Troubled Youth Guam, or TYG, is a collective that started in 2017 to bring diversity to island music. The young artists discuss the barriers and opportunities in the music community.  

What began as teenagers writing music about their struggles growing up on Guam naturally developed into a platform to turn those struggles into art. 

TYG started as high school friends who were musically gifted and wanted to make music. Their shared passion gradually grew into a collective of local young artists. 

Emann Adonay is the group’s producer and helped establish TYG. The group develops every original piece at his home studio.

“TYG uses music as an outlet for our emotions. Our troubling experiences as teenagers from Guam inspired the music, “ Adonay expressed.

After five years, Troubled Youth Guam expanded with twelve artists who bring their diverse experiences to the local music industry. 

Their talents range from rapping and songwriting to playing instruments and creating beats. They experiment with genres like reggae, hip-hop, and indie music.

As the group’s producer, Adonay agrees that TYG can be called island music. 

Each song explores the artist’s social life with references to living on Guam by weaving in the names of villages, relevant issues, and local slang.

“Even though we tap into music genres around the world and across history, I find myself bringing in what it’s like to be from Guam. Island music is music where people feel connected and relate to the island lifestyle, and I use this element in our music.”

Adonay admits that their path to musical success is not simple. 

The group’s greatest barriers are financial strains and commitment to the craft. Most members of TYG have lives outside of the group to support their families.

“We are so much more than rappers. We are also students, employees working minimum wage jobs, and islanders just trying to get by.”

Even with the countless hours and creative energy placed into one song, it takes months, even years, to visualize success. Pursuing a music career in Guam can be difficult and evoke feelings of self-doubt and impatience.

Yet, the group is committed to improving every stage of the song process until it is “undeniably good” by chasing quality over quantity and respecting each other as a family.

Troubled Youth Guam is grateful that the island supports aspiring local artists with opportunities to build the island’s music industry.

Opportunities that introduced TYG to the music community began in the group’s high school days. Their first public appearance was hosted by the radio station Power 98.

“We feature local artists hourly on our shows. We show our support by featuring their latest songs and interviewing the artists live. Listeners can request a song from their favorite local artist to be added to the day’s playlist,” Power 98 stated.  

The push to “support local” helped TYG grow from being rappers on SoundCloud to artists now playing at gigs across the island. 

Other opportunities emerged like mentorship, collaborations and promotion on social media.

TYG is currently working with Blklst Media, a local business specializing in photography and videography. They combined their skills and collaborated on several hip-hop cyphers and music videos. 

The group describes this collaboration as a “great experience working with professional, talented people who bring the music community together.” 

Both TYG and Blklst Media look forward to their future projects and supporting each other’s growth.

Over the years, TYG has received donations, performance offers and endless support from the local music community. 

The group has grown their fanbase and upgraded their studio by networking online and at their live performances.

“The dream is to make it big and show the world what Guam offers across music genres. Troubled Youth needs our island to listen, like and share our art,” Adonay shares.

Their love of music and representing the island motivates the group to be humble and create every day. 

Troubled Youth Guam hopes to inspire other artists to pursue their aspirations at any age and against all odds.

This article was written as an assignment for CO-226: Media Writing.