Daily Inspiration: Meet Travis Yee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Yee.

Hi Travis, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi there. I’m Travis and I just recently moved to Nashville an about a month ago! I moved from Las Vegas and it’s been a thrill so far. I love fast food and I love my family. Now, which one do I love more? I can’t answer that haha. But, I guess you probably want to know more about my music journey. I never had an aspiration to be a singer as I was growing up nor did anyone in my family pursue any type of music. I was introduced to a wide variety of music when American Idol premiered in 2002. I enjoyed watching people perform and live out their dreams. I think this phase of my life started my journey. I still never sang or wanted to sing, but I enjoyed watching people do the process.

I always admired performers but was too skeptical to think I could be anything like the people I watched on TV. In 2012, I decided to post a video of me singing a Wilson Phillips song, “Hold On.” It was really bad, but I got over my fear and decided to just go for it. One take, one song. To my surprise, the woman had commented saying that her daughter couldn’t stop listening to my version and loved how I had made it sound country. I never grew up with country music, so thought the comment was odd, but appreciated the compliment.

Over time, people started requesting various songs which then led to people requesting country artists for me to cover. I found that my natural singing voice suited country music well. Long story short, throughout the years, I’ve fallen in love with country music and self-taught myself how to sing. I would improve by taking in feedback from friends and through social media comments and continue to research on YouTube how to get better.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth just like my skin. Just kidding. I had acne and there were bumps along the music journey as well. lol sorry.

The biggest hurdle, to be honest, was and is myself. I am so hard on myself and judge myself more than anyone else which has held me back. I overthink what people think, even if they give me compliments. It’s self-sabotaging and bad. I’m working on that and still working on the confidence. I think because I care so much about it, it frightens me a tiny bit.

I’ve also had a few people on the internet tell me that I shouldn’t do country music because of my ethnicity. That’s never bothered me, and if anything, pushes me to show them they’re wrong.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I do have a day job that helps pay the bills and allows me to pay for the music journey…but. my focus is building my music career. I enjoy being an artist and an influencer. It’s so enjoyable connecting with people all over the world through social media and in real life. If I can bring joy to someone through my humor or music, then that gives me joy and reminds me why I do what I do.

Now, lately…I’ve been known for going viral on TikTok as the Asian Country Singer. It flows right? Lol. I had created that username because I knew it was going to be hard to introduce myself as a country singer who’s Asian but also didn’t think people would remember my name. Thought to myself, if people see me, they’re probably going to search for Asian country singers first. It’s worked!

I’m honestly most proud of just being able to pick my feet up and pursue something that I enjoy. Growing up, I was always into tech and video games…never in my wildest dreams would I, or anyone in my family, think I would be a singer. Definitely not on Travis’ BINGO card.

What sets me apart is the obvious, being a unique face in the country music scene. I love it and I love that people are accepting of it.

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’m typically not a risk taker, but starting a music career with no experience and choosing a genre that isn’t widely diverse was a pretty big risk. Now yes, it’s still internally nerve-wracking wondering how people will perceive me and/or even take me seriously as a country music artist. But, I have found more appreciation and acceptance than not which helps push me.

I was able to utilize online resources to better myself vocally and creatively. Something that I started uncomfortable with is growing on me and the more experience I gain, the more it becomes a risk that I’m happy I pursued.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.travisyeehaw.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travisyeehaw/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/travisyeehaw
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@asiancountrysinger