Joseph Williams (musician)

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Joseph Sam Williams (other name: Joseph Williams, Vietnamese name: Bui Quoc Huy) (born October 10, 2003) is an Asian-American singer, songwriter and composer. He is one of the music artists with estimated global sales of 2.1 million records. He is an influential figure and has contributed to changing stereotypes about Asians.
2016 - He starting his career as a short story writer on online story platforms, Sam changed strategy and began his professional music writing career in 2018 with his debut Album Dreamers with sales of about 26K copies, followed by H18 Album in 2019 with about 12K copies. At this time, Sam made little noise and his products were still obscure and little known to the public. Making a splash in 2021 with album 18 after signing with RouteNote and CK Talent, Sam's only album to sell 1.2 million copies. Ranked 175/200 on Billboard Hot 200, received 4 nominations. Continuing the series of victories with Album 18- He triumphed with album 19 and single EP with unprecedented achievements. 
After a dispute with his former management company CK, Sam left the company and signed a new contract with CAA. Like Taylor Swift, Sam is re-recording his old albums as part of a campaign to regain album ownership.
Sam's nearly decade-long career includes 4 albums, 2 Eps, 17 nominations, 3 awards. Nearly 2 million albums sold is perhaps the most concise summary of this Asian-American music star's nearly two decades of musical activity. Williams remains a successful musical artist on his own strength and talent, not on tricks or scandals.
==Life and career==
=== Early life===
Joseph Sam Williams (Bui Quoc Huy) was born on October 10, 2003 in Vietnam. His father, Bui Thuy, is a businessman in a private timber company; His mother, Nguyen Minh, is also the founder of a wood company and real estate business. Sam has two younger brothers, Quoc Hoang and Quoc Phat. Sam's family is a traditional family. Having grown up in a family that did not have an artistic tradition but a business one, Sam also has hidden artistic qualities within him. Since childhood, Sam has loved writing poetry, stories, and music. 
Sam spent his early years in a Vietnamese village, where his grandparents and family members have lived for many generations and he spent his childhood here. He is a Buddhist ( There are documents saying that he was a Christian). At the age of 16, Sam started his career by writing short stories on major story platforms and received support from readers, especially female readers. After collaborating with a number of musicians, he gradually fell in love and decided to pursue the path of professional music writing.
===2016-2019: Start of career and debut album.===
See detailed article: List of Williams' short stories
Started his short story writing career at the age of 16 on the Wattpad platform. Sam made a splash with his short stories and novels. Starting with "Hoa Hong Dai" and winning Wattpad Stories Awards 2016, Stories of Constellations, Dead Beaty. In 2018, Sam first stepped into the path of professional music writing.Sam worked with experienced musicians and formed a long-term partnership with H18 Records. Sam started writing his debut album "Dreamers" every day. He would write about what happened in his life. He has a clear vision of what he is trying to say. Album 18 was published in September of the same year and sold 26K copies, but it was still not an album that created much resonance for his career. H18 is Sam's next album but only sold 12K copies, this is one of the worst achievements and the worst album of Williams' career.
===2020-2021: Return with album 18 contract with CK Talent and RouteNote and controversy over copyright issues ===
See detailed article: Williams' scandalous events in 2021 and Copyright dispute with record label and former management company
After the failure of her first two albums, Williams left H18 Records and began her independent career within a year. After the scandal at the end of 2021, November 2021. Williams announced her return with Album 18, after signing with RouteNote and CK Talent. Sam's only album to sell 1.2 million copies. Ranked 175/200 on Billboard Hot 200, received 4 nominations.Sam became the youngest person ever nominated at the Shorty Impact Awards 2021. . Continuing the series of victories with Album 18- He triumphed with album 19 and single EP with unprecedented achievements. 
At the end of 2022, Sam spoke out and accused his former management company, CK, of treating him poorly and being racist towards Asians. The incident made Sam's fandom community "Sam Sam" angry and attack CK Magament. Causing the company to lose 10% of its stock value and public outrage caused the company to temporarily block its personal page on social networking platforms. The management company is accused of forcing Sam to pay nearly $1.1 million to be able to own all the products he previously wrote. Sam was very angry and he responded that he would never pay a single penny to CK.
===2023- now: Signed with Creative Artists Agency and re-recorded the album===
After a dispute with his former management company CK, Sam left the company and signed a new contract with CAA. Like Taylor Swift, Sam is re-recording his old albums as part of a campaign to regain album ownership.
==Artistry==
===Musical styles===
Williams's earliest musical influences were the Beatles, who were the most important and influential influence in Williams' career. Sam admitted to being a "Beatles copycat" and he said: "The Beatles inspire me more now than when I was a kid, and they are clearly great artists." Later, Sam was influenced by female artists such as Taylor Swift, Lana De Rey and male musicians from major music groups.
===Voice===
Williams possesses a baritone range. Sam's voice is still a controversial topic as Williams' voice is said to be weak and breathless compared to other artists.Some viewers commented that he only sang the lyrics clearly and at a high volume, not much different from the recording. But others have a different opinion: Williams cannot sing his high notes completely. In particular, the vocals are quite shaky and cannot be heard clearly. Audiences and critics argued Williams had unfinished singing ability. Some critics criticized Sam for focusing too much on songwriting skills instead of vocal training.
===Songwriting===
Read more: Williams and songwriting
Williams' success is not only due to the image he has built, but also because he music is composed in a very scientific way. Williams's music actually worked out in a very scientific way. Most of Williams' songs satisfy the elements of "good" music identified by in-depth sound research. Drawing musical inspiration from his own life, implementing songs with contemporary writing skills, Williams creates mystical, magical moments with an unchanging process and songwriting style. Williams also admitted that he finds inspiration for writing music from everyday life. From early on, Williams demonstrated a knack for creating melodies and storytelling using rhythm and musical timbre that not many artists master.
Influenced by many musicians, up to now, the characters who inspired Williams to compose are also there, but ironically they are all "old people". He is also famous for his habit of writing music for his ex-lover after a breakup. The content of the songs is mostly memories, some regrets, some blame, some sarcasm, some criticism. The fact that he wrote music about his ex-lover created a lot of controversy.
===Performances===
===Video and film===
== Accolades and achievements==
See details: List of Williams' awards and nominations
Ambitious and talented, Willians has had memorable milestones in his music career. Williams proved to the world that Asians could do what white people assumed Asians could not do. Nearly a decade of Sam's career has 4 albums, 2 Eps, 17 nominations, 3 awards. Nearly 2 million albums sold is perhaps the most concise way to summarize the Asian American music star's nearly two decades of musical activity. In the 8th year of his career, Williams is still a successful musical artist through his strength and talent, not through tricks or scandals.
==Cultural status==
Main articles: Cultural impact and Public image of Williams
Williams is credited with being instrumental in changing American stereotypes about Asians. Williams' influence in the Asian American community is quite large. To the community and fans, Williams is like cultural icons that have been dusted over time. You can easily read about him on Wikipedia, but it is impossible to feel his influence during his lifetime, because Because we cannot live in that "cultural space" that you created. 
===Legacy===
Many music analysts are not the only ones shocked by Williams' success in the harsh entertainment market. Even New York music critics, who have always disliked Asian music, have felt the change he brings. Williams' commercial value is increasing day by day. In the US, most Asian artists find it difficult to develop their careers, but Williams has overcome countless obstacles and is determined to break the discrimination against Asians. Williams is one of the people who has changed the image of Asians in the entertainment industry. This has created a significant change for the Asian community living in the US. Williams' musical talent has not only changed the image of Asians in the world but also inspired many young people to dare to pursue their dreams. Although the media does not have many images of Williams appearing. Williams is talented and ambitious. Critics have said: "Sam is very ambitious, he knows what he is doing and tries his best to achieve it and knows how to control it". The audience loves him, especially Asians, he dares to pursue his dreams and does not give up.
===Entrepreneurship===
Williams made his professional fortune in the entertainment industry thanks to his unique tactics in staffing, marketing, client building, and continuous innovation.Previously, management companies would own the rights to Sam's products, but now he controls the copyright of his songs instead of the music labels. He maintains the loyalty of his fans by chatting with them online and doing short talk shows - this has helped close the gap between him and his fans. Sam actively makes money in many other fields but focuses on the entertainment industry. Although Williams is under the umbrella of CAA, he still prefers to actively operate and be self-reliant when releasing his products. He has a lean staff.He soon built his online fan base, first on Instagram, then Facebook and TikTok. The platforms allow him to bring personal products or music to his favorite listeners faster than other platforms. Williams' use of social media is now seen as key to the artist's relationship with consumers. "His use of technology to create authentic connections with fans has shaped the modern music industry in so many ways."
A big part of Williams' lasting power is reinventing herself, music executives say. No two records are ever the same, nor are the performances ever the same. "Everyone is so excited. Sam often teases or releases some mysterious items before release, causing the products to skyrocket in sales and reputation. Williams is very independent and makes many decisions on his own.
===Social activism===
Williams is a supporter of the Stop Asian Hate movement. He spoke out about this issue with the slogan "Stop Asian Hate". Especially after the incident when Sam's former management company, CK, defamed him as Asian, made his fans extremely angry. The event and Williams's voice contributed to partially changing the hostile attitude of some areas towards people of Asian descent. He donated to organizations and social causes and raising awareness against anti-Asian discrimination began to spread worldwide.
"'I have to speak up, because they are treating Asians worse and worse,'" Williams said. “This is a different time. This desire is not simply to unite the community, but to spread externally and create a strong anti-racist solidarity, I feel the pain that my community is enduring every day. They hope that, through their influence, the voices of many others will partly spread awareness to many people and limit the harsh racism that is taking place."
Williams' voice prompted a range of Asian communities and supporters to take to social media, gather and begin speaking out. This phenomenon is creating a strong voice for issues that have been ignored for many years, especially in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and violent outbreaks in recent weeks.On Google Trend, the most searched keyword related to discrimination is “Asian hate crimes”, with an increase of 1,650% in the past 12 months. Sam donated $15,000 to Stop AAPI Hate, an organization created to track violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
==Wealth and philanthropy==
Klynveld Peat Goerdeler (KPMG) - a major American accounting firm. His estimated net worth is $1 million as of February 2024 with even more value including: brand value, advertising royalties and net worth derived from the growing value of his music catalog. Currently, CAA is the trustee responsible for managing these assets. In the US, most Asian artists have a hard time developing their careers, but Williams has overcome countless obstacles and is determined to break down their discrimination against Asians.
Sam donates and raises funds for major charities with the purpose of education and health for children. Sam once donated $4000 to Save The Children. He is the founder of the Blue Bird Foundation. The more successful and prosperous Sam became financially, the more he participated in charity activities to share with the unfortunate lives that he deeply cared about.
In 2020, Sam auctioned a Tiffany Bird On The Rock AQUAMARINE, DIAMOND AND COLORED SAPPHIRE 'BIRD ON A ROCK', JEAN SCHLUMBERGER, TIFFANY & CO brooch with a starting price of 20-30 thousand dollars, and the brooch was finally sold by a buyer for 56,000 dollars. All proceeds from that auction were donated and raised funds for UNICEF to raise awareness about education and save children around the world.
In 2021, Sam founded the Blue Bird Foundation and successfully donated nearly 2,100 books and other learning materials such as pens and clothes to highland schools so that children could continue to go to school. That same year, Sam auctioned off the painting "Ocean Waves" and bought it for a final price -. He also donated all of the money to the foundation and used it for good purposes.
Throughout his career, Sam has participated in many activities to care for children with serious illnesses, donated books, auctioned and criticized the war in Gaza. and raised nearly $500,000 for UNRWA so that children in war zones have enough food to survive those difficult times. With large organizations such as UNICEF, Save The Children, CAA Foundation, Sam has contributed to relief campaigns with huge amounts of money.
==Discography==
Main articles: Joseph Williams albums discography, Joseph Williams singles discography, and List of songs by Joseph Williams 
===STUDIO ALBUM===
*Dreamers Album (2018)
*H18 Album (2019)
*18 Album (2021)
*19 Album (2022)
===EP===
*Valentine EP (2023)
===Singles===
*Send To Autumn (2023)
===Re-Records Album===
*Dreamers Album Re-Version (?)
*18 Album Re-Version (?)
==Filmography==
Main article: Williams videography
This section lists select works only. Refer to the main article for further information.
===Documentary and concert films===
*18 Movie (2023)
==Tours==
*18 Tour (2021)
*H Tour (2024)
==Footnotes==
*1- Williams was born in Vietnam, Los Angeles is where CAA is headquartered
*2- Asian American is still the biggest controversy today, some people think he is 100% Vietnamese
==References==
See complete article: List of articles, magazines, and interviews by Willliams
==External links==
See complete article: List of Williams' official online music and social media links
 
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