Suboi’s mother worked as an office worker at the Australian consulate in Saigon, and her father worked as a factory manager. Suboi revealed that she used to be a shy girl who spent much of her time on words and composing ridiculous poems. Suboi gained her onstage name during middle school, “Su” being her nickname at home and “boi” given to her by friends due to her tomboy nature. Growing up, she was a rebellious teenager who "got involved with some bad people" but turned to music for guidance. She became a fan of hip hop music at the age of 14 and improved her English by listening and rapping along to famous American rappers such as
Eminem. Her mainstream recognition grew when she was invited to rap on Vietnamese pop star
Ho Ngoc Ha's chart topping singles "My Apology" and "Girls' Night" in 2009. Suboi was invited to perform at CAAMFest 2014, the largest Asian American media showcase in the United States; she couldn’t come to the U.S since she had trouble getting her visa. Instead, she made her debut in America on March 13, 2015, co-headlining with Awkwafina, a female rapper from New York. She also made her debut as actress in CAAMFest 2015 in San Francisco, in "Hollow", a horror movie directed by
Ham Tran. The film became a box office hit and led to her first starring role in 2016's "Bitcoin Heist", a Vietnamese heist film also directed by Ham Tran. In 2015, she was invited to perform an official showcase at
South by Southwest (SXSW), becoming the first Vietnamese artist ever to be officially invited by the festival. She performed to rave reviews and in 2016, she was invited back to perform at SXSW for the second year in a row. In 2016, Suboi was rebuilding her musical career after what she considered a creative lull. She released a new single entitled "Doi" early in the year, showcasing a "dark beat" which she had been reluctant to release earlier in her career. On May 25, 2016, Suboi came to immediate international media attention after rapping for President
Barack Obama at a Q&A session with young leaders in Ho Chi Minh City. The brief exchange between Suboi and the US President prompted him to reflect on the history of rap music and the importance of art to a nation. == Artistry ==