We recently connected with The Boyfriend and have shared our conversation below.

The, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

We’ve all experienced the power of music – and where it can take you. For me, it took me to Los Angeles… literally.

Picture this, a fresh out of college, musical-theatre student in the pandemic. That’s when I began my music production career: truly on a whim. I was still living with my parents in my hometown of Atlanta, GA. It started with a quick song about my then boyfriend. It was cute. Our break-up was not. It was so heartbreaking that I moved out of my family home into my first ever apartment.

All I had was free time – and I really got down into the nitty-gritty of music. I released an EP and a single named “guilty love”. To this day, I still think this is one of the best works I’ve ever made. It was about the endless hole of guilt you can feel after a bad break-up. You can guess I was definitely moping around my apartment listening to this on repeat, swearing love off forever. Then I met another musician. Let’s call him S.

In the first two months of meeting, we moved in together, and to both of our surprise, it worked very well. We both created music together. I released another album, held a big release party, video shoots, music videos – you name it; all with his endless support. This album was called “mixtape” and, to no one’s surprise, it was all love songs. I was in love and so were my music.

It was time because we’ve been living together for a year. We should move to Los Angeles. This is the city of music (at least indie pop). We packed up and started the two week drive across country. I dropped all my money on a quaint place in Koreatown, and began making music.

This music was sad again. Lines like “someone who loved me wouldn’t do this to me” and “there’s something wrong, I feel it.” Maybe it was just the new environment. Maybe it was something about me. There’s no way that “S” and I are drifting apart. Especially because I am so willing to love with all my creative soul.

Four months into our life in LA, “S” moved out. Suddenly. No heads up. No conversation. He left.
“S” brought me to LA – and I believed that for the longest time. We had left everything and everyone we knew behind. I had nobody else here. This was world-breaking.

Then, I remembered that “S” didn’t bring me here. Music brought me here. My love for creation got me to LA. If anything was going to heal my soul – it would be my songs. It was a risk to move across country with a boy I thought I knew. It’s a bigger risk to stay, but I’m not going anywhere. I am now dating my artist-self, and he’s keeping me in the city. For this, my musician name is “the boyfriend”, and I will be your musical boyfriend: past, present, and future. We will get through this.

I’m finally excited to be in this city, and I do have those songs about my ex I’m releasing soon! If you follow me on my socials: @_willishao_ on Instagram, I’ll keep you updated on the journey.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Yea of course! My name is Willis Hao – I’m a retro-pop musician currently centered in Los Angeles. I sing, I song write, and I produce! My artist name is “the boyfriend” and I’m available on all streaming platforms. Currently, I have an EP, an album, and five music videos out on all streaming platforms – but if you RIGHT NOW had the chance to only listen a new song, listen to “mystic” by the boyfriend.

I’m a full certified lover boy. I will be your boyfriend: past, present, and future. From the sparks of new love to the death of a relationship, my music chronicles all of it. The underscoring will remind you of the early 80s, but the words will remind you of that ex who got away.

I hope this doesn’t come across as arrogant, but everything you see and hear is mine fully. I’ve played, produced, engineered, mixed, mastered, choreographed, directed, sang, etc. every music video and song you see and hear. I love the creation process so I hope you find that in the work I do.

The world is deeply saturated with new art at all times, but if you need a second to come back home to your boyfriend, I’ll be here.

How did you build your audience on social media?

This isn’t so much as advice, but more of a good story. My TikTok has always been underperforming. Until one night in Atlanta, where I went to jail for a night. Terrible, terrible night. Worst night of my life. But a very good story. I decided to upload my story to my TikTok page after everything was resolved. This blew up over night. Still to this day I get endless messages about my time in jail and how unjust it was.

If you want the story, it’s on my tiktok: @the.boy.friend – and it’s a good story.

I guess the advice would be to be authentic and have something interesting to say?

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Your support means so much more than you could ever imagine.

When I visit home or talk to other non-creatives, their first question is usually “Why aren’t you famous yet?” Besides all the things that need to line up for fame to happen, it’s because there’s not enough people sharing my stuff. Unfortunately that’s how today’s virality culture works. It sounds rude to respond, “why haven’t you shared my music with other people?” because no one owes that to me. However, I want to emphasize that you listening to new music, and sharing it with people you think would enjoy it – does way more than all the work I put into my weekly posts.

I know you’re rooting us on. I really do, and it makes me so happy. It means a lot more if you tangibly shared that with others.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://theboyfriendmusic.com/
• Instagram: instagram.com/_willishao_
• Facebook: facebook.com/willis.hao.1
• Youtube: youtube.com/@theboyfriend
• Other: tiktok.com/@the.boy.friend