Most EPHS students have been busy with various activities this year, but it’s safe to say that senior Thuy-Yen Tran has been up to quite a lot lately with both her singing Instagram account and Etsy shop. 

Tran started singing when she was about four years old, but it wasn’t until later that she decided to share her singing covers on social media. “No one really knew I could sing. I just did it for fun, and my older sister sings. I was kind of inspired by her to start singing in general and just start sharing my voice.”

Her favorite music genres are pop and alternative music, and her favorite artists are Ariana Grande as well as Victoria Kelly. 

She primarily covers other artists. For Tran, making a song cover is a pretty straightforward process. “When I make a cover I usually either find a song that I want to do, or I hear the song on the radio. So then I just sit at the piano and figure out the chords for that song.” As well as doing covers she has also created some original recordings that haven’t become public yet but she’s excited to someday share. 

Along with singing, she has been playing the piano for 10 years and plays the guitar and violin as well.

Tran’s biggest dream is to make a career out of her singing. But, she says,“ If I can’t get there then just being able to sing with my family and my sister and just create music for myself is enough.” 

“As long as I’m happy with what I’m performing and the songs that I’m singing, and just enjoying the music that I create, I feel like that’s success.”

Music is not the only thing that Tran is passionate about. She runs an Etsy shop with her older sister called VyNYen. Together they sell tie-dyed clothes that they dye themselves. 

Originally started on Instagram, VyNYen was created as a way to pass time during quarantine. “It was super random because it started during quarantine when we did a lot of DIY stuff. We didn’t really have any goals. We thought, ‘we can just do this for fun and be able to sell our stuff.’” Amazingly, it has grown into a shop with nearly 400 sales and a five-star rating. 

Their sales average around 10 orders for a normal week and 20 around the holiday season. The orders can be time-consuming: Tran usually spends about 8 hours a week creating the products. 

The most rewarding part for Tran is definitely the customers. “We’ve been getting a lot of super nice reviews, and It’s just super rewarding to have your customers be really happy with the product.” 

Find her music covers at @ThuyYenSings on Instagram and check out the hand-dyed clothes on sale at her Etsy shop, VyNYen.