Has Sad Boy Summer Arrived?
Seattle’s Johnny Huynh drops a cinematic new music video that’s moody, heartfelt, and rooted close to home
By Sarah Stackhouse July 4, 2025
We had Boyz II Men when I was a kid. Then Usher and Justin Timberlake. Now it’s Seattle’s own, Johnny Huynh.
The 22-year-old singer-songwriter and recent UW grad has built his music career over the past two years, one viral video at a time. His latest single, “SAY,” was released at the end of June, alongside a cinematic music video filmed in a small, broody cabin on Vashon Island.
Bright, glowing light spills through drapey curtains as Huynh, dressed in all white, sings with his eyes tightly shut. His voice is low and rich, pulling you right in. This is a darker, heavier rock sound than fans might expect. Co-written with Grammy-winning songwriters behind hits for Beyoncé and BTS, the track is still all Huynh — pleading and laced with his signature emotional punch.
In just a few days, the “SAY” video has pulled in more than 52,000 views on YouTube. It’s likely headed for the success of his previous single, “HELL ON ME,” which has amassed more than 4.3 million views since its release five months ago.
Huynh first found his voice, and his audience, in the echo of dark parking garages. His stripped-down TikTok covers by artists like Adele and d4vd caught fire online. “I’m trying to show how versatile I am within my music,” Huynh said in an interview with Seattle magazine last spring. “I don’t want to box myself in.”
He now has more than 8 million followers on TikTok, nearly half a million on YouTube, and a deal with Columbia Records.
All of this while finishing a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Washington. He graduated in June and wrote on Instagram that it was “one of the biggest accomplishments of my life” and that “seeing all of my hard work pay off is so rewarding.”
Originally from Bothell, Huynh lives and works in Seattle. His short videos are full of familiar local places. Recent clips include Green Lake and the UW campus. He’s also a fan of local family-run restaurants, especially in the International District. His go-tos include Pho Bac for pho, Saigon Deli for bánh mì, and Hương Bình.
No tours posted yet. For now, he’s focused on writing and recording.
Follow Us
Rearview Mirror: An Oyster Party, Money for Art, and Mac & Cheese at 30,000 Feet
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
We Partied for Art I love a party, and I love art, so when the Henry Art Gallery invited me to its annual fundraising gala, it was paddle’s up from the get-go. Held on the floor of Pioneer Square’s Railspur building in a space managed by Rally, Angela Dunleavy’s latest venture (read all about it…
Urban Grit Meets Wild Beauty: Inside Seattle Art Museum’s Beyond Mysticism
Seattle’s history is rooted in its fascinating juxtaposition of industry and nature, inspired by the region’s dramatic landscapes and rapidly changing cityscape. Seattle Art Museum’s current exhibition, Beyond Mysticism: The Modern Northwest, invites you to meet the artists who captured that tension and transformed it into a bold new vision of Modernism. Modernism, Made in…
Our March/April Issue Has Arrived!
Inside you’ll find Best Places to Live, a packed spring arts guide, and more stories from across the region.
The future’s bright, and so is the cover of Seattle magazine’s March/April issue! Featuring a mural by local artist (and 2023 Most Influential pick) Stevie Shao, the colorful cover is a snap from Woodinville, one of the six “Best Places to Live” featured inside. While we usually focus on Seattle neighborhoods, this year we expanded…
Supporting Roles
Three women in the Northwest are helping local artists through newly launched residencies outside of Seattle. Here, we take a look inside these thoughtfully designed spaces, and learn what drove their founders to become cornerstones in the creative community.
Iolair Artist Residency Eastsound, WA Years ago, after studying photography and earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Washington, Pacific Northwest native Linda Lewis realized that she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life behind a camera. “The minute I graduated from school, I was far more inspired by the…