Check Out Trung Tran’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Trung Tran.

Hi Trung, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in Hanoi, Vietnam. I grew up with talented and famous family members. My mom is a global Vietnamese singer. My dad is a music producer. My grandma is an opera singer and my uncle is a singer-songwriter. My parents started making me take piano lessons as soon as I turned six years old. I had this love/hate relationship playing the piano. I love playing the piano, I felt relaxed, but also really hated taking lessons. Until I was eight years old, my parents and I moved to California. I had to say goodbye to my friends and my other family members for a little while.

When we arrived in California, my parents found a new piano teacher for me. I would go to the music school every Sunday. The teachers there were very nice. I learned how to play Fur Elise. It was a very challenging song to play. The school would have recitals once every three months. I had the biggest stage fright every time I stepped on the stage by myself. I would shake and be unable to play. I was very afraid that I begged my teacher to not put me on recitals anymore, but recitals are a requirement for teachers to see the students’ performing skills. My performing skills were very low.

A year later, I started to play the drums. Any song that comes on the radio, I immediately start to keep time with my leg. My mom bought me a little drum pad and a pair of drumsticks to practice. I would start watching drum videos on YouTube and play along with them. I started taking drum lessons a few months after that. I very much enjoyed it. I would play the drums for my mom to sing. We would have a little family jam session now and then. My passion for music started growing bigger and I wanted to take music more seriously. I asked my parents if I could start taking piano lessons again and they were so happy and said yes.

When I was around 12, I started to sing. I would sing along with whatever was on the radio. I didn’t know how to sing. I would just try to match pitches and match the words. I was really nervous if someone heard me sing. I would freak out and stop singing. My mom caught me singing in my room a few months after. She saw potential in me that I could be a singer and follow in her footsteps. She started teaching me how to sing properly and not destroy my voice. I was still very nervous.

When I started high school, I was 14 years old. I was exploring and trying out new things with music. I joined my high school marching band. I was in it for four years. It was an amazing experience of my life. I was always afraid of trying new things, but this was the best choice I’ve ever made. It made me a better musician. I had a lot of fun performing with my friends. We made it into champions two years that I was in it. I wanted to do more with music so I joined a choir my junior and senior years. I auditioned to be in the choir, I got placed into the advanced choir right away. My choir teacher saw a lot in me. Being in a marching band and a choir really helps with my confidence. I started to perform at school rallies and sports events.

My senior year was the best year of all. I got to sing the national anthem at the Angel’s Stadium in Anaheim. I got to sing the national anthem at my high school football and basketball games. I joined the talent show in my school. It was a great experience. It was really awesome to see other talented people. After I graduated, I started to perform by myself. I got to perform at the OC Fair, Knotts Berry Farm and LA county fair. It was so awesome!

Summer of 2018. I started going to church every Sunday. Now I perform and worship with an amazing band, January of 2019, I started to write my own songs with a couple of friends of mine. I was very excited to release my very own song on Spotify. They have been so supportive of my path. I’m still writing my own songs to this day.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It wasn’t that easy for me. Being away from my friends and my other family members was very hard. Everything was new. It was hard for me to fit in and adapt to this new environment. I remember getting bullied when I was in middle school. I was shy and quiet. I was always scared to be open and talk to people. I had a little dictionary book that I always carried around with me. People started to come up to me saying hi and asking me how I’m doing. I was nervous, but I still managed to continue the conversation. As years went by, I started to be more open to new people and getting to know them. I had support from close friends and my parents. I have finally got to the point where I just enjoy talking and sharing with people about what I do.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My name is Trung Tran, but a lot of people know me as Ben Tran. I am from Hanoi, Vietnam. I’m very proud of where I’m from. I always make it clear to people where I’m from. I am a pop ballad singer-songwriter, drummer and pianist. I’m very proud of being the person that I’m becoming. I sing live music on twitch.tv/bentranofficial. I love connecting with people through music. This is also an opportunity for me to step into the American industry in music. It is my dream to be in the American industry. I’m confident in my singing and performing abilities.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory was attending my mom’s concerts. I still do to this day.

Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to thank my high school band teacher JP Combs. He helped me grow my confidence to perform and sing on stage. I want to thank my friend Joshua Wagner. He helped me write my own originals and he taught me how to write a song. Lastly, I want to thank my amazing mother for always pushing me to be better everyday. She is super supportive of me.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_4549/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ben.tran.6/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9y_kYdseUibice6_qaaVbw
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4DvRbip8MAqG9QhA2GDw4K?si=xav4fY05TpmKwrNgHSJtNA&dl_branch=1

Image Credits:
Ngoc Anh, Chris Le, John Gallander