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The child of immigrant parents, Kym’s family built their life from scratch upon their arrival in Australia. As a descendant of the boat people, Kym was able to experience life through the eyes of those who ran down the beach ducking from the shot of bullets that surrounded them as punishment for trying to escape a communist regime. Caught by nationalist soldiers, his mother was jailed more than 7 times for trying to escape Vietnam. Given his history of family of survival in the most extreme of conditions such as the survival of the Vietnamese, who were unable to swim, in the violent and turbulent seas that sunk their boats, it is unsurprising that Kym possesses an innate drive and desire to effect change in the world. They say that it is crazy people who think they can change the world, but more often than not, it is the people who are crazy enough to believe that they can change the world, that do.

Born in Adelaide, Kym grew up in a Westernised society, learning the customs and values of an Australian. His lineage however allowed him to grow up simultaneously in two worlds, one of his racial heritage and one of the Western countries that he was born into. Despite the two vastly different worlds, Kym has always felt both at home, in Australia, and among the people of his ancestry.

It is perhaps two to this seamless integration of two worlds, which has allowed Kym to see the world not through the eyes of people divided by race, but to be able to see people as they are. When asked about whether Kym has thought his racial heritage was different to that of Australian, we are greeted by a momentarily confused stare until a sudden grin spreads across his face and he remembers that despite being Australian, he has racial links back from Vietnamese, Chinese and French lineage. Who can blame him? He speaks English fluently with the common charismatically charming Australian accent. Who knew that the boy behind the voice I spoke to on the telephone today had racial links back from Asia.

His fortune at being able to experience both worlds has also allowed him to doubly experience the optimism of both worlds, which has translated into the optimism and joy, expressed in his music. The sound can only be described as joyous, and brings me back to days of sitting with friends on sunny hills eating ice-cream with pet Rover on the side, tail wagging and tongue hanging out. Kym’s sound is the most positive childish hope one can imagine encapsulated in a spirit that soars.

When asked about his music, Kym explains that while he always knew how his music would sound, it was really a matter of finding a recording process and honing his song writing craft so that the music expressed how he felt as a person; a process that took over two years working intimately with a producer experimenting with different sounds before one was discovered that came naturally. He plays at the piano for me a song he is writing, and it is easy to see that all the talking for the day is done through his piano playing with his eyes closed and a serene expression on his face.

It is without a doubt that Kym’s sound is unique, not only in the delivery but also in the song writing itself; something very difficult to achieve in today’s industry. It is difficult to pinpoint why it sounds unique. It could be due to the fact that the sound is both common to both the Asian and Western market, or it could be that Kym really is genuinely innocent in his music to such a degree that he has honed this area to perfection. What is definite however is that it draws references from the Beatles, but has subtle reference points to soul fusion with heavy guitar. As strange as it sounds, it works, and this may be due to the fact that Kym’s vocal prettiness is complemented by a very dark instrumentation. Despite the edgy and at times minor chordal song progression, there is happiness expressed in every line from the more obvious happy tracks that pay homage to the British, to the sadder tracks that uniquely allow Kym to find and instil a melancholy joy; a very rare ability that I have only have had the privilege to encounter only once in my lifetime.

This is perhaps due to the youthful innocence about Kym and his music, and a captivating aura that sometimes makes me wonder how one can go through life with such idealism. Despite this, he shouldn’t be mistaken being too slap-dash and lucky. He is recognised by recording artist Steve (EMI) as possessing a freakish ability for melody (”He’s a walking melody machine.”) and quoted by Jase Subramaniam, principle of The Australian Institute of Contemporary Singing as one of the best songwriters he has ever met. His boyish charm is disarming and as we regrettably end this interview, his smile lights up the room. I’m disappointed to see him leave, as the room now feels distinctly colder than when he was here.