Nuchi Yang
Hmong Songwriter

“If I can write something that touches people’s hearts, that’s pretty special to me,” said Nuchi Yang, 25, of St. Paul, MN, who has been writing Hmong songs ever since I was 13 years old.Currently one of the co-writers and translators for popular Hmong artist Pagnia Xiong, the dreams of Nuchi Lee have started to take off in a wonderful way. “Writing is my passion,” she exclaimed.

But as a kid, she wasn’t so confident: “I honestly never believed I could be a writer. It wasn’t until 6th grade when the whole classhad been assigned to do a book report—when I turned mine in, it was the longest one in the class!” Nuchi remembered in amazement. From then on, she began exploring her new passion, writing about anything and everything she could—from short stories and to full blown song lyrics.“Every day in my mind, there’s a process,” Nuchi stated, “I pay attention to everything that’s going on and think, ‘That could be a song,’—even when I’m washing dishes!”

Although Nuchi is bilingual in both English and in Hmong, Nuchi explained that she found she could express her thoughts better in Hmong. “I lived with my grandparents growing up and they cared for us, but they didn’t speak English, so I spoke a lot in Hmong to them,” she recalled, but it also stemmed as a defense mechanism. “Being a Hmong person with very pale skin and light brown hair, I was often picked on. I would have people say to me, ‘You’re not really Hmong,’ just because of the way I looked, which made me so angry. I would speak in Hmong as often as I could around everyone, just to prove them wrong.”

What began as bad memories from childhood, though, turned into the ability to take her writing to the next level.  Although she found that expression was easier to do with Hmong words rather than with English ones, Nuchirealized that despite knowing how to speak Hmong, she could not read or write it, like she could with English. “So I’m self-taught,” Nuchi said.“I tried learning when I was fairly young, but there weren’t many good teachers around. Finally, in 8th grade, I just taught myself. I had taken Chinese classes [at school] and learned a lot about a tonal language, which is really like music. I also got help from any of my friends or family who were willing.” After she applied her writing skills to her natural musical instinct, becoming literate in Hmong came very easily.

It almost comes as no surprise that music comes so naturally to Nuchi:being the biological daughter and niece of the members from well-known Hmong group Moonlight Band, music was always around the home where she grew up. “[My sister and I] always talked about doing an album together,” laughed Nuchi when she recanted her childhood. “My sister had the good voice, but I loved the lyrics aspect of music. It seemed like more of a childish hobby, but I also remember, too, that whenever I would see my dad writing lyrics for his songs, I would make suggestions for him. I would ask, ‘Why don’t you do it this way instead?’ and give him my ideas—and he listened.” In fact, Nuchi’s own mother had written a few of the songs for Moonlight Band herself—a fact Nuchi didn’t learn until she was much older. “Because I’ve always been so interested in music and entertainment¸I always felt like I inherited a lot of my dad in me, because that’s what his life was about when I was growing up. My mom always seemed to be more in the background. When I found out my mom actually helped to write some of their songs, I was so happy. I truly knew then that I was destined for this. It really helped me, knowing that about her,” she stated.

And the family legacy continues with Nuchi, whose family’s connections and her drive to make something more of her art allowed for her work to be published for the entire world to see: Nuchi’s lyrical and translating skills have recently beenfeatured in popular Hmong artist Pagnia Xiong’s songs. “We connected on Facebook through my uncle,” recalled Nuchi,“after reading some of the things I posted on Facebook, [Pagnia] reached out to me asking whether or not I’d be interested in collaborating with her. I accepted—I was so excited! I was so happy to have a chance to do something I absolutely love.”

Nuchi is currently a collaborator on four songs from Pagnia Xiong’s second studio album, Ntseeg Kuv. Many of the songs capture feelings that are universal and Nuchi had a lot of fun trying to find just the right wording or phrasing to truly provide touching lyrics for Pagnia’s listeners. From translating the song Lub Tsheb Kauj Vab from its original English title, Today Is Mine, Nuchi explained that, “There’s always a reason for every piece of art that I do. I draw inspiration from everything. Every experience is insightful, deep, and meaningful for me. Being an emotional person has definitely helped my writing ability.” With Lub Tsheb Kauj Vab, Nuchi’s greatest task was to capture the feeling freedom and innocence of riding a bike during one’s from childhood, and what that feeling evolves into during the transition of phasing into adulthood. “I especially love the how the pre-choruses and choruses change over the lifespan of the former child,” Nuchi said.

In the song Txoj Phuam Txoom Suab, Nuchi expertly describes the act of a mother fixing her daughter’s Hmong costume (notably the turban or txoj phuam)in preparation for her to be given away in marriage—a feeling she especially related to, being a fairly new bride herself. “I feel so many married women can relate to the internal struggle of feeling like they still want to be only their mother’s child, but knowing that they need to grow up and that they are responsible for a different family now,” Nuchi explained. “I’ve looked on YouTube and seen so many comments from women who say they can relate to the song, the ones who think back to when they got married so many years ago and still remember the feeling clearly.”

And the proof is in the pudding: when Nuchi presented Txoj Phuam Txoom Suab to her own mother, who Nuchi claims is her number one biggest critic, “She loved it,” Nuchi said, “and I knew that this song was destined for greatness. I knew that I had arrived”

You can hear more of Nuchi Lee’s work on Pagnia Xiong’s YouTube channel listed under PXiong18. Nuchi is also available for translation services and other lyrical collaborations. If you are interested in working with Nuchi, she can be reached via e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or on her Facebook website http://www.facebook.com/nuchi.thehmong.songwriter.

Txoj Phuam Txoom Suab

Lyrics by: Nuchi Lee & Pagnia Xiong
Singer: Pagnia Xiong
Album: Pagnia Xiong: Ntseeg Kuv

Lub sij hawm no ntshe yuav muab zwm cia tag tiam no
Nco cia niam ob txhais tes uas ncas los kho kuv tsoom tsho
Rau hnub uas yog kuv lub rooj tshoob rooj kos
Yuav nco cia kuv leej niam wb cov kua muag rau hnub no

Niam seev zoj qhia kuv uas yog nws me leej ntxhais
Hnub no mus ua luag nyab yuav mus mloog luag leej niam hais
Yuav tsis muaj ntxiv li thaum tseem nrog niam nyob
Yuav mus tsheej ua luag xeem nyob tam luag ntxhais lawm os mog

Sawv tim ntsej tim muag nrog kuv niam
Xav cheem kiag cov kua muag kom tu kiag
Lub ncauj cheem hais tsis tau ib los
Tabsis hauv kuv siab xav qhia kiag rau koj

Kuv tseem xav nrog koj nyob ntev ntua ntais
Kuv tseem xav yog twj ywm koj ib leeg khaub ntxhais
Tsis xav kam muab lub npe ntxhais no sib faib

Ib sij huam txawm siv kho txog lub nyiaj xauv
Kho xaus mus rau txoj phuam txoom suab
Yim ua rau kua muag ntws tuab
Ib ntsais muag txawm siv kho tiav kuv tsoom tsho nkauj nyab
Txawm siv txog caij sawv kev mus ua lub neej tig tsis tau rov qab

Ntuj tsim tau kuv los yog ib tug ntxhais
Tiamsis tib neeg yog tus tsim tau txoj cai
Kuv xav thim tsis kam mus nyob nrog luag
Los niam twb kho tiav kuv txoj phuam txoom suab

By Elizabeth Thao