I heard back from the VP of A&R for Hollywood Records, Jason Jordan. He is such a pro! Has been in the business as A&R for over a decade, which is a lifetime for A&R. He told me he liked my voice, songs, and production, but I'm not quite what he's looking for at the moment and to get in touch with him if I'm ever performing in NYC. I wrote back and thanked him for his time. I did a bit more research and found out that Jason is actually responsible for breaking Breaking Benjamin and a couple other rock acts. Pretty cool. He's done a lot more than that, of course.

I had a talk with Meridith Valiando, who was the professional artist manager I mentioned in previous posts. She is so on point! Her advice was so invaluable. She's also right now the A&R/Management Director for A&R Select. She's gonna get in touch with some A&Rs for me. She actually knows Jason as well as Omar Grant, Sr. Director A&R from Epic Records that I've been able to get in touch with. She knew them from her days as A&R for Columbia Records in NYC.

This week, I'm getting in touch with people responsible for student activities on college campuses in the DC area in hopes of getting some gigs there and build my fanbase a bit more. Getting gigs is a bit tough right now and, sometimes, frustrating. But, as my mom says, "Be patient. Good things will come." So here I am...actively patient. Thanks for reading. Leave a comment! Would love to hear from you. Catch me in Week 13.

Best,
Minh

So, last week, I was working on three songs - These Blinds Shut, Broken Lover, and Every Word. They're not quite completed yet. But, I'm very excited about them. I've also been emailing A&R people at different record labels to see if I can work with them. There are a couple of ways you can work with A&R: one, they sign you as an artist to their label; or two, they use you in a songwriting capacity for artists they have already signed.

I got through to the VP of A&R at Hollywood Records, which is home to the likes of Miley Cyrus and Nick Jonas among other acts. He said he'd take a listen to my music over the weekend. I'll follow up in a couple of days. We'll see. I try not to waste these guys' time as they are busy. And I think I've gotten my stuff up to a level where it is worth taking a look at. I've also been emailing online music bloggers to get a write up about my music. No response from any of them yet.

I'll have to keep knocking on doors and selling myself and my music. This week, I'll have to focus on my marketing business quite a bit. But, I'll continue to do what I can to take a step forward in this music business. See you in Week 12!

Best
Minh

I had some fun remixing and covering Alicia Keys' song "Un-Thinkable", which just today passed the 1,000 views mark on Youtube. Check it out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2beneKz-6sU.

Right now, my team and I are working to bring some shows to college campuses in the DC area. I'm also focusing on pursuing a publishing deal as well as co-write opportunities so I can establish myself in the industry as a strong, viable songwriter and producer. Things are moving forward. People are beginning to catch on to what I'm doing. Sales are increasing for my music, which is great because I'd like to be able to just focus on making great music every day! Leave a comment or question for me below! Would love to hear from you! See you in Week 11!

Best,
Minh

So what's new? Well, the look of the site is a bit different. I'm trying to make sure everything lines up well together - the image, the music, etc...

Also, I have a new single up and available - "Top That". The more I produce, the more I realize I can't be like anyone else. I can only be who I am. I'm looking forward to working with some of the great producers (as well as upcoming producers) in my loooong career! :) 

This post may be a bit disjointed, but for good reason. I'm exhausted. I'm gonna lay down and sleep now. Click here to check out the new single! Leave me some comments, please! Anywhere and everywhere. Also, if I could ask a favor...would you suggest me to your friends? On facebook? Online? In real life? Come see me for Week 10! I think I'll some cool things to share by then.

Best,
Minh

This week, once again, haven't been too eventful. My friend told me that his aunt broke down and cried when she heard "This Is Not Farewell". I should tell you a little something about how I wrote and produced that song. I had finished 9 tracks for my album, Dreamgirl's Heart. My plan was to make only a 10-track album. So I needed one more song. I wanted that song to have dual meanings. I wanted to first have it be about the lover having to leave the dream girl in her dream world while he goes back to the real world, but saying "this is not farewell". I wanted to also leave my listeners with a "this is not farewell" to let them know I'm coming back with more.

I had a chord progression I had already been playing with, so I found the sound I wanted and recorded it. Then I wrote the chorus "This Is Not Farewell". That's all I had! At the time, I had a day job at a car dealership aside from running my marketing business (I took a day job so I could hire more people for my business to grow it). So while I was at the dealership, a pretty blue bird flew into the glass window. As it lied there struggling, a few of us was trying to figure out how to help this bird. As we were getting a box and trying to help the bird, it struggled as it took its last breath. It was a pretty sad scene.

I went home that day with that emotion about death. So I thought about people I loved that passed away and what I would've liked to say to them. Particularly my grandmom. You see, my grandmom visited us from France when I was about 14 years old. At the time, I was dealing drugs so I stole some money from her to get some drugs to sell. She found out and was really disappointed. I felt bad. After my life got turned around from going to church at the age of 15, I promised myself I would work and send the money back to my grandmom and make a real good apology out of it. Well, she passed away before I could do that. It was one of the biggest heartbreaks of my life.

So I sat there in front of my computer, needing to finish this track. I started writing. Only this time, with a different twist - an added meaning to the song. I wrote the first verse...

I know it's time to leave now
I don't wanna leave you
What if I forget your smile

...I broke down crying. It was just that. I realized what I just capsulated in words. And, I missed my grandmom. We don't like goodbyes, especially in death...because we fear we'll forget the one we're losing...never seeing in person their smile, never smelling them, never feeling their touch again.  In heartbreak, we hope...one day...we'll see them again. I understood why my friend's aunt cried. That song was packed with emotion when I created it. And I can honestly say that behind every single song I write and produce is a real emotion. They're incredibly meaningful to me...every single one.

Anyway, back to business...I'll be consulting with a professional artist manager next week from A&R Select. I hope something great will come out of that conversation. I'm always a little leary about companies offering services to indie artists because many out there are scams. But, after talking with her a little bit, I think it's safe and that it will be beneficial. Let's see what comes of it.  See you for Week 9!

Best,
Minh

I'm grateful for those who made it out. It was good to see those familiar faces (and comforting). In this business, every now and then, I suppose you'll have one of those nights. I'm glad it's over. Going forward, it's going to be different. Amanda (booking manager) and I are going to be putting together an artist rider that will state minimum requirements in order to bring me in to perform. We just can't do another show like last night.

This blog journal is supposed to be real so I'm gonna share with you negative as well as positive things. "I hope you don't mind that I put down in words how wonderful life is" and how it can suck sometimes too!

Last week, I was able to finish a new song called "Star" so that I can wrap it up into a 5-song EP for free download on my site. It is now up! If you want to download it, just go www.reachminh.com/free. You can also let your friends know about it. A lot of people are getting on and downloading it, so I'm happy about that.

Eugene (personal manager) and I are going to begin reaching out to labels and shop for either a development deal or a record deal. I'm also going to begin to work extremely hard at producing and writing for other artists and try to shop my songs to get onto albums being worked on right now at the labels.

So why the mixed emotions? Well, things aren't bad. Things are coming along. But a night like last night makes me wanna quit. But, I'm gonna hang on and keep moving. Hopefully, we'll line up a killer show to make up for last night. I'm gonna sign off now. See you in Week 8!

Best,
Minh

Earlier this past week, I read an article on Diddy (Sean Combs) in XXL magazine when I was browsing at a local Barnes and Nobles. The article talked about how he built a brand as opposed to just being an artist and how he is now looking at starting a firm that manages artists with the same kind of vision for themselves. And that is essentially what I'm aiming to do - to build an entertainment brand. All I can do is continuing putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving. Reading the article helped solidify some things for me internally. Sometimes, you get afraid and uncertain. Especially when you're almost doing alone with little resources. I'm thankful for the friends that are coming alongside to help. The thought that helps me keep moving is this - how those that are successful today were, at some point, right where I am. If they can make it, so can I.

I know one of the things I really need to focus on is advertising. The only problem is that I'm limited in terms of money. So I have to be extremely smart and strategic about what I put it into. There are days when I wake up and I have no idea what I need to do. And because I have asked a friend to be my personal manager, he's also trying to figure this thing out as well. He's resourceful, but he's never managed an artist before and he's got all his own stuff on his plate as well.

I have a show next week at a place called Sutra Lounge in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC. So, I have rehearsals this week for it. I'm looking forward to it.  I'm bringing a DJ into the mix with my band so it'll be something new. I'll keep you posted. See you for Week 7!

Best,
Minh

Ok. So on the work front, I've been really moving along with my marketing business (www.minhmarketing.com). That has kept me busy. Here's a cool development on the business end: Through my marketing business, I'm getting involved with the making of an independent film. The way I found out about this film is kinda interesting. Everyday, I try to keep good tabs of what's happening within the music industry. I check Billboard.biz and other music sites. I came across a tweet by Scooter Braun, who is Justin Beiber's and Asher Roth's manager. So I went on to Scooter's twitter page just to see what he's been up to. And on there, he was pushing for people to help this friend of his, who is trying to make a independent film. So I checked it out. Now, as a businessman, I've always planned to get into film at some point with my company. However, it's hard to find something that actually has potential to succeed and develop into bigger things. When I checked this film idea out, it really looked like something that could really work. So I emailed them and offered help through my marketing business. I ended up talking to the filmmaker and now, I'm on board to help them through my marketing company. I thought it was cool how that came about. The film is called "Herman and Shelly". The filmmaker is Bridget Stokes. I think she's got something pretty cool on her hands. I'll keep you updated on that.

Onto the next thing: I found out about this music publicist several weeks ago (she's one of two people that organize that music networking group I went to) and I've been trying to get a face-to-face meeting with her so I can see what she would be able to do for me. She's just gettting back into town so it's been a little difficult to set something up. We may be meeting this coming week. One of the things I really need to get in place are some press reviews of my music. It's a strange catch-22 type of situation. The press don't really want to review you unless you're already making a splash, but in order to make a splash, you need some press reviews. So it takes some shrewdness and some help from a person with some already established relationships with the press to get you some initial attention. So, that's what I'm working on. Hopefully, I'll be able to afford it. If not, I'll have to figure out another route.

I'm also trying to figure out how to help people who comes to my website find ALL of my music a lot easier. The music player on the home page of my site only plays some of my music. (I know, there are lots of songs on there already. But, believe it or not, there's a lot more!) So I'll be working on that this week. I think we'll have to put another button up or something.

I have also been working on a new venture to connect music industry people in the DC metro area together by throwing exclusive parties and mixers. I'm hoping to help build a stronger music community in the DC area through this. We've got the domain for it, www.dcmusicindustry.com (though the site is not yet developed), and we're working on building up our MeetUp.com group (DC Music Industry Parties). It's going to be an exclusive thing so that way we can make sure the parties are of great quality, in terms of people that go and locations they are held in. I'll keep you posted on that as well. I think that's it for now. I'll see you for Week 6!

Best,
Minh

That was the good part of the week. The bad part was that I found out that Pandora Internet Radio rejected my submission for Dreamgirl's Heart. I'm not sure why, but there could be many reasons. It did disappoint me. But, you gotta keep moving. And that I did. I completed and sent out for digital distribution two new singles - "Get In or Get Out" and "She Feels Good". Both songs have been getting overwhelmingly positive responses! The production for the Layers album continues and is coming along well.

My manager has been working to create some opportunities for me as well as my booking person. So I do have a couple of performances that are coming up in June and will be getting info on them posted up asap.  I think that's it for now. I'll catch you next week for Week 5.

Best,
Minh

I don't know if it's because I'm constantly about making music - trying to make a better song than the last one. Constantly analyzing and judging what sounds good and what doesn't. May be all of that is numbing my musical sense a bit. I heard John Mayer talk about this a bit when I was at the ASCAP expo in Hollywood this past April. It's like we're all waiting for something to blow us away - some great new wave of music. It's hard to grab hold of whatever that is that we're all longing for. I think it's the same for both music creators and the music listeners. What about the Bieber Mania going on right now? Or the Gaga Craze? Am I missing what great music is? Not that I don't like Justin Beiber's music or Lady Gaga's music - it's really good stuff. (Although I'm sure a lot of the credits go to people behind the scenes - your songwriters, producers, A&Rs, etc. ) May be my ears are getting old. Ha! I'm not going to buy that. If Quincy Jones can be a musical genius through many decades of the changing musical landscape, then I can be so as well. If it's been done before, it can be done again.

Ok. I'm done with my rant. I've been getting great responses for the song Get In or Get Out that I mentioned in my last post. But for some reason, I still feel unsure about it. But may be it's one of those songs that will end up catching on, even though I'm unsure about it. (Like the song "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz.) Who knows?  Which leads me to another thought - how much of all of this is about luck? I don't believe in luck. I do believe in being ready for the opportunities that will inevitably come. However small or big, one opportunity leading to another because of readiness - culminating together to make what one would call a "career".

I now have a personal manager. We still have to see how it will work out. The manager-artist relationship is so crucial. It either works or it doesn't. I also now have a booking agent. One of my goals is to build a staff, much like a record label would have a staff - except it's only to promote my music and career. The next person I'm looking for is someone to handle public relations (getting the attention and favor of the press and media).

This past week, I also went to a music networking time at Whitlow's in Arlington, VA - Metro Music Source. It was organized by Dave Mallen of Innovation Station Music, whom I met while I was out in Hollywood for the ASCAP expo event. It was good time and I met some good people. After that meeting, we all went next door for an open mic at IOTA Club and Cafe, a venue in which I've played before. After that I headed into DC for a night out. The next day, I wanted to write a song that captured a vibe that I experienced that night. Something with a catwalk, international, independent, night-out-on-the-town, and (of course) love vibe. So I sat down and started producing. I ended up with this song called "She Feels Good". I had the chorus pretty quickly, but went through 2 versions for the verses and bridge. After some adjustments and going back and forth, I think I have the final version. So now, I have "Get In or Get Out" and this new song. I need to release something as a single soon. Not sure which I should choose. I still haven't tested "She Feels Good" on people, but I think it'll get a pretty good reception. However, I could be wrong. I'll let people I know listen to it this week.

By the way, I'm still waiting for the contract to arrive from Hella Good Records. We'll follow up with them some time this week. We're also still working on getting some live performances lined up. I'll catch you guys next week for Week 4.

Best,
Minh