Meet Acoya Dioquino

We recently connected with Acoya Dioquino and have shared our conversation below.

Acoya, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

From my experience, I don’t think imposter syndrome is something that can be completely overcome. I definitely think there’s a debilitating factor to imposter syndrome, but I also think it’s a line of thinking that can help you grow, especially as an artist/creative. Even at the highest level, there are so many stories of people who still have imposter syndrome and feel like they haven’t earned where they are or still have much more to go. I think some people are just better at controlling it and not letting it hold them back.

For me, I don’t let whatever level my imposter syndrome is at each day hold me back from doing what I love. I think that right there is the key — just focusing on doing what you love and not worrying about anything else.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

My name is Acoya and I am a recording artist, songwriter, producer, and model. I feel like making music is one of the greatest creative releases you can have and I’ve been in love with that feeling since I started writing songs in 2019. I love being able to tell my stories and share who I am with people through music. Music connects people in a way like nothing else can. It goes far beyond just the music itself and that’s what I love about it.

The genre that I typically operate in is Pop/R&B and is inspired by artists like Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Ed Sheeran, and the like. I just released my latest single “CURIOUS” in May and am working on a lot of new music, so follow me on socials if you wanna stay up to date!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three skills/qualities that have been most important to me are discipline, the ability to teach myself, and patience. There’s a lot that goes into pursuing your passion but I think you could get really far with those three. Especially starting out, having those three will keep you on the right track for as long as you’re pursuing your career.

To develop each of these, I think the best way is to work on them outside of what you’re actually pursuing and let it translate over. For example, going to the gym 5-6 times a week is tough and a lot of people don’t want to do it, but if you build the discipline, patience, and work on your body consistently, all those traits carry over to your main line of work. I have my BS in Mechanical Engineering and although I’m no longer in the engineering space, the skills and qualities I picked up throughout my 4 years in college have definitely impacted how I am in my career as a musician.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful thing that my parents have done for me was support my decision to pursue music as a career. After already putting me through 4 years of college, most parents would probably want their kid to do something with their degree. But my parents saw how dedicated, passionate, and in love with music I was. Without any hesitation, they urged me to follow my heart. I don’t think I would’ve been able to get to where I am now without their support. Love you mom and dad!

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Image Credits

Mark Dabi
Kat French

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