After a long hiatus, I’m bringing back one of the most popular features on Third Looks – Style Profiles. These features combine an interview format with photos that capture each individual’s style at the moment. I couldn’t think of a better person to bring back the feature with than Boyslashfriend. We’ve been homies for a minute so I’ve been able to watch him develop his music and career in real time. We always joke around that he’s the asian r’n’b singer that the world needs right now, but beyond making infectious intelligent r’n’b , he’s also got a great sense of personal style that compliments his music.
Click through for the entire feature and interview and keep up with boyslash on through his instagram and twitter.
How did you get into music and in particular singing?
So Iāve been doing music since I was a young kid. The first instrument I ever played as the clarinet in fifth grade. I was going to the Manhattan School of Music and I picked the clarinet because thatās what my mom told me to play. I thought itād make my dad happy because the king of Thailand played the clarinet, so I was like alright, i’llĀ play that shit. I was in music school from fifth grade all the way to senior year.
In high school I was only listening to r’n’b. All my homies were listening to rap but I had this one friend Ryan (aka Mags) who was the only other dude listening to rānāb. Singing started much later in life, I didnāt make choir in high school so I thought I couldnāt sing. I was always singing rānāb in the shower, like Usher, Darnell Jones, Justin Timberlake.
One time my roommate was like āYo you have a dope voice, you should sing. I was like really? Oh cool.ā So that was all in the back of my head. Then I met Christian (MNTN) in college and he was making beats and I thought that was so cool. My upbringing was classical music and I was usually around people that played these traditional instruments but no one was making beats. College was the first time I met someone producing beats and that person was Christian so we linked up three years ago when I started singing and the rest is history.
What were your favorite r’n’b artists?
For the guy groups it started off real soft, it was Boyz II Men. I love their harmonies, I love their love songs and just the romantic vibes they had. Even the Christmas albums were dope. Then there was soul for real, New Edition , Jagged Edge and Jodicee much later. As for solo artists, Donell Jones, he was the perfect combination of thug and being romantic. My favorite r’n’b records is Justified by Justin Timberlake. Usher Confessions is also up there, those are two big early listens. Of course I canāt forget R Kelly and later in life was the Dream.
How did r’n’b affect how you dressed or other aspects of your life?
RnB definitely affected my attitude. Someone who definitely affected my attitude and way I dressed was Pharrell. When he came out with the trucker hats, Spitfire tees and SB dunks. That was peak pharrell.
Where did your background and interest in clothes come from?
It came from my dad honestly. He was always super classic and loves Polo, thatās his swag. He kinda dressed me real preppy when I was a kid, I was always in Polo, cardigans and khakis.
My dad wanted me to look preppy, respectable sophisticated young gunner. But my sister influenced me to get fly in a way. Growing up with an older sister she would always be picking out shit from Delias. It was a catalogue where you would buy clothes. Her and her homegirls would always talk about the guys at school they thought were cute or fly, so I would check what they wore and try to be like that it.
Style was always important to me, especially being a chubby kid, I had to get fly. I wasnāt getting bitches off playing basketball or soccer. I wasnāt a nerdy kid or anything but I wasnāt an athlete or anything but I was playing the fuckinā clarinet. I had to be like, I’m gonnaĀ get fly and be the flyest kid in school and thatās gonna be my edge.
How did that evolve into how you approach how you do style now?
In high school, I didnāt have much money I didnāt really have a job. The money was mainly coming from family or gifts, as an Asian culture they donāt buy you gifts they give you red envelopes you know. I would take that money and buy gear or sneakers but it was light.
I wasnāt collecting heavy until college when I decided to start reselling sneakers. I was the go-to guy at NYU , I was collecting Nikes, Dunks Jordans, BAPEs shit like that. I was working at the BAPE store. My dorm room was filled to the ceiling with sneakers.
In college my room was filled with sneakers and I thought it was cool, I was making money selling sneakers. It was prime time for Jordans and Dunks you and I was just making bread. I was on Niketalk, I liked meeting up with heads instead of shipping.
I just started realizing that sneaker culture kind of faded off and and I was just stacking all these sneakers at my parents apartment in queens and my bedroom. Ā A lot of that is just clutter to me now. Before I was thinking quantity over quality I guess. But now Iām just more like what do I really need, what can I wear every day? How do I walk down the street everyday in New York City and not care about scuffing my Jordans. I started changing my lifestyle with clothing and kind of making my own uniform of things I can wear every day and things I can enjoy without feeling bad about. I only have a few pieces in my closet now.
Do you see your style being important to your music ?
I think so, with music and what Iām doing, itās not what everyone else is doing. Thatās how I see fashion and the way I dress too. Iām not wearing what youāre wearing. I just like to separate myself from everyone else. As an artist thatās kind of your responsibility.
How are your photos and social media a reflection of who you are. Ā
I been influenced by certain people that are into minimalism. I hate the word now because its kind of a trendy thing but with my eye it makes sense. Iām actually colorblind so when I see images that are mostly grey, white or black or blue. I donāt like putting filters on my photos, because its natural to me and the way I see the world is more de-saturated. Itās easier on my eye. People might see it as a little flat but thatās what I see. I just like classy elegant things. Thatās also the kind of woman I like as well.
How do you think about music is it more emotion or visual.
Music is not visual to me. I donāt have that that sense when you see colors when hearing sounds.
Thereās certain chords that strike me and hit me in a certain way. Itās more of a feeling; itās not a visual thing for me.
What about your lyrics are you trying to communicate certain things with them?
I feel my lyrics are relatable. Every man goes through what Iām going through. Not knowing if a girlās feeling you or not, and being in that middle ground of being a friend. (Being a boy/friend) I think a lot of men in New York relate to that, a lot of my lyrics come from pain from not getting that girl or that girl being too much for me. Itās that.
Whatās r’nāb missing?
I feel like r’nāb at the moment is not really singing, itās not really rapping. Itās like Asian fusion food or something. Itās this fusion of hip-hop and r’nāb. Which is cool I enjoy it. I try to create what is missing. Iām not trying to contribute to this channel of energy thatās going on with rap and rānāb.
Itās really difficult to be doing rānāb. A lot of guys arenāt into it and even girls donāt even want rānāb anymore. I been at this party recently and they had rānāb on or whatever and girls were like we just want to hear Future. That romance is gone, the feeling of going in a club and Donnel Jones is playing or Pharrell Frontin’ and you would feel swaggy and go dance with a girl or buy her a drink. Now itās just like dudes wanting to dance with each other.
Macking is done huh?
The macking music is done. We used to go the club and rnāb came on that was your chance or time to go talk to chicks. Now thereās no moment where you can talk to a girl in a club. Itās almost weird to go up to a girl now, its like what are you doing, youāre thirsty why are you talking to me?
I donāt know what Iām doing is gonna work but its fulfilling to me. I donāt know if im gonna bring rānāb. Back but thatās what I want to make and thatās what I want to hear. Itās like any fashion designer or a creative person, if something is missing youāre gonna want to make that thing. I wouldnāt try to make something I could get somewhere else.
How have girls reacted to the music?
Itās always different man. Nooneās gonna come up to me and say something bad but they definitely feel itās emotional and itās refreshing. Which is my goal with the project. I didnāt want to do just one trap beat. Thereās songs for the club, the whip and the bedroom. Certain songs for your headphones when youāre on the train. I wanted to show people versatility like how Justin did it with Justified or Usher with Confessions. I think thatās missing from this genre right now; everyone kind of makes the same song over and over again.
What kind of qualities is in an ideal chick?
I havenāt found that girl yet. I love women that have a ridiculous amount of taste and the same kind of taste that I have. Things that arenāt flashy or fleeting but instead things that are timeless and elegant. I donāt like girls that are extremely hot; I like girls that are beautiful. To find an elegant girl that has great taste , in art music and fashion. Usually they are terrible people though (laughs). Itās hard to find nurturing girl who got great taste.
What do you hope to achieve in the next little bit?
I want to understand the Internet more; I do feel like the music is there. I spoke about the music with Christian and Jason and developing a sound that is noticeably ours like what the Neptunes did. They werenāt always doing the same bpm, but they were doing pop and rānāb and rap but you always knew when it was them. Iām more of a real life person and Iām not good at showing who I am on the internet. Iām jus trying to boost my internet presence the same way I am on the street.
Itās cuffing season, the album (Low Key) came out just in time for that. Music is fleeting unfortunately so you got to treat music like a tv series. You gotta be constantly hitting them with contact so me and MNTN and working on dropping more songs before the end of the year just to keep it going.
Photos by Billy Fischer
