R&B has started to take an alternate turn, for the better. From fresh new faces to brand new sounds that have been coming from every region. There is something and someone new coming out blessing us with their new sounds.

Who are you? Where are you from? How old are you?

Thythy: My name is Thythy (pronounced like tee-tee). I am a singer-songwriter/producer from Portland, Oregon. I am 21 years old.

How long have you been making music?

T: I have been writing songs on the piano since I was 12 years old but it wasn’t until this last year that I began to take music seriously. I have been playing instruments since I was 10 so I’ve always had an outlet to create music. I started to write and record over beats last year but there came a point where I had a vision that only I could create accurately. February 2018 was the first time I produced an entire track by my own.

How long have you been writing?

T: I have been writing poetry since I was 8 years old. I wrote my first lyric when I was 10 years old but my first real song was written when I was 12.

Thythy went from writing poetry at the age of eight, her first song lyric at ten, a full song being written at twelve. At fourteen, she started busking as a street performer with the help of her dad, all the way to producing her own music at the beginning of this year.  Her music has always been a skill she has been honing.

What is your earliest music memory?

T: My father was a musician. He likes to tell me that I could sing before I could ever speak my first words. For as long as I can remember, I have always been drawn to music whether it was playing instruments, singing, or admiring someone else’s performance.

What’s your favorite music memory?

T: We would pack my electric piano and connected a long extension cord to an outlet in my dad’s store. I would sit behind my piano and sing for people. I love that memory because it reminds me how bold I once was, and how bold I can be now that I have begun to fine tune my skills.

Thythy has been around music her entire life, so following in the steps of her father was almost a no-brainer. She only started taking her music seriously last year after covers on for social media. Once she started getting positive feedback from her Soundcloud songs, she went full speed.

What parts of your life influence your music the most?

T: My love life and my struggles with mental health. I feel like my life is dominated by those two things. That’s all I think about so that’s all I have to write about.

Did your location influence the sound your music has?

T: Yes, I grew up listening to whatever Vietnamese music my parents played in the house. My aunt and uncle babysat me growing up, and they always had the radio blasting in my toddler years so I was listening to a lot of 90s RnB and Hip Hop. Then we moved and I went to a predominantly white high school. I started getting into alternative rock music around that time because that’s what a lot of my friends listened to.

Is there anyone that helps you stay motivated?

T: My father, but he doesn’t know it. He always dreamed of being a musician and gave it up to raise a family. I believe in fate, and I find it hard to believe that it is a coincidence that I have this innate hunger to play and create music at all times.

How would you describe your sound?

T: It is the result of all of the music I have been exposed to my whole life. I suppose you could call it eclectic with a heavy RnB and Pop vocal influence. I would say that my top 3 influences are Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse, and Brandy. I think I embody all three of their essences, so I’d like to say my music is their lovechild of some sort.

Thythy’s “Lover Girl” EP is looking to be released on August 24th. Currently, on her Soundcloud, there are songs that resemble a traditional R&B sound like ‘Honeybee’ all the way to her songs like ‘Vice’ that gives off a light, airy sound that makes you feel like you are among the stars.

What’s the best memory your music had given you?

T: I suppose it has been realizing that I can create songs that people enjoy. Having people message me and tell me they connect with what I am putting out there makes me feel accomplished.

Is there a message that you want to get across with your music?

T: I have songs that I discuss what it’s like being a woman, what it’s like being heartbroken, and what it’s like struggling with mental illness. I want people to be able to listen to a song and feel understood.

She randomly found the beat for ‘Honeybee’ searching Soundcloud, when she found it, it gave her a sense of nostalgia. ‘Vice’ was the first songs she ever produced, it has more of an ethereal tone to it. It more on the Alt&B spectrum, diverting from the traditional R&B sound we typically hear.  

On the song ‘Vice’: “I actually wrote it about a guy I was seeing, who was, as you can probably guess, bad news. Yet, I couldn’t stop going back.”

Do you want to continue doing music forever?

T: Yes. Without a doubt in my body.

When you record, is there a ritual?

T: I have to get in the zone for vocals. If I don’t believe in my lyrics, I feel like you can hear it in the recording. I get really picky, especially when it comes to my voice. The ritual is: If it sounds good and feels authentic, keep it. If it’s forced and pitchy, scrap it.

What’ next for you and your music?

T: I am releasing my first EP in August. I am anxious but mostly excited about this release because it is a true representation of me, so I am feeling particularly vulnerable. But overall, I am just excited for people to finally get to know the real me through my music. I haven’t performed in 2 years but I am itching to get back on stage, and this time it will be for my own music.

If you can give advice to yourself five years ago what would you say?

T: Believe in yourself. Stop being lazy. Stop being so vain. Don’t worry about what other people have to say because they are only temporary figures in your life.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

T: I see myself touring and playing shows in different cities. I hope to be a popular and respected new figure in music that is preparing to release my debut album. But we’ll see!

Keep your eyes open for the “Lover Girl” EP by Thythy. The 21-year-old singer-songwriter puts her all into her music, all of her pain and all of her love. Love is something that most love, so enjoy the soundtrack to your love story for this year and the years to come. Lover Girl will be loved.  

interview portland R&b singers