This A-Profiler we bring you Nam Ninja, a singer and songwriter who sees music as a form of expression. Find out how he chose the name Nam Ninja, what inspires his music, and where he plans to go from here.

(This is my AArisings interview take 2. Originally I rushed through the questions because they came around the anniversary of the passing of one of my dearest friends. Luckily, Nelson understood that I had gone through a lot and after telling him about a kind of rebirth after the New Years, he gave me more time.

It is strange that I am in contact with Nelson Wong. He is a true Ninja. He was mentioned in a class on Asian American Pop Culture and in my eyes he is one of the OG Pioneers of Asian Art in the mainstream, so it's quite an honor for me to be interviewed by him ~ Nam Ninja)

Your site URL:
www.namninja.com
www.myspace.com/nam

What is your ethnicity?
Ninja

How did you get started as a singer/songwriter?
In 7th grade, my best friend wanted to start a band and said I should play guitar, so the next weekend, my dad took me to the swap meet and here I am.

Have you always been interested in music as a form of expression?
Yea, music was a way for me to focus all my emotions. It was my way of communicating

How did you come up with the name Nam Ninja? Does it have any special meaning?
I heard 2 years ago, an Asian artist by the name of Skim sing the lyric “Where my Ninjas at?” I heard other rappers use it too, it was an alternative to saying the N-word.

But when I heard it, it took on a whole new meaning. I remember walking through Barnes and Noble and passing by a book called “Way of the Ninja.” And something clicked. It became a way of life and I began picking out clothes that might fit the lifestyle of an urban Ninja. It was cool to see things like “Ask a Ninja” blow up on youtube and Paul Frank even released a hoodie that zips up to a Ninja mask.

But not only my clothing style changed, my perception changed. I saw Asian Americans as Ninjas, we were born Ninjas. Everything about our art was done in secrecy or in the shadows. Mainstream America didn’t know about us and didn’t care. So I said “fuck it, I’m a Ninja and I’m gonna be a Ninja Star.”

And thus, Nam Ninja was born. But I’m not saying only Asians can be Ninjas, I feel that any person who does something in the shadow realm is a Ninja.

How would you describe your music? What inspires your song writing?
I don’t know what to call my music and most people don’t either, it’s different and familiar, my Ninjas and I have concluded. And that’s done on purpose. I used to want to be part of an alternative rock band in high school, then I went punk, then I became a Junglist, then a hip hop head, then I got into Jazz and studied Asian Music.

I approached composing like a math equation, but no matter what the formula was, the answer was correct. I listened to a lot of Asian folk music and noticed they used a lot of repetitious melodies on their instruments and sang melodies that had no pattern. I used that as a model to write my songs and did a lot of repetitive guitar melodies and juxtaposed it with variations of vocal delivery based on genre or style. For example one song might have a reggae guitar rhythm with rapping in it, along with a rockabilly singing delivery, and a screaming punk chorus. Also, old Asian songs didn’t have hooks or choruses, they just told stories, so I do that sometimes as well, I just tell a story and include or exclude a chorus depending on my artistic intent.

I approach each song like a piece of art, and the exploration is one thing that inspires me, but also of course, my experiences influence my writing and the messages I try to convey if I feel like conveying anything at all, sometimes I just make noise. And of course people. People all over the world can inspire you if you’re in the right place at the right time.

You've self-financed your debut album, Nam Ninja. Has the album been well received?
I don’t know if it has been well received, I made my money back and stopped trying to sell it. It gets tiring; I get very little to no help. I have friends, but I can’t expect them to help me sell my records and most times people don’t know that it’s all done by me, the management, production, marketing, everything and I work a full time job, and sometimes I need a break. I don’t have time to look back and see the outcome; I’m living the outcome.

What would you do differently knowing what you know now?
That’s a tricky question for me, because everything is gonna be different the next time around, that’s a given. I utilize everything I have readily available and within my budget, so whatever is available next time around, is what I’ll work with, I can’t ask for more, I don’t like being selfish. I am going to be a bit more patient, that’s one change I’d like to speak about. I have a lot of ideas and want more layers over the songs, like bass guitar and keyboards and synths and stuff. The first album was minimalist. I wanted people to know I had no budget; I produced the whole thing myself; I have only guitar and drums or just guitar; and even though I don’t have what everyone on the radio has, it’s still one of the best fucking albums you’ll ever hear.

As an Asian American musician, have you experienced any barriers within the music industry which have caused you personal frustrations?
Yes, there is of course the occasional racist, that’s always refreshing, because they’re a dying breed.

And then there is the issue of conflicting cultures and the values of those cultures. I’m Vietnamese and most Vietnamese are very conservative. I played a Conference in New Orleans and one guy said I was the worst part of the whole conference because I played a song that was an allegory about a junkie, and cussed my mom out in the song then I smashed my guitar.

But some people said I was the best part of the whole conference. The worst of it was no one had the nerve to approach me. They wanted to make a big deal about it. First they said it was the cussing that was wrong, then the people really listening defended me and said it was part of the story and didn’t glorify profanity. Then they said it was the smashing of the guitar, but who gives a shit, it was an artistic statement. In truth, they didn’t like the look of me and the people that talked shit made assumptions about me from the beginning. We were fighting the same battle, but they decided I was someone that shouldn’t be on their side. I wasn’t a spiky haired Asian; I didn’t sing radio shit; I’m not like a white, black or brown, or any other yellow musicians; I don’t just rap, or sing rock, or R&B; I’m Nam Ninja and I’m not your poster boy for Asian America, I’m not the stereotypical model minority, I’ve seen and lived through some shit. And I’m not the enemy, I’m just a dude that makes music.

Where do you envision yourself as an artist in a year, 3 years, 5 years?
I don’t know, I don’t plan that far ahead, but I figure I’ll still be making music, but also I’ll have everything more balanced, like doing film projects and writing for a comic that my friend Johnnie Dominguez and I have been meaning to do.

Outside of music, what do you enjoy doing with free time? Hobbies? Interests?
I like to write poetry and comedy skits. I play video games like guitar hero, I collect vinyl and occasionally I film stuff and edit it. I hang out with family and friends, volunteer for non profits or charities. I read a lot, I devour books. I like going to raves and dancing in the Jungle room. Sometimes I’ve danced so hard, they’ve let me backstage to dance in front of the speakers by the DJs and MCs, it’s pretty dope, I’m really into drum and bass.

As a voice trying to be heard, what guidance do you have for others who are also struggling to be heard and seen? How do you keep your focus on the prize?
Just love what you do. If you really love something, it’s always taking you somewhere and it’s always paying off.

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This issue of A-Profiler is brought to you by Nelson Wong.
Special thanks to Nam Ninja.

Photos used with permission.
Copyright retained by original copyright holder(s).