Today we’d like to introduce you to Waverly.
Hi Waverly, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m an artist, producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist raised and based in Austin, TX making songs to dream or dance to. Growing up in Austin, I was fortunate to connect with the Mother Falcon and their Mother Falcon Music Lab community and fully immerse myself in the live music scene throughout high school. While pursuing a Music Performance degree at the University of North Texas in Denton, I began to teach myself music production, working closely with artist Carley Bearden and creative community company Quadio. Born in Cambodia and always inspired by community, collaboration, and creativity, my main focuses are a solo project aiming to provide more Southeast Asian representation in mainstream music and media, and developing the next generation of Austin music stars.
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’ve been very fortunate to have fantastic support along my journey, something which I frequently remind myself. I also am aware of the hours on hours of work I’ve devoted to my craft, whether it be late hours in a college music practice room, 10 hour+ songwriting sessions, or picking up odd jobs to get some quick cash or make a single connection. I’ve struggled with my fair share of financial insecurity, rejection, imposter syndrome, identity crisis, and all the other mainstays of being a creative. As difficult as those always are, I wouldn’t trade them away if it changed where I am now, as I’ve built myself a team of people who believe and trust in the process, and a strong list of mentors and inspirations I can model and learn from on the daily.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As an artist and songwriter, I am most proud and excited about my solo project under the name Waverly. After a year straight of only producing other people’s projects, I realized that while I enjoyed all the music I created, it wasn’t what truly fulfilled me, and I set off to start a new project where I had full control over the sound, visuals, brand, and image. At the same time, I was realizing I didn’t have any southeast Asian figures I could model or find inspiration from and decided that I wanted to fill that role for the next generation.
As a producer, I’ve been frequently collaborating with incredible artists both locally and remote. Over the years I’ve been in the business, I’ve picked up a ton of knowledge in the marketing, promotion, and artist development spaces, and am close to launching a management side of Waverly. 15 years old future pop sensation, Luke Willis, and Vietnamese pop-trap icon promqueen, are 2 projects I am most excited about dropping this year, and something to have on your radar for 2022 and beyond.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up I lived in two worlds – sports and music. While music ultimately pushed sports out, I still get great inspiration from pro athletes, especially in soccer and MMA. Some of my biggest style and fashion influences are Paul Pogba, Neymar, and Vinicius Jr. – three of the biggest names in soccer. UFC Champion Israel Adesanya is a huge influence for his perspectives on success and confidence, traits I have embodied now. I’m probably not the biggest fan of my younger self, but I don’t think I would be too annoyed with him – he was very curious and outgoing, which I respect. I definitely lived two worlds growing up though – one during the day with other kids my age, and one at night where I’d network and socialize with 20 & 30 years old musicians and creatives in the city. I think the result of that was me often being the youngest in any situation, something I still find myself in today, but ultimately helping me give off a more mature demeanor which I won’t complain about.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://found.ee/waverly
- Instagram: instagram.com/waverlytheartist
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5iYmarXyZlGOXNvSWGVn1r?si=da7Gf1U_TH24lkG60Rpg0Q
Image Credits
Brynach Hogan Abby Sullivan Chlo Subia Shaider Divina Grace B
