Juliet (real name Diem Quynh) was born in 2000 in Hanoi and wrote her first song at the age of 14. At the age of 15, she left Hanoi for the US, studying Graphic Design at Savannah College of Art and Design. While studying, she diligently composed and performed at small venues in New York. Currently, Juliet is an independent artist who owns the online music channel Spotify with more than 30,000 monthly listeners.

On August 16, the young female artist will release her new product Perfect Lover and announce that she has changed her stage name from Juliet to Juliet By Night.

- Where do you usually get inspiration for your songs?

I love reading books and often get inspiration from famous literary works, paintings, and my own experiences to compose.

When I read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby about the disillusionment with the American dream expressed in modern dating culture as "too fast, too much, and meaningless," I wrote the song American Child .

Or my latest work Perfect Lover , I was inspired by promiscuous young men and partly based on the character Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby . This character in the whole story is idealized as a "perfect lover" but in reality is a very heartless person. Writing this song, I played the role of an outsider, looking at promiscuous men. The composition aims for drama and grandeur, when the audience enjoys it on a digital platform, it feels like they are listening to music in the theater.

- Why did you change your stage name from Juliet to Juliet By Night?

Before, my stage name was Juliet - a very common name, difficult for friends and new fans to find on Spotify/Apple Music. So I changed it to Juliet By Night.

But there are two main reasons for changing my stage name. First, when I was a child, my father often bought me Paris By Night CDs, so I was impressed by that name. Second, I am an artist but also a normal person, working to earn money during the day and transforming into an “Idol” on stage at night. Therefore, during the day I am Diem Quynh, and at night I will take the stage name Juliet By Night.

- What are the similarities and differences between Diem Quynh during the day and Juliet By Night at night?

Diem Quynh likes to wear loose shirts, baggy pants, and sneakers to work for comfort. She is an introvert, speaks softly, and listens to whatever people say because she is a salaried employee (laughs).

Juliet By Night likes to wear short skirts, high heels, dances forever without getting bored, likes to do comedy and shake her hips in front of the audience, has a grand tone, and is very extroverted.

When on stage, Juliet By Night is in control of everything. From the technique, to the sound, to the band… everyone has to listen to her.

When Diem Quynh is free, she will sew and repair clothes for Juliet By Night to wear at night. The things Diem Quynh experiences or sees, Juliet By Night will turn into music.

- How interesting is it to you to feel two different personalities in the same body?

My life purpose is music, not just working to earn a living every day. So I am really happy to live 2 lives in a day.

However, sometimes I get very tired when I have little time to rest, because I work from Monday to Friday, record on Saturday, take photos on Sunday, edit photos and videos at night, compose music, write advertising content... Any indie artist who has not yet made a living from music will understand this.

- As a Vietnamese living in America, what percentage of Vietnamese cultural identity is in your music?

I often write European and American music, and occasionally I write about European and American culture from a foreign perspective.

While composing, I am also the creative director for the MVs, so I focus on expressing the parallelism and contrast between Vietnamese and American culture.

The single Any Other Way presents a scene that is both familiar and strange: A girl selling Vietnamese food with plastic chairs and aluminum trays in the middle of a New York subway station. This metaphor helps the audience understand the feeling of alienation of many Vietnamese people living abroad, wanting to integrate into American society but always looking for things that can only be found in their homeland.

I think Vietnamese musicians do not necessarily need to incorporate national culture into their music. The same goes for the Vietnamese artist community abroad. We should diversify, always innovate, and take inspiration from Vietnamese culture and personal life, but we should not use it as a crutch, rely on it, and lack creativity.

- How do you see the American view of Vietnamese indie artists?

I am friends with and also admire many Vietnamese artists such as Vu Thanh Van, VSTRA, Nghi, Tao, Trang... They are very creative. Americans often enjoy European and American cultural products, but there have been a few occasions when I "forced" my friends to listen to Tlinh, Vu Thanh Van, Obito... and no one has criticized them.

Language barriers often make European and American audiences (especially those from non-English speaking countries) reluctant to listen/read from other cultures. I hope to collaborate with some Vietnamese artists in the near future to write English or half-Vietnamese, half-English products to reach a diverse audience.

- In your opinion, what factors do Vietnamese artists need to reach the world?

To develop their music careers, artists need support from the industry. Vietnamese artists who want to reach out to the world must have a promotion strategy that reaches the right audience and scale.

American record labels and management companies often give priority to English-language songwriters. Vietnamese artists who want to sing in Vietnamese for international audiences, like K-pop stars, cannot rely solely on the initial support of foreign companies.

MV "Perfect Lover":

'Big brother' Soobin and MONO made the audience dance enthusiastically. On the evening of August 8, in Hanoi, the performance of "big brother" Soobin and MONO brought explosive energy to the stage of the "Happy Bee 14" music festival.