessionally in a similar
sense?
Sure, well, one of the biggestchallenges right off the bat
finance.
Unless you have all the moneyin the world, it is hard to stay
on track, and you also havebills to pay too.
And being indie artists,especially like during your
formative years, however youwant to put that, things can
feel uncertain at times.
And this leads me to the nextpart of that question.

(12:24):
What has honestly kept megrounded and stayed afloat and
pretty much prevented me fromthrowing in the white towel and
saying, nope, I can't, I give up, is knowing that deep inside,
intrinsically, that musicdefines me.
Music is what I want to do.
It's the passion and thatburning desire that I have
towards music is what's beenkeeping me going all these years
.
Otherwise I would have given up, like years ago.

(12:45):
Yeah, and again, I want to makemy parents proud and I want to,
you know, inspire.
Like other people who are likeme, or even not like me, like
anyone has a dream andaspiration they want to pursue
and chase.
Go for it.
You only live once right, andthe only person that's really

(13:10):
stopping is yourself.
And easier said than done,because the inner thoughts in my
head that I get.
Sometimes it can be pretty loudlike the doubts that I have in
my head, but again, just knowingthe love that I have for music
can really trump and overpowerall those negativity on all that
negativity.

J.R. (13:17):
Yeah, definitely any specific advice you'd like to
give to people who want topursue singing?
So you said finances, obviously.
So I don't know if you had anyadvice on how to overcome that,
or even the doubts in your head.
Sure, said essentially, youknow I want to do this my
passion.

theoneDNA (13:31):
There is no shame in having a day job to stay afloat
okay, that's good I know overthe years, like you know, after
you know watching like podcastsand interviews, like sometimes
there's that toxic culture like,oh, you got to grind, which is
all great, but like livingpaycheck to paycheck, like
living off of, like peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches, I'm

(13:53):
like that's no way to live andfor me, like food fuels you, and
if you don't have that fuel,how can you get creative?
How can you get inspired?
You do your best work, exactly,exactly Like I get it.
It it's inspiring, it'sadmiring and all that stuff.
But is it practical?
No, if you have the ability toand if you have the means to go,
get a day job, you need to stayafloat.
You have responsibilities, youhave bills to pay and if you

(14:15):
have a family, you have a familyto feed.
Right, for me, I do have a dayjob.
I currently work with peoplewith developmental disabilities
and I love it.
So I honestly don't evenconsider it a job, because I
love being out there in thecommunity.
It's keeping me afloat, it'shelping me pay rent, it's
helping my performances.
So, yeah, so that would be myadvice.
There's no shame in holding aday job to keep you afloat While

(14:37):
simultaneously hustling behindthe scenes with your career path
and, honestly, just to reallydevelop a strong psyche.
Especially in this industry,having optimal mental health is
so important.
There are so many barriers, somany challenges that could break
you in this industry.
It's really tough and you,being a dancer yourself, being

(14:57):
in the entertainment industry,I'm sure you can understand and
relate to some degree.
Always optimize and prioritizeyour mental health, no matter
what it takes yeah, nice, thatis the real, okay, exactly
that's the tea, thank you, thankyou all right, so pivot, but
not really so.

J.R. (15:12):
You mentioned in the the notes, when I asked about topics
, that you made a pivot towardsedm, yes, and then also adding
vietnamese elements into yourwork, and I think you touched
upon that a little bit.
There's that.
And then also you have youformed a band, new tradition,
and then also, a little bitlater on, your non-profit
vietnamese creatives collective.
So what were some of thefactors in the decision to do

(15:34):
all of those things?
We can tackle it one at a timeif you want.
Um, yeah, let's start with thatyeah.

theoneDNA (15:39):
So let's start with new tradition.
So actually it was like a happyaccident.
That band wasn't supposed tohappen in terms of being a
long-term gig.
What happened there wasprobably last december.
Everything just feels like onegiant day clumped together.
In the last record time I thinkit was last december a friend of
mine who's a talented musicianhis name's ej shout out to ej if

(16:02):
you're watching this he and Iwe wanted to do a show together.
Actually, I hit him up, I waslike driving home and I had an
idea.
I was like I want to do a showagain.
And I hit EJ up and I was like,hey, would you be down to do
something together?
Cool, headline a show.
And he's like, oh yeah, I'mdown.
And then I'm like, okay, howabout we try to form a band and
then with like my music connectand his music connects, we

(16:24):
banded together and we pickedout who we felt would be best
suitable for this show andthinking that'd be just like a
one-time thing.
Oh, we get together, wepractice, we perform and then
remain friends and that's it.
One time done, deal.
But I'm telling you and this issomething that I tell the guys
constantly the people in theband, the people in the band,

(16:46):
there's seven of us.
After the second rehearsal Iremember just sitting there to
myself thinking what am Ithinking?
This has to be a permanentthing.
I can't just let these guys go.
They are so talented and,knowing what they're capable of,
I'm like I gotta talk to theseguys.
And then, after a fewrehearsals, we had a
conversation.
I'm like, okay, where are ourheads here?
Do you see ourselves being likea one time thing?
Do the May show get over anddone with, as the show happened

(17:07):
in May, or ride it out and seehow it goes, see how far it goes
?
And I guess all of themunanimously decided yeah, we all
vibe, we all create great musictogether.
Let's do this thing.
And so glad that we did thatbecause we were able to land
such amazing opportunities.

(17:28):
We had DCA, we performed atDisney California, did that
adventure for Lunar, new Yearand then later, oh, it was
actually this year.
Oh, nice, yeah, so this Februaryyeah this February we did Lunar
New Year at Disney CaliforniaAdventure and then several
months later, for ANHPI HeritageMonth, we did Downtown Disney.

J.R. (17:48):
I'm glad we weren't a one-time thing yeah, what do you
think makes the what's like thesecret sauce to like making a
good band?
I know this is like oneinstance, but you said that they
were very talented.
You said you guys had like goodchemistry or vibes.

theoneDNA (18:02):
Do you think there's anything else that like made it
stand out that, okay, we shoulddefinitely do this as a longer
term thing I think just seeinglike the desire and just being
around like-minded people, justbeing in that room, just being
in one room with that energylike emanating from, like wall
to wall, it's a feeling that youcan't really describe.
You just have to be in there toexperience.
You know what I mean.
And then also communication,because there's so many of us

(18:24):
are seven, seven heads, sevenminds, like gearing, wiring,
whatever.
Obviously there's going to betimes where you'll bump into
challenges, creative, creativedifferences, personal
differences, personal challengesand if you don't bring up these
issues, it'll catastrophizeinto something that could have
been prevented.
So communication, just inanything, really is key.

J.R. (18:44):
Perfect, do you have a?
Maybe this is an apples andoranges thing, right, but as a
solo artist or as in a group, doyou have a preference for one
or the other?
I'm sure you get differentthings from different things.
Good question, a group.
Do you have a preference forone or the other?

theoneDNA (18:55):
I'm sure you get different things and different
things, but you what a goodquestion.
Actually, transparently thatwas.
I wouldn't call it an issue,but it was definitely something
that we had to bring up likepretty early on because
unconsciously it happened.
But after having thatconversation again,
communication is so important weultimately decided okay, we're
going to compartmentalize.
The one dna would be the onedna and new tradition will be

(19:16):
its own identity and so far it'sbeen working out pretty well.

J.R. (19:19):
To be honest with you, yeah, again, communication, nice
, very important separateentities and then for you they
both work out, but then youenjoy both and different, yeah,
they work out so well, actually,yeah, nice, okay, anything else
, do you want to go to eitherthe Vimeo Creatives Collective
or your pivot to EDM?

theoneDNA (19:36):
You're the host.

J.R. (19:37):
You can transition to whoever I'll follow, in case you
had one that you want to talkabout first.
Okay, so what about your pivot?
So you mentioned that was likepivotal to you or one of the
defining things of where you'reheaded towards now.
So what was the reason behindthat sort of direction change,
edm music yeah, EDM music.

theoneDNA (19:53):
So that actually was not part of my plan at all.

J.R. (19:58):
Like for real.
What Things didn't go accordingto plan.
I'm kidding, that's just thebeauty of life, though.
Right, yeah, exactly, of course.
Keeps on your toes.

theoneDNA (20:04):
No, but seriously I will say, though, up until
recently, like two years ago,three years even, I was more or
less close-minded with EDM scene, just because, like at the time
, like my way of thinking, Iwould always associate EDM with,

(20:24):
like toxic culture and and allthat stuff.
But then my ex-boyfriend, acouple years ago, we were up in
San Francisco, he lives up inthe Bay Area he took me to like
my first ever music festival andthere were a bunch of DJs who
played that night.
Remember what it was called?

J.R. (20:35):
I forget, yeah, I can't remember what I ate for lunch
yesterday.
To be honest, I don't know.
That was too far yeah.

theoneDNA (20:40):
But I remember, just like, standing there, dylan
Matthew performed that night andhe sang like his smash hit,
love Is Gone.
And I'm just standing there andI'm like, oh my, oh, my God,
like where have we been all thistime?
I feel like I've been livingunder a rock.
I just felt so inspired, justlike by everything and everyone
around me.
And I kid you, not, jr shortlyafter, when I came back, I

(21:02):
remember just sitting in my room, I had an epiphany.
I was like I want to try thisout.
And then, coincidentally,simultaneously I was also trying
to figure out ways, a creativeway, to really pay homage to
Vietnamese culture, vietnameseheritage.
So then I'm like, okay, edmmusic, it's always in,

(21:23):
especially within our generation.
How about I merge thoseelements alongside the
Vietnamese elements and seewhere these things go, see where
this thing goes?
And I'm telling you… I was alittle like skeptical, like
stepping into it at first,because I didn't know what to
expect.
And again, like me, being inthe EDMC was the last thing in

(21:46):
my mind, to be honest with you.
But it ironically became one ofthe most organic transitions
that I've had in my entirecareer and I'm so glad I made
that call.
So shoutouts to my ex-boyfriendfor inspiring me.
Yeah, and I've been doing EDMmusic for about two years now
and along the way, I have metand worked with such amazing

(22:08):
collaborators, amazing artists,musicians and I've just been
enjoying the ride Really beingso involved in the process from
start to finish.
And, yeah, I I'm so lookingforward to see where all this
takes me and the people that Iwork with.
Yeah, so currently, right now,my edm ep is out.
It's called beautiful, seventracks.

(22:30):
You can listen to it on spotifyMusic Tidal all those things
nice, yeah.

J.R. (22:35):
So like, how does one transition into what was?
How would you categorize yourgenre before the switch, is it?

theoneDNA (22:41):
like pop, like pop R&B, but mainly pop, which I
guess it explains why, like, thetransition wasn't too drastic,
just because the idiom that I dois very melodic, it it's very
simpy.
So, in terms of like… Likemelody and like musically… I
don't think it was that drasticof a change.

(23:02):
But like the genre itself, yeah, I guess like there are certain
nuances, but, yeah, I wouldidentify myself as a pop artist.
But even to the same… Pop EDM,it's not too farM Right.
Yeah, it's not too far off.
No, I don't think so?

J.R. (23:17):
So, as a non-music person, what is that transition like?
Like in a technical or in termsof you're creating the music,
right, you're like producing themusic, you're writing the songs
or recording it.
How is that transition fromwhen you were just doing pop
into EDM and the Vietnameseelements to it?
Is it hard to figure out themusic or do you have to work
with different people?

theoneDNA (23:38):
My process has remained the same Usually.
Oftentimes people would ask mewhat's my songwriting process
like?
It just really depends on themood or the situation, but
typically I would come up withthe lyrics first.
Whatever is on my mind, whetherit be a happy thought or a not

(24:00):
so positive thought, happy ornot happy, yeah, exactly, I
would write it down.
Anything that I'm feeling likeI'll just dump into a doc and
then from there I would go to mykeyboard and I would start
doodling chords and come up witha top line.
And then from there, once Ihave some kind of structure,
like a skeleton, what I call it,once I have some kind of
foundation established, fromthere I go find a producer,

(24:20):
someone that I want to work with, I'll pitch the idea and send
them the skeleton like a roughvocal and piano track, and I'm
like here's the chordprogression, here's the top line
, here are the lyrics.
I just need you to like zhuzhit up a little bit, like
basically put the track onsteroids and add your flair.
And that's pretty pretty muchmy process, how I've been doing
it for the past several years,and I think it's been working
out pretty seamlessly yeah andit's been great being able to

(24:41):
work with a lot of people, right?
yeah?

J.R. (24:44):
I imagine it like opens up an avenue of like different
people you can collaborate withabsolutely, absolutely, and I
don't plan on stopping anytimesoon is the?
Are the like audiences that youperform for… the people who
listen to your music… Is it muchdifferent from what you were
doing before, or is it mostlythe same?

theoneDNA (25:00):
Pretty similar and it also depends on the type of
event that I'm doing.
I want to make sure that…Whatever event that I'm
performing for or at… I want tomake sure that I'm catering to
them… In the way that bestrepresents the situation.
Like, for example, like if Iwere to perform in a Vietnamese
show, then I need a tailor in away where it would best appeal

(25:21):
to them.
So I would sing more Vietnamesesongs.
Or if I'm singing to an oldercrowd, then maybe I can throw in
a couple songs from the 80s orthe 90s, like songs that they
can like, vibe to and reminisceand just have a good time.
Also, obviously, I'll throw insome like new tracks and stuff.
So just really depends.
And then, as for anon-Vietnamese crowd, for
example, people within ourgeneration, our demographic,
then obviously I'd throw in morecurrent stuff and my own

(25:41):
material, for example.
It just really depends.
Yeah, nothing is out of reachRight right.

J.R. (25:46):
Yeah, so what about let's go to Vietnamese Creatives?

theoneDNA (25:51):
Collective.

J.R. (25:53):
So what's the vision for that to Vietnamese Creatives
Collective?
So what was like?
What's the vision for that andwhat is the?
What are you up to?

theoneDNA (25:58):
with that.
What is the plan?
Yeah, absolutely so.
We've been around for about twoyears now.
So my high school friend hername's Kate.
She actually reached out to mea couple of years ago.
She was like, hey, I've beenhaving this idea and I want to
bring it up to you about it.
From one fellow creative toanother, I've been having this
idea and I want to bring it upto you about it.
From one fellow creative toanother, I'm like, yeah, sure,

(26:18):
what's up?
And then she was like I've beendoing a lot of thinking.
Obviously, an HPI representation.
We're seeing a lot of progressand positive strides.
Obviously, there's so much morework left to be done, but
compared to where we were likejust a few years back, we've
come like quite a long way.
I'm really happy to see wherethis trajectory is taking us All
.
That's great.
But we both recognize thatthere's still a lack of

(26:40):
Vietnamese representation inmainstream media and we want to
change that.
And there's not many Vietnamesecreative non-profit
organizations that reallyemphasize that A few.
I don't want to diminish themor discredit the organizations
that we have come across andworked with.
All of them have done likegroundbreaking work, so shout
out to them.
But yeah.
So Kate was like you know what?

(27:02):
I want to make a difference andI'm like heck, yeah, I'm down,
let's do it.
I'm honored that you eventhought of me.
We gathered a few of our othercreative friends and creative
contacts and we established aboard friends and creative
contacts and we established aboard, and we have since become
Vietnamese Creatives Collectiveand when people ask us who we
are, our mission is to providean uplifting space for AANHPI

(27:22):
creatives emphasis on Vietnamesecreatives a platform to hone in
and nurture their craft and toconnect with like-minded people,
and also to use their creativemedium, whether it be like
visual arts, music, storytellingas a way to bring back and pay
their respects to a Vietnameseculture.

J.R. (27:42):
I like that.
So what is it that?
Again, as an outsider, like,what is the…?
Everyone is welcome, by the way.

theoneDNA (27:49):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

J.R. (27:50):
So let's say I'm a Vietnamese creative artist,
right?
What does this, your group, dofor me?
Is it like a community for meto help nurture my talents and
to help me get out there, giveguidance?

theoneDNA (28:00):
What is the… yeah, I… Well, not I, we.
Rather, over the year…Throughout the year, we would
host community events Freeresources, mind you Like.
We try to make it accessible toeveryone, free resources, mind
you like.
We try to make it accessible,like, to everyone.
Throughout the year we wouldhost events, just like early
this year, in august, we did amusic networking and community

(28:23):
event.
We had an incredible lineup ofamazing talented vietnamese,
american artists, indie artists,to come and speak to the people
who attended, and then amoderator was someone from
TikTok who's also V2V's American?
It was just a very insightfulexperience just being around
like-minded people who are, like, so deeply active and involved
in the industry.

(28:43):
And, yes, if you are an artisttrying to break into the
industry or you want to learnmore or you want to connect with
more people, that was a greatopportunity for people to do all
those things.
And then last year we also didsomething called real voices, so
we would emphasize more on thefilm industry.
So there's something foreverybody in the creative world.

(29:05):
And actually we're gearing upto put together our annual
fundraiser, which we'reprojecting to be in march of
next year.
Nice, yeah, cool that's awesome.

J.R. (29:14):
It sounds like a space for to connect and uplift those
artists which we're projectingto be in March of next year.
Nice, yeah, cool.
That's awesome.
It sounds like a space toconnect and uplift those artists
and creatives in differentspaces and allow them to be seen
You're not alone.

theoneDNA (29:22):
And to provide opportunities, to help provide
opportunities.
Yeah, of course that's great.

J.R. (29:25):
Okay, so quick pivot back to yourself.
Two things.
I don't know if we'll hit onthis completely.
Maybe we'll have a part twosomeday.
But what as the one dna, whatdo you think makes you stand out
as an artist, like compared toall the other artists out there
again, not diminishing anyoneelse, but just like what makes
you you?
If you could put that intoperspective.
And then two, what is like thelong-term vision for yourself,

(29:48):
like in your career, let's say,five, ten years down the line?
if you could paint that roadmap.
What would would that look like?

theoneDNA (29:54):
In the US at least, I think what sets me apart from
other people is me writing mysongs in Vietnamese and English
and me really embracing myidentity as a Vietnamese EDM
artist.
I feel again, here in the US atleast, I don't really see many
people who are doing what I do.

(30:14):
Here in the US at least, Idon't really see many people who
are doing what I do.
I would love to Honestly, Iwould love to see more people
take whatever it is that I'mdoing and make it their own, and
then vice versa.
We're constantly learning andevolving from each other.
That's the beauty of art, right?

J.R. (30:27):
We're always learning.

theoneDNA (30:29):
Yeah, I think that's definitely one thing that sets
me apart.
Actually fun fact.
I don't't know when yet, butthe goal eventually is for me to
live in vietnam for a bit andcheck out the music industry
there.

J.R. (30:43):
Oh yeah, have you been to vietnam like fifth grade.

theoneDNA (30:46):
Oh, okay, okay that doesn't really count.
Yeah, yeah, so be like my firsttime back whenever that happens
as an adult yeah, nice.

J.R. (30:53):
Anything else for, like long-term vision for you as an
artist, if you get a princessdreams, or if I could make this
happen in 10 years, like this iswhere I would like to be I
think, just to continue using myvoice as a platform for
something much larger andgreater than music.

theoneDNA (31:07):
It goes beyond the love that I have for music, not
only.
I want to like, inspire andempower and elevate all those
things.
I want it to be a safe space,and one of the main themes that
I talk about on my EP is mentalhealth.
Mental health is something thatI prioritize constantly and we
need to continue talking aboutit.
We need to continue havingthese conversations, and so I

(31:27):
hope that the message that Idevelop through my music, I hope
that it becomes a safe spacefor people so that reassures
them that, yes, life can betough Adversities.
Obviously you can't reallyavoid them, but just know that
everything will be okay.
Yeah, no matter what, as longas you're in the right headspace
, as long as you're surroundedby positive people, positive

(31:50):
influences, then you'll be okayand pain is only temporary.

J.R. (31:53):
Nice, I love it.
All right.
Influences and you'll be okay.
And pain is only temporary.
So nice, I love it, all right.
Perfect segue now.
So the last topic.
I want to talk about mentalhealth and then your own
personal journey.
So I saw on an ig post recentlythat you made that in, so I'm
just gonna read like what I wastyping out.
So, like in 2014, you said youcame out to your parents at 17,
which was a big I made that post.

theoneDNA (32:10):
Yes, yeah, exactly yeah.

J.R. (32:11):
Thanks for reading of course, course, good job.
Just doom school, just doomschool.
I saw if it was LinkedIn orInstagram, something like that.
So, yeah, you said it was likeI imagine it's a big challenge
for you, and then you mentionedthat they've come a long way
since then your parents and so Iguess my question I know a lot
of people could is what was thatexperience like and what

(32:32):
perspective would you giveyourself 10 years later, like
yourself now to your youngerself?

theoneDNA (32:40):
you repeat that question, yeah, of course.

J.R. (32:41):
so then, since then, right , like what was that experience
like?
Like going through that,because I'm sure like maybe some
people want to hear like whatyour experience was like, and
then also, what perspectivewould you give yourself from
your current self to your pastself?

theoneDNA (32:53):
I see, Well, I will say 28, 29 year old me now would
be proud of the 18 year oldDewey then, because the amount
of courage and determination andguts that it took for me to
like really proclaim and live mytruth and say it out loud, to
like my family to my nuclearcircle, it took a lot out of me

(33:15):
and I remember that day well asif it were yesterday.
Hence the fact that I havecrappy memory.
Selective memory, yeah, yeah, Idon't know.
It's just one of those thingsbecause oftentimes people would
ask, oh, like, how do you knowwhen to come out?
I'm like you just don't Likesometimes.
Sometimes you just do it likewhen it comes naturally to you.
You don't even have to scheduleit or time it whatever.
Let it happen as it approachesWith my journey.

(33:36):
It happened on Valentine's Day,february 14, 2014.
So a little over 10 years ago.
I remember feeling incrediblydistraught that day.
Then my dad like he steppedinto my room and then he took me
to my parents' room and thenthey were like not knowing what
was about to unfold.
I remember my dad.
He was like not knowing whatwas about to unfold.
I remember my dad.
He was like, oh, anythingthat's troubling you anything
that's bothering you.

(33:57):
You can talk to us Like this isa safe space, we're here for
you.
And then I'm like braceyourself.
So I was like okay, mom, dadand I went on a mini tangent
which then led me to say I'm gay, I'm attracted to men, and I
got dead silent for a good 20seconds.
It was pretty awkward.

(34:18):
And then that quickly seguedinto anger and then your end on
their end on their end, and Iwas raised Catholic and so they
brought up like the Bible andall those things and they're
like, oh, like you're a sinner,this is wrong, this is all wrong
.
This can't be, you can't be.
Yeah, so it just became sotense in that room and, honestly

(34:38):
, everything just happened sofast.
Yeah, at that point I was justriding an autopilot and that day
was over.
And then, from that point onuntil the moment I ran away from
home, honestly, the environmentwas hostile.
But then, at the same time,they kept trying to sweep under
the rug, as if that conversationnever happened, which never

(35:00):
does any good for anybody, right?
But it's reached a point whereI'm like I feel suffocated in
this house.
I don't feel safe anymore,especially having that
conversation.
So I ran away from home andthen I spent a few days at my
then boyfriend's parents' houseat the time, and then, after the
fifth day, came back and atthat point my parents and I we
focused on, we began focusing onreconciliation and repairing.

(35:24):
And then, during that moment, myparents would ask me questions
like oh so when did you know?
Are you sure it's not a phase?
And I had to like plant seeds.
I had to like reassure themthat, hey, I've always known
since I was like five or six.
And what confirmed it was whenI saw Titanic, the car scene I
was looking at Leonardo and notKate, and I was like seven at
the time and they just keptpestering me with these

(35:46):
questions.
But I guess I just wanted tolike figure things out because
it's also a coming out processfor them too, not just for me.
So it definitely took some time,but I was persistent.
Any opportunity that I had toplant seeds, to have the
conversation with them, nomatter how uncomfortable and
unsettling it was For both ends,I did it Because I knew that I
had to do whatever it took toreally advocate for myself At

(36:08):
this point in time.
I never.
I already ripped it off like aband-aid.
There's no turning back fromhere.
And so over time they camearound.
I'm very, very blessed andfortunate to say that my parents
, they support me now and theysupport me and my identity and
my career.
They've always supported mycareer.
I'm privileged in that sense.
But it wasn't easy.

J.R. (36:27):
You got to put in the work specific that maybe you've
learned since then or, like yousaid, more perspective for
yourself or for other people outthere in a similar situation
that maybe you wish you wouldhave known or could just give
yourself advice.

theoneDNA (36:43):
It's a loaded question.
Okay, I like it.
I think it all comes down toone thing to not be afraid to
speak your truth, and even liketo today, I still struggle with
it from time to time, but I amgetting better at it now because
one I'm aware havingself-awareness is so important.
I do actively try to findproactive, healthy ways to
navigate through theseexperiences.
But yeah, I would.

(37:04):
I would tell my past self yeah,don't be afraid to speak your
truth, because you know youreally only live once and, being
someone who is pretty muchanxiety ridden, there have been
many occasions like where Iwould miss out on certain
opportunities because my anxietywould get in the way and again
coming out is such a huge,monumental moment.
It was obviously very nervewracking, but again I am proud

(37:28):
of myself looking back that Itook that chance.
I took the risk, I knew whatthe outcome would be, at least
during that point in time.
So I'm glad that I just trustedmy gut and I went for it.
But my advice to other peoplewho are going through something
similar if they're struggling togain that acceptance and

(37:50):
support from their nuclearfamily, so, like their parents,
siblings, even extended familymembers, just know that you have
so much support around you,even though it may seem like
dark and lonesome and alienatingat times, because you always
want to get support from yournuclear family first.
Right, of course.
Know that you have such a largecommunity who will be there to

(38:16):
guide you and help navigate youthrough all these experiences,
if you allow them to do it.
Yeah, so that's what I wouldadvise people.

J.R. (38:25):
I love that and on top of that too, I found in my own
experience with some of my ownstruggles, I'm also blessed that
my to my, have, my family thatsupport me, but also you will
have.
You will find people foundfamily, friends, close friends,
whatnot?
People who actually care aboutyou.
They're there to support youtoo.
You will find them, or they'realready there, like you said.

theoneDNA (38:43):
Yeah, like my, I can consider, like my closest
friends, like today, as my ownfamily members.
I feel very fortunate to havethem in my life, through the ups
and downs, through theaccomplishments, through the ups
and downs, through theaccomplishments, through the
trials and tribulations.
They experienced it all and Iwouldn't be where I'd be without
them, honestly, love it Onmental health.

J.R. (39:05):
I wanted to ask if you I don't know if that's the right
way to word it right but if youcould walk us through your
mental health journey.
I know you've had your ownstruggles we all have but what
were some of the biggestrealizations or perspectives
that you gained throughout theyears?

theoneDNA (39:18):
Well, therapy is very , very, very important.
I can't stress that enough,honestly, and even if you feel
like you're mentally stable, orif you feel like you're in a…
Like you're in a good placeExactly.
Even if you feel like you're ina, you're in a good place
exactly when, even if you feellike you're in a good headspace,
you can honestly benefit fromtherapy.

(39:39):
If you feel like you'rephysically healthy, you just
still get your physical right,because who knows what happens
if they discover something thatyou never thought you had right
right.
So, again, same thing appliesto mental health.
You want to make sure that youhave these check-ins with
yourself to make sure that youare doing okay and who knows?
And and through this journey,through this process, maybe
you'll help unlock certainthings about yourself that

(40:00):
you've never discovered beforein the past.
It's honestly such anenlightening and, more times
than not, liberating experience.
Yeah, if you have the means andthe access to it, I strongly
optimize therapy.
Therapy has helped me in somany ways.
I've been in and out of therapybecause life and all that stuff
, but I will say, just havingthat professional guidance, it

(40:25):
really made things lessdifficult for me and I'm just
fortunate that I have access tothose mental health services so
yeah.

J.R. (40:35):
Are there any particular things that maybe you've learned
through your journey in therapyand mental health that you feel
like benefited you?
Like?
Any things come to mind thatyou'd like to share?

theoneDNA (40:45):
It's not be so hard on yourself, especially being an
artist.
You are your own worst criticand I guess that just applies
like to anywhere in life, really, not just music.
But yeah, like I am super hardon myself, like after a
performance I'm always likenitpicking like every single
note and like growing up I, youknow, I've always had that
people pleasing mentalitybecause how I see it, like when

(41:05):
you're an artist, you're aperformer, you want to make sure
you give people what they want.
You want to make sure that youappease them right.
So over time I guess thatunconsciously made me develop
that people pleasing mentality,but not so much anymore.
Thank goodness we grew out ofthat and we've learned from it
yes, I've lost my train ofthought on that.

J.R. (41:22):
We've covered a little bit of this already, but my last,
final question is one piece ofadvice you'd give to others who
may be having their own mentalhealth struggles.
I know, obviously mentioned youmentioned therapy, you
mentioned giving yourself grace.
Yeah, anything else that youwould, any advice that you would
like to give people who aremaybe struggling in that Maybe
they don't have access to liketherapy or something like that,
but in that case, anything you'dlike to say.

theoneDNA (41:43):
Right.
I'm also very well aware thatcertain areas, like certain
people, certain communities,might not have the best access
to mental health services, whichwe should change.
I feel like everyone, eachindividual person, is just as
entitled to have access to thesame resources, right?
We're all human.
Obviously, that's not thereality that we live in at the
moment.
So, on that note, even if youdon't have access to therapy,

(42:06):
there's still many avenues youcan go about it.
Go out to your community.
Go to your local wellnesscenter they provide free
resources.
Go to your friend.
Even Even just talking about itopenly with a trustworthy
friend sometimes can be theright remedy for you, because
the more you bottle youremotions, what's that going to
do?
It's just going to make youfeel worse, right?

(42:28):
You're just going to continuespiraling.
So, even if you, as long as youhave that one friend to confide
in and to share your feelingsand your woes with, it, can
really make all the difference.
So, in the meantime, if youdon't have access to therapy at
the moment, find someone you cantalk to so that you don't feel
alone.

J.R. (42:45):
I love it.
All right, any last thoughts onthat topic before we go to
rapid fire questions or anyother topic that we might have
missed.
We'll also have anothercheck-in point at the very end.
Yeah.

theoneDNA (42:57):
I think.
For now I have nothing on topof my head.
Perfect.
I'll let you know if I rememberit's all good.

J.R. (43:01):
Yeah, all right.
First rapid fire question isthe billboard question.
If you could put up a sign formillions of people to see, what
would it say?

theoneDNA (43:09):
I can't think off the top of my head, but I guess
something along the lines ofyour fave vehicleish EDM artist
is blank, I don't know.
Kind of fill in the blank forme, yeah, but something along
the lines like vehicleish EDMartist.
I feel like those are likestrong keywords Because you know
, when you look at a billboard,you got to have certain things
that like draws people'sattention.
And oh, like vehicleish, oh,that sparks curiosity.

(43:29):
Edm oh, okay, that's cool, allright.

J.R. (43:32):
Like we'll work with that.
So it's a.
So it'd be like, with you on it, like pointed, directed to you,
is it like self-plug EDM,vehicleish artist?
And they're like wait, what isthat?
I guess my face would be onthat.

theoneDNA (43:45):
Okay, gotcha, gotcha, we're all going with self plugs
.
Yeah, maybe like something inthere, maybe a splash of
something that acknowledges myheritage, my culture.
Whatever that might be, maybeit might be me like wearing an
Aoyai or something like that,who knows, but definitely
something where I can really mycultural identity Nice.

J.R. (44:05):
Yeah, alright.
Next question what is one ofthe hardest challenges you faced
in your life and what did youlearn from it?

theoneDNA (44:10):
We might have covered it already, but if you had
anything else, Coming out wouldbe one of them and, honestly,
just navigating through thismusic industry.
It's an ongoing thing, but Itry to keep myself grounded.
I try to be around positive,uplifting, like-minded people
and again it's been helping meAgain.

(44:30):
Going back to the otherquestion, whenever you go
through challenges in your life,talk to someone and, easier
said than done, I'm guilty ofbeing that person.
Oftentimes people be like oh,talk to me.
I'm like, yeah, yeah, I will,but I don't because I don't want
to burden them.
But seriously, like word ofadvice, don't be afraid to speak
up, whether it be like a closefriend or even like even a
family member.

(44:50):
Yeah, I like that andcommunication, yeah, very
important, so they know how tohelp you of course.

J.R. (44:55):
Yeah, there's just one quote tendentially related, but
it was about trust.
Similar to that, though, but itwas trust isn't built in
offering of help, it's in askingfor help, and even from
yourself.
Yeah, you need to ask for helpand rely on other people.
That's the best thing you cando.
But, at the same time,strengthening relationships and
building trust is also in askingfor help, and some of us don't
think that way.
I didn't think that way before,because I'm like, oh, let me

(45:16):
just offer help to people andthen we'll build our
relationship.

theoneDNA (45:19):
But no, also asking for help is the one that, like,
really builds that relationshipand the trust us exactly and I
feel, like a lot of people likemyself included.
There's a lot of pride.
Oh, I don't want to ask forhelp.
I can handle things on my own,but in a way it's that's like a
destructive like way of thinking.

J.R. (45:33):
Yeah, so, yeah sounds um, all right, this is called the
self-inflicted wound.
Do you have a story or anythingthat's about something that
went wrong in your life that'syour own fault, and then you
can't blame anyone else becauseyou did it to yourself.
Oh, that it's my own fault.
It's your own fault.
It's a self-inflicted wound.

theoneDNA (45:50):
You may not have one, but in just in case you do I
guess from the top of my headsometimes oh okay, got it.
I think there was like aspecific performance where I
wasn't vocally the best, andobviously you can't really redo
it, because what's happened,what happened, has happened and

(46:13):
there's really no one to blamebut myself, I.
I can't blame the soundengineer, I can't blame the
speakers, I can't blame theenvironment but myself.
And just because I knew Ihadn't properly prepared, my
voice up well that day and yougot to be very disciplined
because your voice is aninstrument.
You got to take care of it right.
It's a muscle, but I loveeating spicy food and especially

(46:35):
before performance.
You should avoid eating spicyfood at all costs because it
inflates your vocal cords.
That alongside dairy, becauseit produces mucus and phlegm and
it restricts your vocal cords.
I love spicy food and sosometimes I let that get the
best of me and I came in anyway,but I regret it later.
It's all about havingself-control and there's a time
and place for everything.
I guess that would be anexample I allowed for that

(46:57):
moment to happen.
Had I been more disciplinedabout it, then I probably would
have performed better that night.

J.R. (47:03):
Yeah, nice, I like it If you could redo one thing what
would you do differently?

theoneDNA (47:12):
Anything right Along the way, being on this earth for
28, 29 years, I've definitelylost touch with a couple people,
disconnected myself from people, maybe burned a few bridges or
two, unintentionally, I think.

(47:33):
Now that I'm older and I wantto say I've grown a little bit
wiser, I feel like if I were togo back, maybe I would have
approached things differently,Maybe I would have addressed
things in a more proactive wayand maybe the outcome would have
been different.
Honestly, there are times in mylife where I would sit and
reflect and be like damn, Ican't believe.

(47:56):
I don't talk to this personanymore and some of these people
we had a mini fallout andsometimes I would ask myself a
bunch of what if?
questions.
Had I done this, had I donethat, would the outcome be the
same?
But I also try to live my lifewithout having regrets, because
that's not weird yeah, lookingback all the time, yeah but it's
definitely a good life learningexperience.

(48:17):
We call them growing pains.

J.R. (48:20):
I think even for myself too.
I think some of my biggestregrets are always how I treated
people and of course you thinkabout that and it haunts you and
I think and it's unintentionalto you.

theoneDNA (48:30):
Like you don't like you're not actively like going
out there and trying to makepeople feel bad yeah.

J.R. (48:34):
Because it's like we're young, we're stupid and we just
don't make the best decisions,as humans do.
But then it's like that stuffwill always haunt you.
Yeah, but we can't spend, ofcourse.
But at the same time, peoplesay I don't live with regrets
and I get the sentiment behindthat and that's great.
But if my new perspective nowis you should be aware of what
you regret, because that's howyou learn and grow, if you just
dismiss, it and wipe it underthe rug.
How are you growing?
For me, I'm not aware it is abadge of honor, but like I'm

(48:57):
aware of what I regret because Iknow it keeps's there and I
will acknowledge, like I'm notgonna pretend it doesn't exist,
right, um.
So I think that's veryimportant oh, ted talk there's
this whole thing.
That, that's all hopefully.

theoneDNA (49:15):
No, I agree, yeah, definitely who.

J.R. (49:19):
Oh sorry, if you could give your younger self advice,
what would it be?
Now?

theoneDNA (49:21):
you might have covered it already, but in case
you had anything else, just tobe more gentle in myself, and
even to the and even to this dayI'm still pretty hard on myself
, but I guess that kind of keepsme grounded, keeps me on my
toes, because I know that I'mconstantly striving for better.
I'm always trying to find waysto be a better version of myself
than I was yesterday.
But I guess, just to be morecompassionate, just to be kind

(49:42):
on the soul and just to deliverthat same energy to those I love
and care for yeah, of course.

J.R. (49:55):
In the last few years, what new belief, behavior or
habit has improved your life?

theoneDNA (49:59):
Repeat that question again.

J.R. (50:00):
Yeah, In the last few years, what new belief, behavior
or habit has improved your life?

theoneDNA (50:06):
Well, this is a work in progress.
Eating habits, sleeping habits,exercise they all go hand in
hand.
Again, to have an optimalmindset, to have good mental
health, you need to encompassall those things Right.
You need to eat well, sleepwell, exercise regularly, where

(50:30):
we're tackling one day at a time.
So that's definitely somethingthat I feel gradually has been
helping me really maintain thatmental health yeah, right some
days are better than others, butagain, just just knowing that
I'm aware of it and it'spriority for you, exactly and
just, and holding yourselfaccountable, I feel that's so
important.

J.R. (50:50):
I feel that's what's been helping me who would you call
successful and how would youdefine success?

theoneDNA (50:57):
hmm, I feel like.
To me, success is knowing thatthe purpose that I set for
myself through the career paththat I'm doing, when I can see
that it has made a positiveimpact in someone's life.
And again, this is a lifelongjourney and it's honestly such a
humbling experience for mewhenever, after a performance,

(51:19):
for example, people would comeup to me they'd be like, oh my
gosh, your story inspired me.
Thank you for this, thank youfor that, thank you for making
me feel seen and heard and toremind me that I'm not alone in
this journey.
It's really such a fulfillingmoment, which further reinforces

(51:39):
why I'm doing what I'm doing.
What I do within music goesbeyond the love that I have for
music.
I really want to make adifference in people's lives and
know that, despite differentbackgrounds and our unique
journeys and stories and stuff,there's still that common ground
, and that's something that Iwant to continue emphasizing

(52:03):
within my career and even beyondmy career too, both my personal
and professional life, ofcourse.
Is there anyone that comes tomind that maybe encompasses that
definition of success within mycareer and even beyond my
career too, like both mypersonal and professional?

J.R. (52:08):
life, Of course.
Is there anyone that comes tomind that maybe encompasses that
definition of success?
Let's see Anyone right.

theoneDNA (52:16):
Yeah, anyone.
I want to say at the top of myhead, demi Lovato.
Demi has always been vocal withmental health issues and she's
been such an advocate, a strongmental health advocate, and also
part of the LGBTQ family aswell.
She's definitely someone that Ilook up to.

(52:37):
In that sense, I like it.

J.R. (52:40):
Sorry, if you knew you couldn't fail, what would you
try or what would you be doingnow?
I saw obviously like singingand everything like that.
But is there anything else thatcomes to mind?

theoneDNA (52:47):
what would you be doing now?
I saw obviously like singingand everything like that, but is
there anything else that comesto mind?
I wouldn't call it fail, but Ido have future plans.
Obviously, I'm going tomaximize with the time that I
have here on this earth andagain, tomorrow's never promised
.
So you want to live each andevery single day as if it were
your last right.
Live like this is your tomorrow.
Cliche as it sounds, but here'show I see like my vision board,

(53:10):
my mental vision board.
So, like, maybe 60 years downthe line, once I feel like I've
accomplished everything that Iwanted to accomplish in the
music industry, I'm going totake a step away from the
spotlight.
Obviously, music will always bea part of me, and like
community work, being a publicservant.
So my goal and this is a planthat a few of my friends like no
, I don't think my parents knowabout this yet, but they will

(53:30):
eventually I would really loveto eventually open up a
nonprofit to help serveunderrepresented and
marginalized communities.
Emphasis on music therapy.
So I'm still incorporating themusic element to it and, again,
I want to continue to be deeplyinvolved and work alongside

(53:53):
community members.
So that would be like mysecondary plan, but it goes
contingent to my current plan.

J.R. (54:01):
Yeah, exactly what is one of the best or most worthwhile
investments you've ever madetime, money, energy, etc.
Time, you know um what is oneof the best or most worthwhile
investments you've ever madetime, money, energy, etc time.

theoneDNA (54:11):
You know, for many years, like it's all like in my
head it was always, you know,hustle, hustle, hustle, like,
and then disconnect yourselffrom the world.
You know, I've definitelylearned the hard way.
I definitely did a toll on meand those around me, but despite

(54:32):
no matter how busy you are, youcan always find time to make
time for people that you careabout.
So I think, just being mindfulof the usage of time and being
able to divvy that up betweenyour, your passion projects and
your career, and then your ownpersonal, because you need time

(54:53):
to recharge for yourself right,and then also setting time for
for your loved ones, your familyand friends I think that's
definitely something that I'velearned over the past few years
and because I've now beenactively, you know, been putting
in more effort to make time forpeople, I feel like the
interpersonal relationships thatI have with people have grown
stronger because of it.

(55:13):
Yeah, I'm so working my ass off.
I'm sorry if I wasn't allowedto say that yeah.
I'm so working extremely hard onmy dreams and my aspirations
and my career and all thesethings that I have going on in
my life, but also to make timewith people as well, because
there are people out there whowant to be there for you and

(55:33):
want to make time for you too.

J.R. (55:35):
I like it Alright.
Last two Favorite recentpurchase under $50 to $100 that
has impacted your life the mostin the last six months.
It's a consumerism question.
Anything you bought that waslike bought six months, any time
period, but like a recentpurchase, not too expensive,
that you're like I love that Ibought this.
What's the price limit, theprice tag?

theoneDNA (55:55):
I would say 50 to 100 tops I don't know if there's
anything within that price range, though oh more you think a
little bit more yeah butdefinitely more than six months
ago for sure.
Yeah, I think a maybe a littleless than a year.
Well, I upgraded my studio mic.
Oh, okay, there you go.
It sounds much better now.
Yeah, so I'm glad you got tocontinue investing in yourself,

(56:16):
especially in this industry.
So, yeah, I was quite excitedabout that purchase Nice, that
was good yeah.
Books, movies, videos, articles,media that you share or
recommend the most.

J.R. (56:31):
I'm not much of a book person, I probably should Any
media.
It could be songs, it could beanime, it could be anything
You're like.
I think you should… here, checkthis out.
It's great, I think… Besideyour own music, beside your own
music.
We all want to do that.

theoneDNA (56:44):
I think Mariah Carey is slept on, so y'all should not
sleep with her and actuallygive her more close attention.
Obviously, like everyone knowswho, she is right, but I feel,
like you know, in this day andage, like, obviously you know
there's other artists, now thatyou know that the label you know
want to prioritize, like Iunderstand that you can't forget
about the legends who paved theway too.
Right Now, obviously you now,obviously, when you think of

(57:05):
Mariah Carey, you think of thegreatest hits.
Like you know, christmas iscoming up, so all I want for
Christmas is you.
But Mariah is more than that andyou know, because, like I'm one
of her, like you know she's oneof my biggest vocal influences
and like I'm a huge fan of hers,I definitely think y'all should
have an open mind and reallytake the time to hear her music.

(57:27):
Her lyrics beyond compare.
Honestly, it's like AP litstatus and just her story.
And I know she has a reputationof being a diva, whatever.
But if you actually take thetime out to do research, it's
not just a character, right?
Yeah, it's an alter ego, yeah.
And if you actually, oh, if youread her book, the Meeting of
Mariah Carey that nails it rightthere, Thank you, Thank you.

J.R. (57:48):
I was about to say Well one.
I'm also a huge Mariah fanbecause my mom oh, okay, my
mom's biggest.
They're the same age, I think.
But I grew up on Mariah Careybut also I read her book Amazing
.
Shout out to my own booksummary website.

theoneDNA (58:08):
I read it orleyonacruzcom or just get the
book.
It's five stars, wow, I'm veryhappy to hear this.
Yeah, that was a great book.
I feel like oftentimes it wasNew York Times bestseller.
I think she's oftentimesmisunderstood and she's gone
through a lot and still is so.
I think reading that bookreally helped bring things into
perspective and I've always beensupportive with her and all
that she follow her or havethese perceptions about her I
think she'd give it a read.

J.R. (58:26):
Yeah, she's a pioneer, so definitely I agree with you.
Slept on.
Um, yay, definitely cool.
All right, let's wrap it up.
I know we're a little bit overtime, but so I like no, it's not
your fault.
I would like to always end withgratitude, something I also
learned from my mom.
So the one dna.
What are you grateful for?

theoneDNA (58:43):
I'm just grateful for life that every day I get to
wake up and do what I love, tobe surrounded by great people,
whether it be my family or myclose friends.
We all push each other to bethe best version of ourselves.
We all love and care for eachother, and it's something that I
will never take for granted.
And just to make every secondcount, and on that note, I just

(59:04):
want to say thank you, jr, forthis opportunity.
It's so nice to reconnect withyou, jr, for this opportunity.
It's so nice to reconnect withyou again in this way, and thank
you for having me on thispodcast nice thank you, the
feeling's mutual thank you.

J.R. (59:16):
Any final ask or takeaways ?
Any final ask from the audienceaside from following you and
everything on that, or any finaltakeaways you'd like them to
get from our conversation?

theoneDNA (59:24):
sure, be kind to yourself, be gentle to yourself,
chase your dreams.
You only live once.
Go get them.
Tiger.
God, that was so gross.

J.R. (59:32):
That was all we need to hear, great.
So where where can we find you?
I know I have all your linksit'll be in the show notes but
where can we find you if peoplewant to connect?

theoneDNA (59:39):
yeah, so you can connect with me on instagram,
tiktok at the one dnat-h-e-o-n-e dna.
I'm also on YouTube.
I have like music videos onthere.
I have exciting things comingin the very near future.
Well, this, this airs inDecember, right?

J.R. (59:54):
yes, it'll be December.
Yes, okay, we'll figure it out,yeah anyway, so I have by then.

theoneDNA (59:59):
I have exciting things coming up.
So if you want to follow me andbe a part of that journey, you
know where to find me in allsocials and I look forward to
seeing you both on and offlineyeah, nice, cool.

J.R. (01:00:11):
Well, thank you again, the one dna for being here.
I really appreciate it.
I learned a lot.
It was a great conversation andI know that our my audience
will also enjoy it as well.
Thank you listen to this.
So just to wrap it up.
So, thank you guys again fortuning in.
I really appreciate it again,as said, reminder to always be
kind to others, especiallyyourself, and that you can
always learn something fromsomeone if you just take the

(01:00:31):
time to listen.
So thank you, yes.

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#11: theoneDNA - Becoming an Indie Artist, Vietglish EDM, and Mental Health

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}#11: theoneDNA - Becoming an Indie Artist, Vietglish EDM, and Mental Health