Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelseaa Vuong.
Hi Chelseaa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started music as a hobby and as a way of therapy in 2015 I didn’t become more serious about music until around 2020 when I started “Seyaa”. However music has always been apart of me, as a child I sang surprising well without any classical training my mom would ask me to sing a lot to strangers and family. As a child I needed music daily my MP3 was the most valuable possession I owned and limewire was my after school activity. Early musical influences were Amy Winehouse, MF DOOM, Tribe called Quest, Frank Ocean, Crystal Castles, Justice & Hiatus Kaiyote. Now my biggest influences are more in the producer/artist realm names like Ivy Lab & Bambii who happened to be open-format (open genre) with interesting storytelling through visual arts. Being local to Southern California I have always gravitated to the music scenes in Los Angeles which has had a huge impact on what I do now. I love anything left-field or any music that pushes a boundary, the genre doesn’t matter.
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?
I would say that it is not a smooth road, I find I am still figuring it out. Artistry is something that is constantly shifting and changing. My biggest struggle is finance, time, and resources. Without a team I have to do everything myself and with the help of some creative friends. I have lots of ideas around visuals and music that I want to make so I try not to be so hard on myself for not releasing things quickly in this algorithmic age. Sometimes people say just to put it out and while I understand that, personally I care deeply about the quality and sound so I want to make ensure that the music and visuals reflects my artist identity. I want to be able to stand on it firmly. I am looking forward to this summer because I will have a little more free time to focus on finishing projects and writing new stuff as well.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In the recent years I was lucky enough to get connected with Gove from Ivy Lab who had heard of me through mutual artist friends and ended up liking to a demo that I had recorded and produced in 2020. This moment and the track we eventually came out with “Idols Fall” in 2023 had a huge impact on how I think about the future of my solo project now. Ivy lab being majorly open format is something every artist I feel wishes to achieve no one ever wants to be limited or put in box and they have done a really great job at that. They have been around for a while but seeing how they grow and innovate within their artistic and sonic world is so so inspiring and I’m so grateful that I got to work with them.
In the last three years I have been learning the art of DJ performance. Daddy Kev actually gave me my first DJ booking in 2022 and I practiced so hard and it was a success thankfully. In that first year I played mainly Drum and Bass but now have leaned into other genres with the aim of being open-format. I really enjoy creating different selections depending on the vibe of the event. Lately been playing lots of 140 low end music, Brokenbeat, with some hints of Jersey club, and Breaks. Super grateful that I get to DJ especially among so many talented artists and I can’t wait to do it more.
I have some unreleased music on the way, just wrapping up some assets needed for the project but it’s a collaboration project with Frythm. We co-produced it together my vocals are featured on a few tracks. It’s definitely a chill project within the experimental sound design palette. Should be coming out this year or early next year.
I was also asked to do some vocals for Frythm and Lake hills EP that came out on Alpha Pup last year in 2024. I love that song and that whole project very uplifting fun dance floor vibes. The track “Across The Room” features a more sexy but innocent story-line. It came together naturally and very fast which is not common.
Oh yeah I forgot to mention I started a band two years ago with this really amazing drummer Brittany, bass player Hunter, and synth/guitar Matt (aka Frythm). This project might take longer to come out as it’s a new sound space I am delving into but the music sounds too good and the demo’s bump. All four of us together are like a bridge infusing all our pieces equally. It’s incredible how cohesive it sounds as it’s just stream of consciousness. I feel like when we are jamming we are all like in a trance and then we hear the playback after and it’s like wow that really good. We are now at the stage of “how can we shorten this 20 min sesh into a listenable track” so we are finding the time to write and record as we speak.
What matters most to you?
Mastery is something very important to me in general. I feel like I have to keep growing, learning, and getting better if I want to make my younger self proud. There’s also that saying that you can’t help others if you don’t help yourself so following this artistic path is very important for me. It’s also not typical for people within the Asian Diaspora to pursue creative work or have creative outlets here in the states so I feel very lucky and blessed to have the opportunity so I can’t waste it. Outside of music I will be the first Chinese-American in my family to pursue a bachelors degree. I am currently in a Studio Arts program and music is a big reason why I chose to return to school. Through doing music I learned that I had to create and do the things I always wanted to do so Art school being this out of reach aspiration as a child had to be fulfilled. So I am super grateful that I made that decision now and I have a feeling its going to help with some of the visual aspects of my music.
THANK YOU VOYAGE LA<3
– S
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Seyaamusic
- Soundcloud: https://www.instagram.com/tualma.radio/
Image Credits
Personal Photo by Alex Casillas
Music Video Still from “YMI” by Frythm Feat Seyaa (Forthcoming)
DJ picture by Alex Casillas
Band Picture by Alex Casillas
Picture of Me and Frythm (Self Portaits)
Last Two are BTS of “Across The Room” with Lake hills by Matthew Pena
