Shayla Kim

Shayla Kim (1975-     ) also known simply as Shayla, is a Vietnamese-American singer who had first risen to prominence within the Vietnamese-American community.  Her mother is legendary Vietnamese singer, Thanh Tuyen.  Born on March 9, 1975, Shayla Chau Dinh arrived in the United States with her family at the age of four in 1979.  She grew up in Houston, Texas and began her professional singing career in her early twenties when she signed with Asia Productions, one of the most prolific Vietnamese music production labels based in the United States.  Her music video appearances covering high energy, hip hop, dance music popular songs of La Bouche such as Sweet Dreams and Be My Lover were widely received by Vietnamese communities worldwide and made her the darling of the live show music video series produced by Asia Productions during the 1990s.

Prior to collaborating with Asia Productions, Shayla had made one appearance on the Paris by Night stage in 1993.  She had appeared on Thuy Nga's Paris by Night Volume 24 performing a medley together in an ensemble with performers Don Ho, Candice Phi Phi, Ngoc Thuy and Ngoc Hue.  Her beauty had prompted the producers of Thuy Nga to feature her on another number, Yeu Em Bon Mua, on the same show where she along with other Paris by Night female singers did the catwalk as they modeled the traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai dress.  Three years later, Shayla would be approached by Truc Ho of Asia Productions with a contract.  She would release three studio albums with the Asia Productions label:  Dance Music (1997), Technowave Remix (1998) and Funktify (1999).  Shayla's popularity in the Vietnamese community allowed her to tour extensively performing at live shows for overseas Vietnamese audiences all over the world.

She left the Asia Productions label when she signed with Global Sounds, an American mainstream record label.  Her first album recorded for Global Sounds gave Shayla the opportunity to showcase her other talents as songwriter and music producer.  Entitled as Only in My Dreams, the album featured duets with other artists such as Martin Nievera, KaLa'l Miller and her mother, legendary Vietnamese singer Thanh Tuyen.  This project also enabled Shayla the opportunity to work with music producer Maurice Starr who was also creator of one of her favorite boy bands while growing up, New Kids on the Block.  In 2006, Shayla returned to the Paris by Night stage performing in a duet with singer Tu Quyen of a song called Waiting for Your Call with English lyrics that they had both written together and composed by musician Huynh Nhut Tan.

It can be said that Shayla had been destined to become a professional family.  In a family which consisted of three other siblings, not only was her mother a professional singer, but two of Shayla's aunts, as well.  Son Tuyen, her mother's youngest sister, is a popular Vietnamese singer who started her career in the United States.  Prior to 1975, Shayla's other aunt, Ngoc Tuyen, had also reached prominence as a singer back in Vietnam but had died prematurely at the age of 31.


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50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time