Saigon’s 18.18 may be a “new” name on the bill, but the people behind it aren’t new to anything. Decades of stage time, cross-genre experiments, and scene-building run through their history. From metal and hardcore to nu-metal, psychedelia, and punk. That weight of experience informs a sound that balances glossy hooks with grit, mosh-ready breaks with sing-along lines.
We sat down with frontman and principal composer Billy to trace the path from his first guitar days to today’s 18.18: the bands that shaped him, the producers’ mindset inside the group, how a steady lineup pushes the writing, and what’s next.
From “Boring Guitar” to Stage at Thirteen
Ethos:
Can you take us back to the beginning? What is your first memory of music? One that made you want to make music or play an instrument.
18.18:
Let’s see… I was a kid and my dad asked me to try on a guitar, but I refused at first. I told him “Nahh! Guitar, that’s boring!” That was the first day. The next day I tried to find some music with guitar to see what’s that all about. Why would he ask me to play the guitar? On the third day I tried to play. On fourt day my dad was teaching me how to play it. I believe there’s something in my DNA that wanted that.
E:
Did your dad play guitar?
18.18:
No, my dad played the drums. But he was also a singer and had played classical guitar.
E:
Do you remember how old you were?
18.18:
I was twelve. And that was the beginning. And everything was quite fast for me from that moment. I was thirteen when I already had a band and was playing on stage.
E:
Do you remember what was the first song you learned to play?
18.18:
I don’t really remember, but I think it was either “Don’t Cry” or “Nothing Else Matters”. I listened to a lot of Guns and Roses and Metallica at the time.
It’s very weird, actually. I realized it later in life. You know how we all have our past lives and present ones. It came to me one day that I’ve played an instrument in my past life. I played in heaven with a group. We played heaven’s music for the emperor of heaven.
I met several people in my life who did something similar to me. They asked me to close my eyes, they closed theirs, and our minds connected. And they were telling me about my past. The point was, “You did that and you still have it!” The reason I’m saying all this is because I don’t know really why I play music. Maybe that’s my destiny in this life. I always loved music, especially metal. (hahaha)
E:
What kind of music was your first band playing?
18.18:
We were playing metal. We wrote our music and played some Metallica and Pantera songs. But I was actually in two bands right away. (hahaha)
One was Multiplex, a band I started with Khanh Trần, the guitarist of District 105 and my current drummer, Kim. At the same time, I played alternative and nu metal with a different band. Fun fact, that band had a rapper in the lineup, one pretty big now – Suboi. Back then, she listened to Slipknot and Limp Bizkit, she’s very cool.
Bands, Breaks, and Building a Voice
E:
Were any of your early bands in any way notable? Releases or shows you’d like to highlight?
18.18:
I played in a lot of bands over the years. I guess a grindcore band I played in Wuu, had an album released through Grindcore Karaoke. My nu metal project Negative had an album released through HeHeMetal. I also had a psychedelic rock project with the guitarist Linh Hieu, called Cat Violence.
E:
That’s a lot of mixed genres there. Did any of these early projects influence 18.18’s sound in any way?
18.18:
Yes, definitely. My old punk band, which was short-lived but had influenced my style. After the Multiplex disbanded, I was in another project called Current Will Carry Us. The name came from Counterparts. First time playing a 7-string guitar, and first to play something similar to djent. After that, everyone started to copy that style. (hahaha)
That’s also when Hardcore Vietnam started. Huỳnh Huy, Xoi, and I did the show Hardcore United and my band played that one. Unfortunately, our drummer Kim moved to the USA right after that. Which caused the band to disband.
That was a big thing in my life. For my music career at least. I felt bored because I felt like I don’t have anyone to make music with. There’s no right person to play with. So I didn’t want to play in the band at all.
Soon after, I met Vừng A Dính and we tried to make a band. We wanted to play punk so I found us a drummer and he got Aki. So we started 7Uppercuts. But I was confused at that time. Something told me I’m trying too hard and I cannot survive with that feeling. Also, I realized I have to find a way to make money so I can play music with more freedom. So I went to learn finance and dropped my guitar for a while.
I still wrote songs, tried to inspire new generation and share riffs with people to help them create their music. I did that with Knife Sticking Head, they’re my friends and I wanted to see them grow.
That was a really tough time for me. And then with 18.18 I came back to music. I didn’t play with people for around seven years. I wasn’t in the bands, but I always supported the scene, musicians, and bands. At times, I would come to the 7Uppercuts guys and be like, “Hey, can I join you guys as a session guitarist? Play one show with you?” And that’s when I realized I need to do something myself.
At first, I thought of doing it all solo. Because it’s hard to get the musicians, play with someone. The first song I wrote was with my friend Jason. I was determined to do it solo, but the universe told me, “You’ve got to have a band,” and I followed. I started gathering people and here we are now.
Chemistry Over Credentials
E:
Where or better said, how did you come up with this iteration of the band?
18.18:
Well Kim and I go way back. He is my drummer forever! (hahaha) He’s the best! But then I got Cường too! He’s also the best. He and Kim, I don’t know, they’re the same when it comes to playing music. I think they’re the best drummers in Vietnam. Like Naruto and Sasuke, like yin and the yang. When they’re behind drums, they’re both beasts. I don’t know how I got both! (hahaha)
Getting Ian was so random. I was with my friend at a cafe and he said “I have a guy who I think will fit with your music.” He showed me Ian and the first reaction was he’s weird but good weird. So I contacted another friend who knew Ian and was a drummer in the band for short time. But after our initial meeting Ian became and stayed the bassist of our band. That was in 2023.
We had different lineups since the inception. And I had some really good players, guitarists, bassists, etc. but it didn’t work out. They were all great people and musicians but I just didn’t feel like there’s enough energy for what I’ve imagined. They were all “too soft” for my taste. Some of them play with big names nowadays, maybe much bigger than us. (hahaha)
E:
How did you come up with the name for the band? It’s a pretty odd one.
18.18:
Everyone asks that! (hahaha) It’s very simple actually. One is 18 when one is actually 18 years of age, and another one is when you want to do all the things that you did back when you were 18 but you couldn’t. It’s like 18 again; you can still do whatever, just do it! Also, I like the number 9, and 1 and 8 make up 9. (hahaha)
E:
Your music has a lot of mixed genres, and it makes perfect sense with your history. Who “owns” each of these different genres in your music? Is it all you or do other band members provide their input?
18.18:
I’d say my base is hardcore and metalcore, and then 2K music. That era affected me a lot! The golden era! Bands like Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Simple Plan. That kind of music at the time it was exploding was hard to find in Vietnam. Just a small scene, and a few special people who’d direct you by giving you a CD or telling you where to find this “real music”.
I write the structure, lyrics, and I title them. Then we work on the songs together. I want everyone to give their energy that later makes the chemistry of the band. Other way we create is by simply jamming in the studio. We come with open minds and just play. Then I write based on the energy we create together.
Producers in the Band: How Craft Shapes Creativity
E:
Since all of you have a producer worldview, does it affect your writing in any way? Say you already can envision what would work better in the mix, how to layer sounds, etc.
18.18:
We complete the structure in the practice room. Then, Cường works on the arrangement of the song. Two of us are completely connected; our minds are in sync 100%. I trust him absolutely. All of the feedback we exchange is never a big deal, just small iterations. I think when we’re writing new material, we can already see the complete song. It’s like a door in our mind.
E:
Are there any NOs or definite YESs for your music?
18.18:
I wouldn’t say there are any NOs. I give everything a chance. I’m very open-minded towards trying new things. But I think we already kinda know what the right thing to do and what’s the right point to make with the music is.
E:
Let’s talk about your EP a bit. What are the themes, inspirations, and factors that affected its making?
18.18:
First of all, I have to say it was hard to make it. But it’s good to struggle a bit in the beginning. Something to believe in. It doesn’t take us too long to write a song, but to make it complete, that part is longer. Also, we’re old! For the Vietnamese standards of when people are starting their original band, we’re old.
But we are still 18, so that’s what gives us energy to do what we intended to. That’s the main thing! That’s the main theme of this EP. Our slogan is “Deep in love, hype in music.” We have been touched by so many things and we put it in the music you can dance to, mosh to, stage dive to. I’d say 80% of the EP is my story, and then the other 20% is also my story. (hahaha)
I believe we all collect the energy of other people and what’s going on around us. Then we use that energy to create something we call a song.
E:
Speaking of mutual influence. You’re a part of TupTac Records and closely work with other people involved in it. How do you perceive this collective you guys created? Do other bands and individuals push you to do more and be more productive?
18.18:
We’re just a gang. We play together, we hang together, and we have similar tastes in music. We support each other like brothers. We’re trying to build the scene by playing the best music we can. I believe that’s the best way.
Between Clubs and Big Stages
E:
Where do you see 18.18 in the Vietnamese music ecosystem? You come from a hardcore background, but have a lot of pop fans following you. You have songs to please both heavy and not so heavy music fans. How do you balance it all?
18.18:
We have no boundaries. We come from hardcore but have worked individually with different people from different backgrounds. That way, we can play with underground bands in small clubs, but we can also play in front of 10,000 people at a pop festival. Promoters know we’ll do our best to please the crowd.
Nowadays, everything is blending. We’re like that. For example, Ian prefers funk and R&B, Cường loves heavy stuff, and Kim is into everything; he can do country, rock, metal, whatever. There’s no single genre; nothing is generic anymore.
E:
Do you think that’s the reason why, even without an official release, you guys managed to land a significant amount of performances around Vietnam?
18.18:
It’s partially because of that, yes. I think there are two reasons why we managed to play so much at our early stage. First, our relationship with people. All of us have been playing for over 20 years. We have connections and we’ve made a name for ourselves individually. Second thing is, we put the right energy into our work and that just spreads out. It affects people to want to have us at their shows.
Scene Check: Caution and Optimism
E:
Since you’ve been around for such a long time. Are there any problems you see in the current Vietnamese scene?
18.18:
There definitely are some, or a lot, but we shouldn’t worry. I think we just need to let it flow. Everything happens at the right moment.
I can talk about Saigon only. Sometimes I feel like we don’t really have a scene. When I was a kid, we tried to build a community. I was talking with people from Indonesia, Thailand, asking why and how they built their scene, and how Vietnam can get there too. I sacrificed a lot at that time; my time, money, blood to build a scene.
Right now, we have a newborn scene. There are good and bad, but the number of people listening to original music is much bigger than before. At the same time, it feels like not all of them are into that. It’s like before, people were more real about it. I feel like the real love of it is lacking. There are still some special people who love the music, 9xacly guys, or TupTac crew, for instance.
What’s Next & Advice to the New Wave
E:
What’s your plan for the coming period?
18.18:
We’re planning to do an album. This time we want to experiment even more. More genres, more input. I guess it’ll take us around a year to do that.
We’re also preparing to release a single with Giấy Gấp, two bands, one song. Not a split EP, a split song. (hahaha) I think that’s a great way to promote both bands and each of us can play a song whenever.
Also, we’re planning to do something, I believe it’s going to be the best livehouse show in Saigon. We have a great team of people that will work on this project. A lot of people we know and who appreciate us. Especially the sound. Save the date, 20th of November, Golden Bird’s event venue.
E:
Last one, as usual, what’s your advice for the young bands or individuals starting their musical journey?
18.18:
Just follow your heart and your 6th sense for music. You have to fuel all of that with love. In your rehearsals, your listening, your writing, always put in love.
18.18’s story reads like a blueprint for longevity: learn widely, choose your crew carefully, and treat every chapter as a part of the same song. Billy’s message lands simple and firm: stay 18 where it counts. Curiosity over comfort, community over ego, love over noise. If the past chapters built the engine, the next ones look like an open road.
