Acoya is entering an exciting new chapter with the release of his latest single “CURIOUS.” The song blends early 2000s pop and R and B influences with a modern twist, showing a more confident and bold side of the rising artist. Produced by Hana Elion, “CURIOUS” takes listeners into a high-energy club scene where Acoya tells the story of locking eyes with someone across the room and making the first move. It is catchy, fun, and filled with a sense of mystery and allure.
In this exclusive interview, Acoya shares how the track came together and what inspired its story. He also talks about the influence of artists like Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke, who helped shape the sound and vibe of the record. The track’s drum groove, falsetto vocals, and swagger all reflect Acoya’s love for the early 2000s music era.
Before becoming a full-time musician, Acoya studied Mechanical Engineering at UC Davis. It was during the pandemic, while attending classes online and living at home, that he began to focus more seriously on music. He used the time to write, sing, and produce, eventually deciding to follow his passion. With support from his family, he finished his degree and committed to music full-time in 2022.
Acoya also speaks about his experience with LAAMP, a program led by hitmakers like Stargate, where he learned to embrace his own unique style. Drawing from pop, R and B, and hip hop, he continues to create music that feels honest and exciting.
With over 500000 streams and a growing fanbase, Acoya is looking ahead to more releases and live performances. “CURIOUS” is just the beginning of what promises to be a standout year.
Congratulations on the release of “CURIOUS.” What inspired this track and what story are you telling through it?
Thank you so much. I’m really excited about this release because it marks a new era of my music. The track was produced by Hana Elion who’s absolutely incredible. When I went into our session, she already had that opening drum bounce going, and then I came in with the title and we just went from there.
We wrote this song from a very visual place, like we honestly spent a lot of the writing session just setting the stage in our heads. The story arc of ‘CURIOUS’ starts at this high-end club scene and my character’s just kinda scoping out who’s there, and I end up locking eyes with a girl who’s just absolutely stunning. The story moves along as I make my way over to her and start talking to her.
There’s definitely a lot of confidence in this song because we wanted to portray my character as someone who’s already a huge superstar and everybody in the club already knows who I am, including her. A lot of my branding previously was centered around this “Loverboy” persona, so the pre-chorus is like “no matter what you’ve heard about me, you gotta come find out for yourself.” Lots of tension and allure built throughout the song for sure.
The track has a strong Y2K vibe and feels reminiscent of Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack.” Was that an intentional influence?
Yes, “SexyBack” was definitely an intentional influence on this track, as well as Robin Thicke’s “Make U Love Me.” It was actually my roommate’s suggestion very early on in our friendship/collaboration that I look at JT as a reference. A lot of my music then was very Justin Bieber inspired, but he felt my sound could use a bit more swag to it and that I could pull it off. Me and him have a couple more records in this space too that I’m excited to share in the future. But yeah the drum grooves, falsetto vocals, and lyrical content are definitely reminiscent of that 2006 JT/Timbaland era, which I absolutely love
You studied Mechanical Engineering at UC Davis before pursuing music full-time. What made you take that leap?
I went to UC Davis from 2018 to 2022, so from my sophomore up to the beginning of my senior year I was in quarantine for COVID-19. During that time, I moved back home to San Francisco and took classes online. I see that period as a kind of blessing in disguise because for one, I got to spend an extra couple years with my family, and two, I had all the time in the world to make music. I started making music during my freshman year, but it was really during COVID that I developed my passion for singing, writing, and producing. It was by the end of my junior year (before quarantine was over) that I decided I wanted to make a career out of music. Even though I spent so much time and enjoyed being an engineer, my heart really pulled me towards music.
With the support of my parents and the condition that I finish my degree first, I became a full-time artist after I graduated in December 2022. I’d say it’s been going better than I ever could’ve expected.
You’ve cited Michael Jackson, John Legend, and Justin Timberlake as influences. What do you take from each of their styles and bring into your own sound?
I didn’t sing in choir, play an instrument, or anything like that growing up. It was the music I was surrounded by that gave me my ear for music. It was Michael Jackson, John Legend, Queen, The Beatles, James Brown, and so many more that taught me what music was growing up. It was my parents playing those records in the car and throughout the house, and when my dad gave me his iPod Touch that was loaded with all that music.
So I’d say even if my music doesn’t sound like it came from those artists, they still taught me early on what music was. And there’s still certain melodies and rhythms that I do where I see that influence. Artists like Timberlake and Chris Brown on the other hand, I’ve become a fan of them more recently, so I’m able to take what I like about their music and apply it to my own sound. For example, I love the song arrangements that JT and The Neptunes would do on his “Justified” album, and those hooky falsetto choruses.
You were part of LAAMP under the mentorship of Stargate. What was the biggest lesson you learned during that experience?
Going to LAAMP was such an incredible experience and I’m so lucky to be a part of that community. The biggest lesson I learned from that experience is the power of your own uniqueness. Owning what is truly and irrefutably your story, sound, and style. I feel like in every artist’s journey, there’s the phase where all you want is to capture exactly what the artists you’re inspired by do. But eventually you kinda grow out of that, and start finding what’s unique about yourself and what will help you standout in the crowd. LAAMP definitely cultivated that space for me to learn about myself.
How did being in a program like LAAMP help refine your artistic identity and approach to music production?
At LAAMP, all you do is make music all day long. I basically ate, slept, dreamt, and breathed music. So when you’re engulfed in that kind of space, surrounded by other
people who also bring their own identity and talent, you have no choice but to grow. As far as actual technical skills, I also learned so much because I had never learned how to make music in any formal way. I hadn’t even worked with a producer before day one of LAAMP. So paired with my inherent ear for music, I now know how to turn what I hear in my head into something tangible.
How would you describe your sound today and how has it evolved since your earlier releases like “Loverboy” or “Say It First”?
As we discussed a bit previously, my sound now is very Justin Timberlake/Y2k inspired – lots of fun Neptunes/Timbaland type grooves and repetitive melodies. Those earlier releases were really me kinda finding my footing in the music industry. I had releases before that, but nothing that was really competitive. But those early releases are still some of my favorite songs to this day just because of the sheer pride and joy I felt writing and releasing them.
This new sound I’ve developed was sparked during a larger conversation of how there isn’t really a huge male Pop artist today. Like there isn’t a male counterpart to artists like Tate McRae, who’s really pushed the Y2k sound in the last few years. And after seeing that hole in the industry, I thought “why couldn’t I be the one to fill it?” So I also started taking dance classes every week and working on building that popstar persona that was so huge in the early 2000’s.
Your music blends pop, R&B, and hip-hop. How do you balance these genres while still keeping a cohesive identity?
This is a really good question. I enjoy so many different styles of music that all in some way influence my music, so I honestly struggle with it sometimes. But in a given session and I’m sorry if this is kind of vague, I’d say the balance is really a feeling thing. Some of it’s intentional, especially if I’m coming in with a specific reference. Maybe we’d start with Pop chords or Hip-Hop drums based on what I was listening to that week, but the writing process is really based on feeling for me, and where we start from influences that.
As far as maintaining a cohesive identity, even if I write a bunch of different stuff, there’s always some way to categorize each of them. So right now, I have all my Y2k inspired music ready to release, but later down the line it’ll be something else. I’m already working on a newer sound for 2026 and beyond.
With a growing fanbase and over 500,000 streams, what’s next for you in 2025?
In 2025, I’m really looking to get my music heard. I have a lot of great music that I think people will really enjoy, so this year is about outreach and continuing to grow my fanbase. That also means having new and exciting visuals, style, and growing as a performer/dancer.
Are there any upcoming collaborations, visuals, or a larger project in the works?
I don’t have anything like an EP or album that I’m working on, but after the next 4 releases, I plan to do a music video for whichever record performs the best. I’m always gonna be authentic and share what I think is exciting, but I love hearing from fans what they wanna hear and see from me
I also have merch for the first time that I made for the ‘CURIOUS’ release. I have a few different t-shirt designs, a couple hats, and a poster. All of those are available on my website: acoyamusic.com/shop.
What do you want listeners to feel or take away after hearing “CURIOUS” for the first time?
When people listen to ‘CURIOUS,’ I just want them to feel hype, like it’s something they’ve never heard before and didn’t know they needed. I understand that the language and suggestive nature of the song isn’t for everyone, and that’s totally okay. But for those that like it, I want them to know that there’s more on the way.
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