Conversations with Lê Khoa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lê Khoa.

Hi Lê Khoa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My name is Lê Khoa, I’m a singer/songwriter, art director, and independent producer. Back in my home town, I have been singing since I was 10 years old, I was in the top 10 of the male singer in the Vietnam X factor competition and began to be a professional singer since then. In 2016, I moved to Wichita Kansas, and live with my family, I continue to study music and write songs. Creativity has always been the driving force for me to continue on the path of art.

Talking about the difficulties of my career. I think I won’t be able to list them all. Being born in Vietnam so that language barrier for me when doing music activities in America is my first difficulty. The language was the main challenge, and I also faced many geographic challenges, Wichita Kansas was not a good place for music development. It is very difficult to find a professional musician in this city. The biggest challenge for me is probably the relationship and experiences. I didn’t know anyone except my family when I moved to Wichita.

Fortunately. I now find some friends in the independent music scene in this city. Also, because I have just been to the US for less than 4 years. I have a lot of difficulty connecting and attention with the professional music world in America. I kept in touch with my friends back in Vietnam and luckily I had a big opportunity to released my first album in 2018 named Lê Khoa hát Lê Minh Sơn with Vietnamese Traditional pop mix alternative rock and electronic in Vietnam and more than 1000 CDs sold out.

In 2019, I released an experimental album named W.A.R with Josué Éstrada, the album was very successful in Vietnam and Kansas, I sale more than 500 copies of W.A.R’s physical CDs. It was challenging because now and then there is not a lot of audiences who want to buy physical CDs.

I think the big challenge for me is there is not a lot of Asia people who want to be in the music industry. That is the reason why I hardly have someone to help and advise me to go further in this environment. Especially the music industry in America.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
To be where I am today, I have encountered many obstacles and difficulties, many times I want to let go of everything, the difficulties that come to me never end when I am just a young artist who grew up in Saigon Vietnam.

It was very difficult for me to find a place for myself because in Vietnam at that time they did not fully accept an independent musical personality like me, as well as the problems of appearance and fashion that I had to bring. After nearly 8 years of rolling around in bars during high school, I became more known and had the opportunity to release my first Vietnamese album in 2018, I emigrated.

I went to America with my family and all the difficulties seemed to increase many times when I didn’t know anyone in America except my family. Work relationships also seem to be gradually cut off because I live too far from my hometown. Language and adaptation difficulties make it difficult for me to make friends.

For a long time, I was depressed for 3-4 years because I did not have friends and relatives, and I buried my head in making music and composing. Incubate your dreams.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As an independent artist, I have more time to create and create songs that best match my musical personality. Let me say about my voice, my voice is one of the secret “Weapons” I am most proud of. Often singers with falsetto or countertenor voices often sing classical music or Rock, especially with my voice you can see that they are beyond imagination in terms of vocal and inner strength. My voice is like the image that I pursue is androgynous.

You can hardly say that I am a male singer or a female singer. The second thing I want to mention is my composing ability, my songs are built on the foundation of contemporary music but easy to listen to and understand. The melody is very catchy and easy to heart. Besides, the lyrics are written in the poetic style of Vietnamese people under the main language of English, creating the uniqueness of the lyrics. Although I sing and write in English, my mindset and aesthetics are very unique and cannot be confused with anyone.

The third thing that I want to talk about is my fashion style in music, for me, fashion and music are two art forms together, they always need each other. The fashion that I pursue is high fashion, impressive fashion, they give me a feeling of inspiration and creativity. They are the robes that make the Le Khoa brand completely unique. These three factors are enough to help me stand out in today’s music entertainment.

I want to be a genuine artist who makes music not just for “Watching” but also for “Listening” and “Understanding”. I want to be able to attract the attention of major record labels and soon have the opportunity to sign a contract, so that my art products can be replicated and closer to the public. My motto is “Power does not come from physical. It comes from an indomitable will”. Success is not the goal, it is the process by which we make our dreams. Every block that I go through is a set of difficulties and challenges, but if I get through from one difficulty to another, that is my way to success.

As an artist I have stumbled and failed many times, but not so that I stopped creating and ambitious. If you have indomitable and resilient hearts, you will surely be successful. The theme of my album is HUMANITY about people and compassion. My ambition is to want people in the world to love each other and dark things and crimes will gradually be dissolved. Although I have not published an album yet I believe in this idea, not only because this is my music, but also my ambition for humanity.

My advice to readers is to hold firmly to your faith and let go of all the challenges and difficulties and then one day you will find happiness after them. In the next album titled Humanity, I am very proud to be able to personally participate in the production, from images, sounds, discs to MVs. I was very happy when the song What did we do with our world? achieved 121k views on youtube.

To thank my audience, TV-MA, along with friends like Josúe Estrada, Oscar Ramos, and music producer Joe Hagen released the song What Did We Do With Our World? remix. This song won the River Festival people’s choice. Here is the song What Have We Done To Our World? Remix on music platforms. I hope I can give you a good message after these two crazy years.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I am very happy to come to this city because this is where I live and study and meet a lot of teachers at my college. I gradually have more friends and share more. What I don’t like about this city is probably the locality in the music of many audiences, who like to listen to familiar artists over and over again without fully accepting the new.

Contact Info:

• Email: https://www.facebook.com/lekhoaartist/?ref=pages_you_manage
• Website: lekhoamusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lekhoa.artist/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lekhoamusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChsvPmLsHA9Z6wV-gC0uHVw
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4kcBSzFDTEsAvax2P3juPT?si=VKC6Ww0YS1GsLqg-SAXBmQ