A new country band is blazing a trail for an entire continent that listens but is seriously underrepresented in the ranks of country artists.
The Los Angeles-based country music band NuAsia, consisting of Saint Cloud on vocals, Isamu MacGregor on keyboard, Mark Flores on guitar, Dhammika DJ Jayasinghe on bass, Janesh Ruwanpathirana on percussion, and Roshan Seresinhe on drums, released a debut song “Quiet Violence” which is also the title track for their new album, on June 9, 2023.
Seresinhe said two more singles, covers of famous country hits, will be released in July and the album itself will come out in September.
“This is the first legit all-Asian country band trying to make it in mainstream country music,” Seresinhe said. “There are a lot of Asian musicians in country but you don’t hear a single Asian band. Minorities are very very low percentage of the musicians in country. Right now it’s only Cain Brown, Darius Rucker, they are about the only two out there. We are modern country, we’re not bluegrass, we’re not honky tonk, we’re not going to pretend like we’re from the south and wear cowboy hats and jeans and run around.”
NuAsia's debut album, ‘Quiet Violence,’ is a powerful and emotive work that tells the story of a troubled relationship and the journey to overcome its challenges. The album features six original tracks written by Saint Cloud and Roshan, each with a unique melody that matches the mood and theme of the song. The album's title track, "Quiet Violence," is a poignant ballad that explores the quiet pain and neglect that can exist in a troubled relationship.
“Some people think the song is about an affair,” Seresinhe said. “It’s really the story about a troubled relationship where one of the partners is getting ignored by the other. We’ve got a very dramatic music video that came out with the song.”
This song is the first part of a five part story told by four other songs on the nine-track album.
Seresinhe said the band is living proof that there is a huge following for country music among Asians in America and in Asia.
He said some of the instruments used in country music for the past century had Asian origins.
At the forefront of NuAsia is the stunning and gifted lead vocalist, Saint Cloud, who co-wrote all the original tracks on ‘Quiet Violence.’ Saint Cloud, who is of Vietnamese descent, showcases her exceptional songwriting skills in each of the album's six original tracks.
On keyboards is Isamu MacGregor, a phenomenal musician of Japanese descent, who brings an incredible depth of talent and experience to the band from his years of touring with Colbie Caillat.
On lead guitar, the fabulous Mark Flores, who is of Filipino descent, owning an impeccable resume, is considered one of the top Asian guitarists in California.
The band's rhythm section is made up of three incredibly talented musicians of Sri Lankan descent. Dhammika (DJ) Jayasinghe on bass guitar, Janesh Ruwanpathirana on percussion, and Seresinhe on drums, who also serves as the band's leader and executive producer.
With a range of ages from 20 to 60, the band proves that music truly has no age limit, and their collaboration creates a unique and memorable sound that showcases their collective talent and passion.
Seresinhe said some people like to put NuAsia’s sound in the pop category, but the stories in their songs and the melodies identify them as more modern country pop.
“I always explain to people if you listen to country pop, what’s played right now, the music itself is pop,” he said. “The thing that makes it country is the vocals because they all have a twang. Now St. Cloud doesn’t have a twang, our melody is country, but what we did, if you notice is we used a lot of the original country instruments. You’ve got piano and you’ve got lap-steel, you’ve got pedal steel, some songs have a banjo. So we have a very unique sound because it’s pop, but a lot of the new country songs don’t use those traditional country instruments. “We’re not honkey tonk or bluegrass. We tell stories, we have country melodies. We don’t have a twang but that doesn’t make us not be country.”
Follow NuAsia on all the social media and streaming platforms:
Website
YouTube
Instagram
Spotify
Facebook
TikTok
Apple Music