Zooms & Tunes- Look and listen for MORE with AV_314.

Meet AV_314. A sharp kid from the colorful streets of south St. Louis. Built in adversity. Skilled in diversity. Channeling strength from his history and distributing glitter through his gifts. Whether behind the lens, screen, or mic… for AV, make room for his sonic BOOM.

“I was like 6 yrs. old, and we were living in the back of my parents’ restaurant. My dad named it “China Wok” because he didn’t want to come up with a better name.”, jokingly recalls Andy Vu, aka “AV_314”. The 25 yr. old artist remembers his first real interest in music. “My dad would play Vietnamese music of course, but it was a little boring to me. One day, a customer came in playing some rap, and I was like “what is that?”

At that moment, Andy knew exactly what to pursue. “Ever since then, I tried to get myself a CD player. I had a Walkman on the bus.”, laughs Vu. “That makes me sound hella old!” AV began practicing music to develop his skills. He practiced on guitar, saxophone, and bass. “I was freestyling, writing songs, but didn’t believe I could actually do music until I turned 20.” For more than 10 years, AV has produced, and ghost written for other artists.

In December 2020, AV_314 released his first single, “Prologue_” on streaming services. “I wrote it right during COVID, when we were seeing a lot of distressing things about the country.”, he explains. Alot of people really started to bunker themselves in socially, culturally, and intellectually. Alot of people just don’t want to go outside anymore.” In 2021, the Vietnamese American artist followed up with singles, “Two Sides_” and “Baby Blue_”. AV_314 has released 9 singles to date, along with two features, rock artist Hanyu’s “Tell Me” (with Isaak Wolf), and “Breathe” from pop artist, Lee Ka Si. “I always put an underscore after all of my song titles…meaning that the story goes on.”

AV_314 describes himself as “visual”. “I’m a visual artist, which is how I started in videography. Imagery for me is also very important when it comes to music.”, he says. His gift for imagery drives his passion to work deeper in cinematography. AV also works as a videographer for music artists and events. “That’s another side of me where I’m very maladaptive with my visuals in terms of how I see and hear things.”

Currently, AV_314 is focused on networking, producing, and content creation. “I’ve been venturing into a lot of types of productions lately. I got a new show in May in Minneapolis coming up, and I’m helping a friend produce and release her new EP.” This creative’s journey has mileage behind, but a kaleidoscope of dope ahead. This colored haired kid has our ears and eyes wide open.

“Your NEXT thing will always be your BEST thing.” -AV_314

IG: @av_314