In August 2021, North Star Boys (@northstarboys), the septet of Asian-American content creators founded by Oliver and Sebastian (@olivermoy , @sebastianmoy), and consisting of Regie Macalino (@regiemacalino), Ryan Nguyen (@azngami), Justin Phan (@sojuphan), Darren Liang (@darren.jyl), and Kane Ratan (@kaneratan) came to social media with the intention of inspiring and representing the Asian-American community, as well as reaching and making a positive impact on as many fans as possible. being the first group of this style to ever exist.
In May 2022, the group presented a new facet by venturing into the music scene with the release of their first single “You are my star”, followed by a sold out performance at The Roxy where they performed 9 undisclosed tracks and their debut single. Just a year into what started as a dream, the group of content creators and music group has not stopped succeeding in their journey in search of their own “North Star,” impacting not only the Asian-American community, but also the Stars (their fandom’s name) around the world.
The group’s most recent musical highlight is their single “Sunshine” which premiered a week ago. Today, hear at Vanity Teen, we are pleased to present the music video for their latest single, which undoubtedly shows that the boys are going full force when it comes to showcasing their musical talent.
With August being their anniversary month, it is a pleasure to feature the North Star Boys as our latest digital cover stars. We had the opportunity to interview the group and talk about their first anniversary, overnight success, their venture into the music scene, fashion, their latest single “Sunshine” and future projects and performances.
Be sure to follow North Star Boys on their Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Click HERE to listen to North Star Boys latest hyperpop single “Sunshine“”!
VT. Looking back a year, being the group’s first anniversary this August, what are some of the things you are surprised about after the great success you have had?
Oliver: NSB has accomplished so much this past year, we’ve met Stars from New York, all the way to the Philippines. We’ve debuted in music, grown close as a family, as a band, and even stepped into the Web 3.0 world by launching a successful NFT for “you are my star” our song for our Stars. The Stars are what keeps us going, without them we would be nothing.
Sebastian: Looking back at the start of the group. It makes me so proud of how far we’ve grown and learned so many amazing things along the way. I’m very excited about where the future is going to take us and how many lives we can positively impact.
VT. What have been some of the major changes that have happened in your lives following your success as NSB?
Sebastian: We’ve seen major miracles happen on this journey that makes me truly believe that something like this really was meant to be. We never thought we’d be able to make so many people happy every day by doing what we do.
Kane: A major change in my life that has happened was joining NSB. My dream as a kid was always to be a part of a group and inspire Asian-Americans around the world.
Justin: A major change for me is making new connections and learning how to communicate with other people socially.
Ryan: One major change that has happened in my life is meeting the stars and hearing how I helped them get through some of their difficult life choices and make them smile.
Darren: A major change in my life since joining NSB was having seven close friends who I consider my brothers. They have helped me through some extremely difficult times and I really appreciate them.
Regie: Basically my whole life turned around meeting these boys. It’s a blessing that I’m living with my best friends. I love that they are open to learning about my Filipino heritage, which they have been falling in love with since we got to visit the Philippines.
VT. Reflecting on the group’s vision, that of Inspiring Asian Americans, how do you feel your vision has impacted that community?
Sebastian: Being the first of its kind, I hope that other Asian Americans can look at what we achieve and be inspired by our success. Growing up, my friends and I felt like there were a limited amount of opportunities to achieve, but after taking the narrow path in life, I know a lot of Asian Americans are motivated to achieve their dreams as well.
VT. When did you realize that your passions could become a career?
Sebastian: By being an opportunist, as soon as I saw the success of others in this industry, I knew that I had the potential to be something big and turn it into a career.
Kane: The idea to express my creativity out into the world is a blessing not many people have. A dream come true of a creative artistic man is being able to make art people love. I love being able to provide the best content and art to people so they can have that couple of seconds of happiness to escape reality.
Darren: Ever since I was a kid I had a passion for entertainment and music. I started off translating English songs into Chinese.
VT. There are different content creators and influencers all over the Internet, however, you are the first collective of Asian-American content creators, managing to break through the noise and make a real name for yourselves on social media, with millions of followers
across different social platforms. What do you think your success is due to, what sets you apart?
Sebastian: We built a solid foundation and establishment focusing on organization and simply having a great time that can be seen through the viewer’s eyes. We have an amazing work ethic.
Oliver: We are friends before anything, and we are driven to inspire. Each member of NSB is eager to work and grow to inspire Asian-Americans and minorities alike.
VT. What has been the most exciting event/moment you have experienced since becoming the NSB?
Kane: Every time we’ve met the stars have been the most excited I’ve ever been in my life. To be able to see the smiles of the stars who are there every day for us is always something that makes me happier than anything.
Ryan: New York City was the most exciting moment I have experienced since joining NSB. I’ve had a chance to meet some amazing people and our Stars are very supportive of us.
VT. You have just made your first digital cover with us, (thank you very much for choosing us) and in May your debut as a musical group, how do you think fashion is related to music?
Darren: Thank you so much for having us. All of us are very excited to have our first digital cover with Vanity Teen. I believe fashion and music have a big correlation with each other. Music and fashion are interconnected on several levels: one influences the other and vice versa, in a never-ending shift of trends.
Every person has a unique way of dressing, therefore my goal in the world of fashion would be for people to understand style is not about the price, but the comfortability of the person wearing
the clothes. People find their own style in fashion as well as in music.
VT. And with your lives?
Oliver: Fashion is a form of art, there’s no right or wrong way to dress, as long as you feel confident, then you are wearing the right outfit. A message that Justin likes to spread is “wear what you want”.
VT. How would each of you describe its fashion style?
Regie: My fashion depends on what I’m feeling each day, so pretty much my mood. I like to experiment with my style.
Darren: I am very versatile with my fashion. I’m such a casual guy, I enjoy wearing classy looks.
Kane: I tend to have an edgier dark style. I enjoy wearing the color black, especially with my new hair color.
Justin: My style is very versatile. I’m open to anything but on a daily basis, it’s very soft boy style and casual.
Oliver: My fashion style may vary with the seasons and the weather outside. If it’s a gloomy day, then darker tones are what I would go to. My favorite color to wear is green.
Sebastian: My personal style is very edgy and Asian-inspired streetwear. Black is also a color I like to wear, it pairs well with anything.
Ryan: I like to explore different styles but I tend to mostly wear the soft boy style.
VT. Any brand you would like to do a collaboration with?
Ryan: I would love to collaborate with Zara and Apple.
Regie: I definitely would love to collaborate with Balenciaga and New Balance.
Justin: I would love to collaborate with Uniqlo and Nike.
VT. Connecting more deeply with your fans (the Stars), you entered web3 by releasing your first NSB NFTs, which sold out within an hour. I understand there are still some packs available, could you tell us what inspired you to make them and what are some of the features of those NFTs?
Sebastian: Web3 is such a fresh and amazing concept. With this being our first NFT, we believe this can be the start of something that has infinite potential to change the world and industry as a whole for us. Our goal was to show as much appreciation to our Stars as possible. We wanted them to be apart of history with us, so the price range was set at $10 for singles and $30 for a pack of three NFTs. Super affordable to show our Stars how much their support means to us.
VT. In May you released your single “You are my star”, subsequently you performed at The Roxy in Los Angeles, marking a new stage for you as musical artists, what motivated you to launch yourselves into the music industry?
Oliver: I never knew I would be releasing music, when I grew a passion for music creation back in 2020, I fell in love with all things music-related, I started reading books about music theory and business in music. I even got into producing, engineering, songwriting, and even composing music.
VT. How would you describe your musical style?
Oliver: My music style at this moment would be considered hyper pop, although our sounds in music are similar to hyper pop, we add a nice twist of what the group enjoys listening to. I love the sounds of a guitar, and how fragile and delicate it is. It is a very unique contrast when a crunchy beat is thrown into the mix.
VT. Living in a cross-cultural country, what are your main musical influences?
Justin: Joji, Frank Ocean, and Fiji Blue.
Darren: DPR Ian and Jackson Wang.
Regie: Arthur Nery and Joji.
Kane/Ryan: Keshi.
VT. What advice do you have for those who wish to pursue their own North Star like you?
Kane: Find your dream, work hard, and know that if someone is hating on you, you’re probably doing something right.
Justin: Never let anyone get in the way of dreams you are super passionate about. Chase after your dreams.
VT. What projects are next on your bucket list?
Oliver: I’ve recorded more than 200 songs from 2020 to this month of August. My next project would definitely be to release an album with NSB to share with the world.
Sebastian: We’ll be traveling to the Philippines for the first time this month. We have a meet and greet set up, so we’re super excited for this trip.
Kane: Next on our bucket list is going to Florida for Playlist Live in September and seeing the Floridian Stars. We’ll be a part of the creative panel alongside some other cool content creators.
Darren: Really want to dive more into producing my own music this year.
Justin: I’ve been brainstorming on some ideas and would like to start a fashion line to provide for all the stars.
VT. Do you have any upcoming events or announcements you would like to share?
Sebastian: We’re proud to announce that we’re releasing our own Boba Tea drinks! Mu Tea will be able to be ordered through delivery apps in select locations. Our goal is to have it worldwide.
Regie: Our new music video to our newest single “SUNSHINE” is out today!! Can’t wait to see what our Stars think about the music video. It took us two days to film, we woke up at 3 am.
VT. Before we end the interview is there anything you would like to say to your stars?
Oliver: Thank you for your endless amount of support and love. You motivate and inspire us more than you know. Without you, we would be nothing.
Sebastian: Thank you for believing in us and supporting us on this journey.
Kane: Stay strong, positive in this dark world. Find your light and hold onto it.
Justin: Thank you for supporting us, we can always count on our stars.
Ryan: I LOVE YOU!
Darren: Wo ai Ni (Wo-ai-Ni means, I love you)
Regie: Thank you stars for always supporting us, believing in us and we love you all.
North Star Boys: Written in The Stars
Talent: North Star Boys(@northstarboys): Sebastian Moy(@sebastianmoy), Oliver Moy(@olivermoy), Regie Macalino(@regiemacalino), Ryan Nguyen(@azngami), Darren Liang(@darren.jyl), Kane Ratan(@kaneratan),Justin Phan(@sojuphan)
Photography: Angel Andres(@ayescobar)
Production and Styling: Michael Miller(@mikedharma_)
