There is no such thing as an overnight success. I spent so much time ruminating about how my first song ever was going to make waves and get everyone listening. In reality the only people that listened to my music at first were my friends and family. Luckily, I had a lot more unreleased music which I continued to put out for the rest of the year, and I started to see my audience grow. I realized that consistent sustained promotion is the way to go.
As part of my series about young people who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Darro Chea.
Darro is an Asian-American Emo and Pop-Punk artist. In 2017, days after graduating from Berklee College of Music, Darro was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had to undergo surgery. After months of grueling recovery, Darro continued to produce and release music that has been featured in Billboard, New Noise Magazine and Music Connection Magazine, as well as placing on the iTunes Rock Charts.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit how you grew up?
When I was young, my father played in a Cambodian wedding band. I used to sit at the top of the basement stairs every Sunday and listen to them rehearse. After they finished practicing, I would sneak downstairs and bang on the drums, trying to play the drum parts of the song from memory. I think this was when I really started to “get” music, that I could hear something and play it back.
Eventually, I picked up the guitar and started really getting into learning how to play. I grew up in the urban area of York, PA and went to an inner city school where I was one of three Asian-American students in my grade and one of two guitar players in my school. There really weren’t a lot of kids interested in the same music as I was, so I spent a lot of time practicing in my bedroom. And of course, we were poor, so I was self-taught until I got to college.
When I finally got to college, I started working part-time jobs to pay for guitar lessons. I was really arrogant too, I thought that I was an expert at the guitar, that is until I went to my first lesson and I couldn’t play any scales. It was a huge blow to my ego and self-esteem, so I went home and literally started practicing 6–8 hours a day. In my first year of dedicated practicing, I failed two of my classes at college because I was missing so much class. At this point I realized that if I just became a music student, then practicing would be a part of the curriculum, so I decided to apply myself to getting into music school. The very next year I auditioned and was accepted into Berklee College of Music, and I’ve never looked back.
Is there a particular book or organization that made a significant impact on you growing up? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
When I was 18 years old, I attended a masterclass taught by virtuoso Steve Vai. I was a pretty big fan of his so I was really excited to learn about his guitar techniques and secrets. But instead of him talking about guitar playing, he talked about his philosophy and the law of attraction. He introduced me to the idea of thought manifestation.
At first I thought it was spiritual mumbo jumbo, but for some reason, that lesson has stuck with me for years. I began to notice that things really did manifest the more I thought about it, and there was a completely logical explanation for it. I would become obsessed with an idea, a song, or a video. And I would continue to think about it and visualize the entire project. Then I would begin making that project or song a reality, and I would continue to think about it more and more until I was so obsessed that it was impossible not to make it happen.
This idea of manifestation has been at the core of everything I do, but only because there is a logical flow of events that make it work. The idea pops into my head, I ruminate about the idea, I become obsessed with the idea, I figure out the steps to make it happen, and then I do everything in my power to make it happen.
How do you define “Making A Difference”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
To me, “Making A Difference” really just boils down to impacting the life of a person via very small moments. It’s really as simple as lifting a person’s spirits for 3 minutes on any given day.
For example, I had a person message me on Instagram telling me that they resonated with one specific lyric in my song “Signing Out.” The lyric is: “My time is out here, I’m signing out here.”
When I wrote that lyric, I was referring to the fear that I had when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and that I might die the next day. However, to this person, they connected it to the fact that they just graduated high school, and that “they were signing out” of high school. I never imagined my lyrics would be interpreted that way, but the fact that they were able to find significance in that little moment was very special to me. I think moments like these make a difference.
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the main part of our interview. You are currently leading a group that aims to make a social impact. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
There are multiple layers to the type of social impact my team and I are aiming for. The first layer is about processing the trauma from mental and physical health problems.
For the past several years, my music has been about processing the feelings of being an outcast, the fear of death and the unknown, and making it more digestible and humorous. Whether it’s with very aggressive guitar chords that allow you to release pent-up frustration, or a funny tongue-in-cheek music video that shows people proudly displaying their eccentricities, we just want to make our fans feel like they’re a part of a community that understands.
The second layer of impact that we’re striving for is injecting more racial diversity into the alternative music scene, namely in the emo and pop-punk genre. In the past year or two, we’ve seen a huge flux of racially diverse and different gender identities enter the pop-punk emo genre, and it’s truly amazing to see it happen. However, there is still an extreme lack of Asian representation within the genre. I’m striving to be a part of the change that allows the next generation of Asian-Americans to feel welcome in the scene.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
When I was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2017, I thought that my life might end. It was definitely the scariest moment of my life. Years later I still think about how helpless I felt that night in the emergency room. However, the one thing I’ve realized in these past few years is that I am not alone. Fear of death is a crippling thing, and the side-effects of chronic illness/diseases can really make people feel outcasted. I just didn’t want to feel alone anymore, and I didn’t know how else to process my feelings besides making music about it.
As for racial diversity, I’ve always felt outcast because of my Cambodian heritage. Growing up, I felt a little ashamed to be such a huge fan of the pop-punk and emo genre because it felt like it was music made by and for white guys. It wasn’t really “cool” to like rock music in my family, most of my siblings and cousins were really into hip-hop and R&B. I didn’t feel welcome liking that genre of music around my family, and I definitely didn’t feel welcome liking that type of music in a crowd of white guys, so I felt isolated. It wasn’t until I had my brain tumor moment that I decided to just go for it. I already had a near-death experience, so why spend the years I got back caring about what other people thought of me?
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
Not entirely. My friends call me the “schemer” of the friend group, because I’m always the person who wants some outlandish thing, and comes up with a “scheme” to make it happen. I don’t really know where that aspect of me came from, but I’ve always had a knack for coming up with plans and following through with them.
It wasn’t until I attended that Steve Vai masterclass did I realize that this same mentality could be applied to music. I began to divert this energy into imagining songs, music videos and full-scale productions. Then I applied the same techniques as I would for my other schemes: what’s the end goal? How do I get there? Who do I need to ask for help?
Many young people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
It was a really slow process of building my team. I never look to expand my team until it’s absolutely necessary; I usually try to do everything myself. A couple of years ago it got to a point where I simply couldn’t do everything myself and I needed help. But I didn’t want to work with just anyone, I wanted to work with people who are just as passionate as I am. That’s when I met Mike Monto from Burning Wick Studios. You can just tell when someone is a hard and passionate worker, and we vibed really well together.
After working with Mike on a few video projects, I started meeting other passionate people through these projects, including Andrew Froening who helps direct my music videos, Deanna Kennedy who helps design costumes for my video projects, and my partner Jojo Evangelista who does all the special effects makeup for my projects. And of course I wouldn’t be anywhere without my bandmates Tyler Chronister and Victoria Seagriff.
I’ve realized one core thing about myself through working with these people: I like to be surrounded by people who are just as passionate about their craft as I am with my music. I think when you form a team like that, you can make a lot of ideas come to fruition.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your group?
When we were filming the music video for “Signing Out,” I was really inspired by the idea of being buried live in a coffin. We took inspiration from Kill Bill Vol. 2, and luckily, Mike had a friend who was really good with woodworking. He came over with some plywood and two-by-fours, and promptly built us a casket just like Kill Bill. It worked out perfectly because he finished building the casket literally an hour before we started filming.
For that scene I wanted to hold a candle to act as the light source from inside the coffin, however I was concerned about wax drippage on my costume. When we were rehearsing for the scene, I ended up lighting a match in place of the candle, and the length of the match burned JUST long enough to last the entire first verse, which was the length of the scene in the casket. It just managed to work perfectly that the length of the first verse perfectly matched how long the match would last before I burned my fingers.
All in all, we lit about 76 matches, and I only burned my fingers once.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or take away you learned from that?
When I was first starting out in New York City and trying to book shows, I had never booked a show on my own before. I didn’t understand door splits, payouts, drink minimums or any of that. All I knew was music. So when time for our first show came, people showed up and we played our set. However when we were finished, we were paid $0 flat. I was totally confused, we had brought at least 20 people to the show and tickets were $10, that should have been $200, even after a split we should have gotten something.
Turns out, the minimum for payout was 25 people, and we only earned $5 per person after the 25th person. It was a really confusing setup that basically makes it really hard for beginning artists to make money from their shows. I understand that they have to pay the house and engineer, but I’ve been very careful about the fine print of show payouts ever since.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
One of the difficult things about being an Asian-American artist within my genre is that I didn’t have a lot of mentors going into this. I was navigating through the industry blind, inexperienced and without any role-models. Then one-day I met Simon Tam of The Slants and The Slants Foundation. I read about how they were an Asian-American rock band that made national headlines trying to own their identities as Asian-Americans. It was a truly inspirational story and suddenly I felt a lot less lonely being an Asian-American artist in the rock/punk genre.
I started working with Simon in 2020 and he mentored me very heavily with marketing and business development, and I was able to land some major endorsements and partnerships with companies such as Fender, Seymour Duncan, GHS Strings and so on. He helped me figure out how to pitch myself as more than just a musician.
Without saying specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
There was this girl who messaged me one day about some health stuff. She was diagnosed with Acromegaly, one of the rare diseases that I also have due to the brain tumor. We just talked for a while about how our bodies were changing due to the disease, and how to process the emotions of not mentally connecting with our bodies.
She mentioned that she listened to my entire Songs of Recovery album and how she understood a lot of subliminal messages I had written between the lines. I never expected anyone to understand the feelings I feel when writing my music, but she seemed to get it. She explained that it made her feel less alone that someone else could relate to her very unique problems.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
In terms of community, I would say that there are still some folks in the alternative music genre community that do a bit of gatekeeping. Many of these people are resistant to new and innovative music, and by extension the people creating it. It would be really helpful if some of these people would be more open-minded to change in the music industry, as change will happen whether you want it to or not.
As a society, we need to be more accepting of young artists who’ve worked their butts off to get to where they are. A lot of artists may seem like overnight successes (especially with the advent of viral social media platforms like TikTok), but most people don’t see how hard these artists have worked behind the scenes, oftentimes for YEARS. There definitely are rare cases of viral overnight success, but most of the time people have grinded for a really long time and were just well prepared when the opportunity came. I just think people need to be a little more uplifting.
Lastly, politicians, get it together. I could spend days talking about politics, but the core of the issue is that the House and Senate no longer represent the majority of Americans today. If you just take a look at both parties, most of them are old, white, and wealthy. Some of them have been in office for decades and are completely out-of-touch with the average lives of Americans. How can you expect someone like this to make decisions on your behalf? We need to get more relevant politicians to represent us.
Fantastic. Here is the main question of the interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each).
“5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before Being a Musical Artist with a Brain Tumor”
You are mostly responsible for your own well-being. While you are responsible for taking care of yourself, (i.e. taking medication on time, getting enough sleep, exercising, etc.) I say ‘mostly’ because there are things that happen outside of your control, and you have to roll with the punches. I live in America, and it’s pretty safe to say that the United States doesn’t have the best healthcare system. Appointments will fall through, insurance will push back and deny medications, offices will make mistakes on prescriptions, and ultimately you will suffer the consequences. Years of battling with the healthcare system has taught me that there is virtually no accountability in the healthcare system, and the patients get the brunt of the negligence. It’s sad to say, but if you’re a musical artist who suffers from chronic illness, you will have to fight for your healthcare because no one else is going to do it for you.
There is no such thing as an overnight success. I spent so much time ruminating about how my first song ever was going to make waves and get everyone listening. In reality the only people that listened to my music at first were my friends and family. Luckily, I had a lot more unreleased music which I continued to put out for the rest of the year, and I started to see my audience grow. I realized that consistent sustained promotion is the way to go.
Even if you have a unique disease, you can still make music that is relatable. I have a host of problems due to my brain tumor, all of which are pretty unique/rare diseases. At first, I was concerned about writing music about my brain tumor; I was afraid that it would be too specific and people wouldn’t resonate with me. However after years of testing the waters I’ve realized a few things: listeners love a good story. If you tell a good story through your music, it doesn’t matter how unique or different you are, the listener will be able to relate. Whether or not they’ve experienced something similar, or interpret the lyrics in a completely different yet valid way, they will love to listen to your stories if you’re willing to tell them.
You will have extreme highs and very extreme lows. Last year I finished a music video that featured some incredible choreography courtesy of Meghan Faddis (Hamilton). It was some of the most fun I had ever had on set, and the music video turned out beautifully. The next week I was in the hospital because I had a seizure and hit my head. I was literally on top of the world, and then days later I was in the hospital again. There have been days where I wonder if my life would be easier if I weren’t an artist. But in reality I know that being an artist is the only way I can live, so I just have to ride the valleys to reach the peaks, sort of speak.
You will feel stagnant at times, that’s okay. I’ve gone weeks without picking up my instrument (a stark contrast to my college days where I would play for hours a day). The capitalist in me feels like if I’m not doing something productive everyday then I’m worthless, but I know in reality I’m probably a little burnt out. There are days where you will be extremely productive and get days worth of work done, and there will be stretches of days where you feel like you aren’t getting anything done. This is normal, just pace yourself.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Focus on impacting individuals, rather than large groups of people at once. I notice that I make the most progress when I focus on connecting with individual people. They are usually more receptive, grateful, and ultimately more likely to recommend you to others because of the personalized experience you gave them.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Hi Hayley Williams, you’re a huge inspiration to my music and career and I’d love to chat about music, politics and hair dye with you over ramen.
How can our readers follow you online?
instagram.com/darro_c
facebook.com/darrochea
tiktok.com/@darro_c
youtube.com/darro_c
twitter.com/darro_music
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Young Change Makers: Why and How Darro Chea Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.