Meet Holden Nguyen | Recording Artist and Music Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Holden Nguyen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Holden, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I pursued a path that allows me to express myself artistically and creatively to act as an outlet for thoughts and emotions that I might not be able to get across well in other mediums. As a music producer, writer, and engineer, I have full control and final say of my creative output. It lets me tweak anything and everything I want, and that satisfies the control freak in me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is representative of all of me, the deepest and the most surface level. I treat my music as a passion project and standalone art pieces that can come together as a whole when listened to as an album. Lyrics in rap music today aren’t always the main focus, nor should they always be. But in my music, I like to have lyrics that are able to stand on their own when taken out of the context of a song. It’s all real and important to me, so I want to say what I mean and mean what I say. That’s why the lyrics need to be a true representation of myself. They also rhyme, so plus points for that. I’d like to think lyrics are what separates me from a lot of my peers, because a lot of them focus more on the vibe and flow of the music. While that’s understandable, I think that there’s a balance, and hitting the perfect mix between easy listening and good penmanship makes your art that much more timeless.

The biggest challenge to getting where I am today with my music was definitely the amount of time and effort it took to get good at producing and engineering. I’m still not the best at either and I’m learning with time, but it’s taken six to seven years to get here and I’m still enjoying the ride. Engineering for other artists has been a huge step in the learning process, and I plan to do it for the foreseeable future. I’ve worked a lot with artists like 327Mohit and Amprunsitup, and the style of mixing unique to every artist is a learning curve that is fun and engaging the whole way. It’s important to me that their voices fit the instrumentals exactly how they like, and finding out how to get there is helping me become better as an engineer, and an artist by extension.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m based in Cincinnati for the most part, and there’s plenty to do for sure. I’d take them for a Red’s game and to see the Banks, probably see the whole area near the river. Another great area is Over-The-Rhine in general. Findlay Market is its crown jewel, but the whole surrounding town makes for a great day of walking around and popping into all the shops. Some great holes-in-the-wall over there. The night life is noteworthy too, so honestly that’s probably what my friend and I would be getting up to for most of the week.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Mohit Koneru and Nabil Makour (aka 327Mohit and 327AM)

Able to be reached at

[email protected]

[email protected]

Website: https://linktr.ee/rosuto

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_rosuto/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk4KYix7ehYcROEbECgoZ5g

Image Credits
Connor Schmitt, Grey Bennett