Vietnamese-American artist @SAILORR carries her family’s history in her name: a direct tribute to their immigration journey fleeing Vietnam by boat. For the 26-year-old, navigating the music industry requires relying on her inherited values of resilience and collaboration.
“Growing up in a Vietnamese household instills a lot of different values that I carry into my artistry. The ingenuity it takes to carry out creative projects is something that I had to practice all my life because we didn’t come from much,” SAILORR shares. “I take every blessing with a lot of pride and responsibility to those around me because I don’t think I would be where I am today without the energy and influence of my community.”
Reflecting on #APIHeritageMonth, SAILORR hopes to inspire genuine and fearless expression. “I don’t want my identity to be a courageous or radical thing anymore. We need to normalize more art that pushes boundaries, so that more people that look like me have the courage to go after what they want and it doesn’t feel bound to a certain presumption or stereotype. I am so grateful that I get to do what I love, and the ability to do that only came from seeing others fearlessly do the same.