Singer draws on dark experiences

Snow and squirrels. Two things that jumped out at Minh Chau upon moving to the United States from Viet­nam at age 9.

"We came here in the win­tertime, so [snow] was my first culture shock," he said, laugh­ing. "That, and squirrels. You just don't see them in Vietnam, either." White stuff and wildlife aside, the Manassas artist — who uses his first name only as his stage moniker and still lives lo­cally — started penning poems before he left his home country, and continued when he moved to America. But his real con­nection to music came from the King of Pop.

"I still don't know how this happened or where it came from, but my parents somehow got hold of this old 45 [RPM record] of Michael Jackson's 'Off the Wall,'" Minh said. "I remember spinning it regularly.

"That's when I had this dream of becoming a singer."

Minh's writing skills brought him attention as a young stu­dent, but things took a danger­ous turn during middle school.

After a close friend moved away, he found himself immersed in a new group of people who dabbled in the dark side of street life.

"Naturally, when you start hanging out in bad places, you get involved with bad things," he said.

For a year, Minh sold drugs, which proved profitable until a deal went south. He and a friend agreed to split the profits on a sale, but Minh was unaware the drugs were bogus.

"In the drug game, if you sell fake stuff, you get beat up, or you get shot," Minh said. "I had to stay off the street and let things cool down."

In the meantime, he reconnected with a friend from elementary school.

He started attending church with the family, which gave him a chance to turn his life around.

Music became a driving force in his life again. He joined the church choir and started an R&B gospel group.

"Things really turned around for me, and I really got refocused on music," he said.

Even today, Minh carries the lessons learned from that dark period with him.

He's spoken to youths as a motivational speaker, spreading his message both domestically and internationally.

He's also managed to find the upside in it.

"When you have some experience with street life, it makes you very bold," he said. "I've tamed it a lot because of church life, but when I need to put on a thick skin and push through a situation, the hustle comes out. And this attitude of taking your life in your own hands and making things happen, I think that's the positive side of it."

Minh definitely has taken charge. He has released four albums since 2006 and is busy at work on a new project. His latest video, "First Christmas," was released on Black Friday.

"The video is a firstperson experience," Minh said.

"You may see a few clips of me, but most of it is first person through the eyes of someone celebrating the holiday. I wanted to create an intimate feel. It's very nostalgic."

The sound is that of R&B, with Minh's smooth delivery reminiscent of John Legend. He describes his sound as one that falls somewhere between urban and rock.

Minh also will open for R&B artist Erykah Badu in San Francisco on Dec. 8, with more potential dates in the future with Badu and '90s soul crooners Jodeci.

"Jodeci is kind of a dream for me," he said.

"In fact, when I do a show, I always end with [Jodeci band members] K-Ci and Jo Jo's 'All My Life.' It's going to be a great chance to be able to perform with them."

Every opportunity on stage, every song written, every lyric sung helps Minh move closer to his ultimate goal of becoming a career artist who uses his fame for good.

"I think of Bono of U2, and he uses his success as a platform for the AIDS epidemic," he said. "I'd love to do that, but until you achieve a certain fame with your art, it's just not possible. So ultimately, I just want to become a major part of the musical culture."

Staff writer Tamika Matthews can be reached at 703-530-3909.