Far Away
Far Away is a song for immigrants and refugees, especially those who are what I would consider 1.5 generation: immigrants who came to another country as young children and don’t have much or any memory of their birth countries. Those who struggle to belong in both the home they left and the home they’ve been brought to.
While the lyrics speak to the many images of my parents’ history in Vietnam, Far Away is about knowing your “homeland” only through the stories and photographs that your parents share. For some of us, that’s not a lot and they’re always tinted with personal trauma and biases.
The music and vocal melody for Far Away had been around for three years, but the song was so special that I couldn’t find a topic or lyrics that did the song justice. Then in late 2018, I had a conversation with my friend Hieu Gray, who is working on a beautiful documentary about Vietnamese food spreading to other parts of the world through displaced people.
We spoke deeply about how, as immigrant babies, our knowledge of Vietnam is mostly constructed from stories and photos. We thirst to learn more about our culture, but will always feel like tourists in our birthplaces. When I wrote the lyrics based off of our conversation, it was a super emotional experience filled with gratitude and respect for everyone who made the journey to find a better life. It’s especially relevant in today’s political climate in the United States.
I hope you enjoy the song. Leave me a comment.
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Thank you!
❤ BAO
It sounds great! I’ve always loved your approach to synthpop music and it’s cool to see the little twists taken with this (plus the message is very cool)