Today we’d like to introduce you to Tintin V.
Hi Tintin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Like many others who’ve transplanted themselves out here to LA – ‘burning passion’ was the singular fuel that kept my little Honda Element running as I drove all the way here from Orlando, FL a little over eight years ago. Looking back, I wasn’t completely sure how to tackle all that I wanted to achieve but I knew I had to at least be here to allow any of my dreams a fighting chance for fruition. I already had pushed a decade’s worth of classical dance training to the grind through various companies in Orlando, so continuing a career in dance was seemingly the path of least resistance. After some odd months of couch surfing & job hopping in LA, I landed a contract with a dance agency & began my journey as a professional dancer. Things were wonderful for a while. I started to book plenty of auditions, did a few commercials & was I beginning to feel grounded. Then fall came around that year & I incorrectly landed a leap during a ballet class, spraining my right ankle. This was followed up a month later by a bad case of sciatica in my lower back. The combinations of these situations left me completely without flexibility or mobility in my left leg for a year and a half, effectively ending my dance career. In the years since I’ve had to bend my expectations left & right about what truly matters to me & what I’m willing to do for said things.
Eventually, I was able to find solace in returning to my first true loves in life: family, community, music & videogames, leading me to where I am today. I am now honored & privileged to be a part of LAOS ANGELES, a collective of Lao Americans finding our voice in LA & unpacking what it means to be Lao today. Being a part of this group has given me new lenses to view my home country & my culture, which inspires just about every single thing that I do today. Those things include a videogame that I am currently in the process of programming & designing myself in conjunction with a fellow Lao American composer who I also met through LAOS ANGELES. Most of my 2020 has been spent taking classes in storytelling, color psychology, coding, design, UX/UI & videogame theory. The game itself is completely inspired by Lao culture, tossed in with all of the things I adored as a 90s kid including; Pokemon, Power Rangers, Sailor Moon. You name it, it’s in there. The game is titled The KwanStone Project, due for release in 2021 on all mobile platforms. Additionally, I am in the post-production phase of putting out a full length, acoustic pop album. My music career upon any Google search will yield years of me trying my best to emulate all of the artists I loved growing up – from Bjork to Kesha and everyone in between.
However, this LP will be the first time I’ll be releasing music that truly feels authentically me. I’m 33 now and have no interest in being cool or edgy anymore. I’ve completely accepted myself as a sappy, queer, pop-writer who grew up drenched in the mid-tempo storms of the Backstreet Boys, Boys 2 Men, Phil Collins & Elton John – and I’m very okay with that. The album is yet to be titled but will be released sometime in 2021 as well. That’s where I’m at today & I want to say thank you for taking the time to read this & I wish you and your team a very happy & safe holiday season.
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’s been a bumpy ride to say the least, with the physical injuries ending what could’ve been a more robust dance career to simply struggling to keep a roof over my head as I find my own voice for my other bodies of work. One of the tougher challenges I faced in my early years in LA was not only finding but maintaining quality interpersonal relations with friends & partners. Like many others, I had jumped through quite a few friend groups before I was truly able to find a consist & supportive group of friends.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Currently, I am juggling back and forth between building my own videogame project & finishing up an album as a pop songwriter. With my videogame, I actually started the project as a pixel artist. I’ve been fortunate to freelance as a graphic designer in my time here so being able to bring that knowledge to the table has been easier for me. The best responses to the game so far have been in regards to the visual aspect & I’m very proud of that. For my music career, I’ve been lucky to have had my work placed in a few small TV/Film projects. There’s an older queer film series call Eating Out and I have two song placements in the 4th & 5th films, respectively and earlier this past year, I had another single placed as an end credit track for a pilot that recently got picked up. Something that I believe sets my work apart would most likely be my stage presence. Growing up as a dancer, I’ve always been someone who needs to move to think and perform. So if you ever get to come to one of my shows, I am oftentimes dancing on stage & grooving out. I love being able to combine my dance training with my own music. It feels like home.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
For my videogame career, I see the industry being stronger than ever within the next five to ten years. Videogames have continued to prove itself as a recession proof industry and I foresee more variety in interactive experiences moving forward. My hope is to see more unique voices come to the forefront of gaming and I believe that this will benefit us all. Music on the other hand, I see as more of a continuous loop of an industry. For every new trend or sound that comes to the surface, you will always have artists returning to the things that feel like home to them. I see more artists looking backward, at least sonically, as their careers expand. This pandemic has changed so much and I too, am curious to see what the future of live shows will be moving forward.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @TinTinVmusic
- Facebook: /TinTinVmusic
- Twitter: @TinTinVmusic
- Youtube: /TinTinVmusic
Image Credits
PERFORMANCE PHOTO 01 & 03 SHOT BY: Hon Hoang // www.honhoang.com // www.enflight.design // PERFORMANCE PHOTO 02 (B&W photo) SHOT BY: Rangelito Velez Zarate // @rainunderzara // NIGHT PHOTO SHOT BY: Mitch Dao // mitchdao.com // @mitchdao.photos All videogame screenshots are taken by myself, with first looks exclusively for you all!
