Rising Stars: Meet Frank Nguyen of North Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank Nguyen

Hi Frank, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started interning in North Hollywood from 2021-2024. Attending public music events and saying yes to opportunities allowed me to network with many like-minded talented people from record label A&Rs, and music brand representatives, to independent artists which have allowed me to stand with the music circle I surround myself with today. As I continue to build my social media presence, I’ll be able to share my accomplishments and advertise the skills and services I have to offer.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I was born into the technological era of the 2000’s and video games weren’t just a hobby but also my social circle where I could talk to my friends online after school. I believe life is very similar to video games in a way that you can choose your own adventure. You can choose to go fishing or take a 10 hour gig or spend hours on your personal passion project. Video games have something called a skill tree where you can choose to invest points in an area of expertise that you feel is fit for your character whether that’s woodworking, magic, or studying. These are points that you’ve accumulated as you level up (growing of age). You know how in video games you can choose your difficulty before starting a game? Well I felt like I always chose to live life in hard mode because it was the road less taken and the one I felt most worth it. I felt like if I wasn’t exploring and taking risks then I wasn’t living. Living to me means being present, sacrifice, and hard work. Though I do believe it’s unnecessary to suffer, the pain that you endure molds the character that you have been leveling up. Pressure makes diamonds! I’ve had slow days and I’ve had days where I worked multiple days and nights in a row back to back and looking forward to my day off just to lay in bed and do nothing because I’d feel so burnt out. I also learned that creating a schedule is what helped me be successful in planning and communication. As they say, If you’re not planning then you’re planning to fail! There was a time where I could’ve been the main house audio engineer for a big time producer and ended up not getting the position. It made me feel like an unprepared failure who wasn’t good enough as though I was missing something, but ultimately I accepted that it wasn’t meant to be and that I had a higher purpose. I was eventually replaced by another audio engineer. I am now currently working on acquiring more credits under my belt, using this time to learn from my mistakes and be inspired to work even harder to bounce back.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Sure and I’d love to share more about my business. I’m a studio recording engineer who plays piano and guitar. I enjoy creating compositions on my own time to build my loop making portfolio and am fascinated in the science of sampling. I am known for working with artists in the studio and helping them create a song from start to finish. That’s what the role of a music producer plays. I look up to music producers like Kenny Beats, Quincy Jones, and Metro Boomin all who have been very invested in the entire process of a song which manifested their successful careers into fruition. It’s so easy nowadays to hear a song on Tik Tok, Instagram, or Spotify and just simply press next. People just don’t take the time to comprehend how much patience and effort goes into a song being released. It can take months even years till a song sees the light of day on all platforms legally. I recently executively produced “Watcha Wanna Do With Me?” for Long Beach based artist Calinnah, a full-time nurse in the day who works late at night as a singer. I’m the same as any other young entrepreneur trying to make it in the music business but the thing that sets me apart from others is that I stay positive, professional, and approach each situation as humanly as possible which allows me to connect with individuals on a deeper level.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something surprising that most people who know me or my work might not know is that I enjoy reading books, journaling, and meditating. It’s a fast moving world we live in and it’s important to slow down and admire the beauty in this world. When I have gone to the gym and my mind is clear and my body is ready to move then I’m able to be more creative and productive. Another thing people probably don’t know about me is that I used to play the Euphonium and be a part of the low brass section in the Marching band of my highschool. It was kind of a cringey part of my life but made me the music appreciation nerd I am today. I’m bilingual in both Vietnamese and English. My parents were Vietnamese immigrants who fled their country due to war conflicts seeking refuge in other countries. I was born in Fountain Valley, California and am Asian American which allows me to have a higher education that my parents didn’t have the access to but creates a conflicting push and pull of cultures. I am constantly continuing to learn what it means to be Asian in America and have accepted that it’s a uniquely tragic and beautiful experience. I’m passionate about culinary which allows me to share the Vietnamese delicacies I’ve grown accustomed to. Lastly, I like to thoughtfully plan to go on romantic dates with my girlfriend because she is my inspiration for writing music.

Pricing:

• $50 an hour, in-person recording engineer
• $300 song mixing (3 revisions)
• $100 song mastering (2 revisions)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/frankalankadank
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankalankadank/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiabYZavcyEzOKWZF2fa9ew/featured
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/instavortex
• Other: https://www.beatstars.com/frankalankadank

Image Credits
Miguel Angel Ortega