With a platinum bob and a tear jewel on their left cheek, pop-rap artist promqueen takes on Austin City Limits Fest Nights at the IHG Hotels and Resorts stage on Saturday from 12:05-12:50 p.m. The Vietnamese American artist is based in Austin and draws inspiration from her heritage and experiences to cultivate an authentic experience for listeners.
The Daily Texan: What are you most excited about for your ACL performance?
promqueen: I’m most excited about my team and I getting to perform on a big stage. Our show was built for a big stage, and I knew that from day one. I was at ACL in 2022, and I saw The Marías perform on the stage that we’re performing on, and they’re performing (on) the main stage this year, but to be able to see them and now being able to be on the stage is really exciting.
DT: How does being Vietnamese American contribute to your music?
p: It’s a very big part of my project, probably the catalyst for why it even exists. I’ve been working on a memoir about my mom and dad. They’re both immigrants from Vietnam, and (I) have been working on it for 10-plus years, archiving their stories and interviewing them. A lot of that has (been) poured into this project. My producer, Waverly, was trying to make commercial music. He was like, “Why don’t you put Vietnamese words in there?”… I was quite hesitant at first, because growing up, my mom was like, “You need to fit in. Just speak English. Just try to adapt to your environment.” So that was the first time that I tried it and I realized, there’s so much story that I’ve amassed over the years and it was just a reawakening of my own cultural identity.
DT: Your albums are split between szn one and szn two. Why did you choose this stylization?
p: szn one is like the sampler platter of promqueen, so it just shows off that promqueen is bold. She has an attitude. She’s Vietnamese American. szn two goes a bit darker and explores themes like colonization and inner family racism and domestic abuse and deeper tones within the family structure, things that my family has experienced. szn three is a two parter. The main theme is self-discovery. szn three is more exploratory and coming to terms with it fully. It’s both angsty and celebratory.
DT: Is promqueen an alter ego or a bolder representation of who you are as a person?
p: It’s a bolder representation of who I am, which is my 2-year-old self. It’s just a 2-year-old promqueen when she was young and singing Vietnamese karaoke in my living room with my parents and just dancing and living my best life. (I) like that playful, creative, imaginative energy.
