Singer, Songwriter, Producer
Paulina Vo is an indie, R&B, pop/soul, singer, songwriter, and producer based in Brooklyn. Born in New Orleans to Vietnamese American immigrant parents, and eventually living in more than five states, Paulina’s experiences have molded her sound into a cross-genre blend of harmonies, delayed guitars, synths, and occasional 808’s. She’s currently composing music for indie film and TV, podcasts, and commercials, as well as writing and releasing personal projects.
Achievements
Splice Creator Class, 2019
One of twelve promising sound creators hand-selected by Splice. A nine-month program taking creators through the sound pack creation process; from concept, recording, formatting, and marketing a sample pack.
Judy Stakee’s “It All Starts with a Song” Retreat, 2018
A 5-day workshop to learn Judy Stakee’s songwriting theory, as well as connect and collaborate with up to 30 selected songwriters.
Coffee Music Project, 2017
One of eleven New York City finalists.
Nominations
"Here" from the original indie series "Here We Wait" was nominated in the Indie Series Awards (2018) for Best Original Song.
"Ghosts" from "Weekends" (2016) was nominated in the American Songwriting Awards (2017) and the Hollywood Songwriting Contest (2017) in the Best Pop Song category.
Music
Six albums, written, co-produced, and independently released (links will open in Spotify):
Theme song, “Clarity” for the Vietnamese Boat People podcast (2019)
Featured song, “Mend”, on WOW (Women Of The World) Vol. 2 (2019) mixtape
Featured score in "Please" (2018)
Music featured on "Here We Wait" (2016-2017), featuring "Move On" as the theme song, an indie award winning web series with additional nominations from the following select festivals:
Miami Web Fest (Win: Best Screenplay, Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy)
Seoul Webfest (Win: Best Science Fiction)
Additional discography available here.
Instrumentals & TV/Film Compositions
Videos
Past Shows
Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
Rockwood Music Hall, New York, NY
Pianos, New York, NY
Pete's Candy Store, Brooklyn, NY
Pine Box Rock Shop, Brooklyn, NY
Erv's, Brooklyn, NY
The Delancey, New York, NY
The New York Coffee Festival, New York, NY
Additional show listings here.
Press
“[Paulina Vo’s] new single Shades Down is her way of saying goodbye to years of toxic relationships. It is a raw and honest account that many of us need to embrace.”
Women Crushing Wednesday featuring new music by Paulina Vo Melaine Pierce, Maria Shockley, and Jenny Kern, The Girls at the Rock Show, 2020
“[Paulina Vo] recently released her new single Shades Down and it sounds so good. I like the powerful drums. Besides, the vocals are out of this world. Furthermore, I am also a fan of the dynamics. [...] Paulina is a rising star, her music opens the gates to new worlds. Shades Down is just a perfect song, what else can I say."
Introducing Paulina Vo - Shades Down, Lefuturewave, 2020
“The young indie musician has somehow captured the very sound of a late-20-something or early-30-something subculture of America who have found themselves, in some ways, completely lost and, in other ways, not needing to be found at all. This gaggle of misfits and all of their ideas of life and love, of being loud but wanting no one to hear us, of everyone being unique that no one stands out (and no wants to,) and all the spaces of the high/low extremes we claim, is packed into a single song that runs just over four short minutes. It’s ridiculously good.”
Vo Lives Dangerously with Shades Down, iREADray, 2020
“Shades Down” Premiere Interview, VENTS Magazine, 2020
Meet Creator Class 2019, Splice, 2019
“"Here is a title that surprised us by its intensity in emotion, despite a very light and very simple text, Paulina Vo managed to pass through his unique voice sensational emotions! A magnificent vocal performance and artist, for a piece that ends in apotheosis.”
Friday Releases, Indie Music Center, 2018
The business of music licensing: A Conversation with Singer-songwriter Paulina Vo, Darth Jones, 2017
"On Weekends, Paulina Vo blends dazzling vocal melodies with R&B and electronic textures to create a compelling new sound."
The Record Club Podcast, 2016
"True to their name, this crew was full of colorful characters from all over the world who added to the culture in multiple ways. [...] At any given time of the day, Joey would be in the living room cutting vocals with Paulina Vo, a Vietnamese singer/songwriter who lived around my way."
Talib Kweli Opens Up On How His New Project, Colours Of The Culture, Changed His Life, Uproxx, 2015
Podcasts and Appearances
The Digilogue: Asian Americans in Music Panel, April ‘18
On Her Terms: Women In Film, Episode 005: Lucy Prebble, November '17
The Tao of Self Confidence Podcast, Episode 234: "It's OK To Be Different", October '16
The Record Club Podcast, Episode 002, February '16