“I began pursuing my dream as a singer and became a recording artist because I've always felt that God put me on earth to fulfill a greater purpose and gave me such a gift. I started singing at a young age for church, and have been singing ever since.“
“Over the next few years, I aim to be an international pop artist.”
“I was born and raised in Visalia, CA, but both of my parents were born in Laos. They can both speak Lao, but only taught my siblings and I how to speak Mien. ”
“My parents did not
teach my siblings and me Lao because Mien is the main language our family speaks, and getting us to speak and learn one language was already a struggle. My siblings and I always spoke English, and my parents would bribe us with candy and money to get us to speak more Mien.”
“I'm a mixture of Lao, Mien, & Chinese. Mien people are often surprised that my last name is ‘Yang’. It is my dad’s Chinese last name. Although, my great-grandpa is Chinese, I identify as South East Asian lu Mien. My mom's maiden name is Saelee, which is one of the 12 Iu Mien tribes. My Mien name is Famh Chiem.”
“Something that I've dealt with all my life, which I'm sure many of my Mien/Lao brothers & sisters have experienced, is explaining to people where I'm from. I've always had to say, "I'm Mien [and/or Lao] from Laos. It's a small country next to Thailand." The typical response would be, "Oh, I love Thai food!" And I simply smile only to be polite but at the same time, I'm judging the individual for their ignorance. I've had times where I've told people I'm Thai just so that I don't have to go into providing others a geographical or historical lesson. “
“The goal then was to no longer have to deal with conversations where people don't know who we are. However now, I want to make the “invisible” exist as relayed in one of my singles, ‘M.I.E.N.’“
“I want to be a pioneer for the Iu Mien & Lao community and broaden our voice in music and even film.”
“I don't necessarily have a mentor, but my label InRage Entertainment developed my skills as an entertainer over the years. I owe a lot of my musical growth to my InRage family, Ebony, and Automatic Vanderveer. I was discovered by the former A&R Blackbird, who introduced me to Auto & Ebony. They all saw something special in me since day one and push me to aim higher for my goals and be a better artist.”
“ My musical inspirations are some of the greats: Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and even modern day killer vocalists divas like Beyonce and Jessie J. ”
“I have my BA degree in English and thought I was going to be an English professor, but I chose to pursue my music career instead. Choosing to follow my passion over a career of stability was the most difficult decision I had made. It was difficult to disappoint my dad when I chose to not further my education after getting my degree.“
“I’ve learned not to be afraid to take risks, and that growth does not come from sheer comfort and complacency. There is so much to learn from the struggles one endures. I would tell young, shy & nerdy Sirena, “you can accomplish so much more than you think you’re capable of.”
