HAWAIIAN HERITAGE MONTH. NESTLED IN THE OREGON MOUNTAINS, LAS CRUCES MUSICIAN ZACKY CHICANO FINDS INSPIRATION IN NEW MEXICO’S PICTURE PERFECT LANDSCAPE. YOUR SINGING ABOUT OUR STATE FLOWER AND THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT. LIKE MANY OTHER COUNTRY ARTISTS BEFORE HIM, I’M DRINKING MARGARITAS TONIGHT. UNLIKE THEM, HOWEVER, ZACKY’S STORY STARTS ACROSS THE WORLD. FUN FACT I WAS BORN IN OKINAWA, JAPAN, BUT THAT’S NOT WHERE HIS FAMILY IS FROM. THIS IS MY FAMILY. SO GO LITTLE INDONESIAN FAMILY. HIS PARENTS WERE BORN IN THE ISLAND COUNTRY BEFORE MOVING TO THE U.S. I ENDED UP HERE IN LAS CRUCES BECAUSE MY DAD WAS IN THE MILITARY. SO WE MOVED AROUND A LOT AS A KID FROM MISSISSIPPI TO CALIFORNIA. ZACKY, HIS PARENTS AND SIBLINGS FALLING IN LOVE HERE, CHOOSING TO CALL NEW MEXICO HOME, GRADUATING WITH A DEGREE FROM NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY. EVEN WORKING AT A GREEN CHILI FARM IN HATCH AS A KID, I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO PURSUE A JOB IN MUSIC. I JUST NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN. OH, BUT IT DID. USING SOCIAL MEDIA COVERING ICONIC COUNTRY SONGS ANYTIME YOU NEED ME, AND WRITING MANY OF HIS OWN, USING THE PLATFORMS TO INTERACT WITH FANS. WE’RE IN THE BACK OF PICKUP TRUCKS. PRETTY NICE, YOU KNOW. THEN IN 2020, ZACKY EARNED HIMSELF A GOLDEN TICKET ON THE HIT ABC SHOW AMERICAN IDOL. ALTHOUGH I DIDN’T MAKE IT FARTHER THAN I THOUGHT, IT WAS SUCH A GREAT EXPERIENCE AND IT REALLY MADE ME REALIZE, OKAY, I’M HUNGRY. I WANT TO KEEP DOING THIS. AND I KEPT CHASING IT AFTER THAT. FINDING CONNECTIONS. SO THIS GUY RIGHT HERE IS TANTO, SO HE’S ACTUALLY INDONESIAN AS WELL. BUT HE’S LIKE THE GODFATHER OF COUNTRY MUSIC BACK HOME IN INDONESIA. EVEN MOVING TO THE COUNTRY MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD, CONNECTING TO A PHOTOGRAPHER WITH A SIMILAR BACKGROUND. HE’S ONE OF THE FIRST INDONESIAN PEOPLE I MET IN NASHVILLE. I REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST STARTED DOING MUSIC, IT KIND OF THREW PEOPLE OFF BECAUSE LIKE, OH, YOU’RE ASIAN, YOU SING COUNTRY MUSIC. YES, IT IS AWESOME, I PROMISE YOU THAT. NOW HE’S BACK IN THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT. HOPING HIS TALENT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. SO HOW IS GETTING LONGER PERFORMING AT LOCAL VENUES TOMORROW NIGHT ON HIS WAY UP, BUT WITH THE MISSION, I THINK MY GOAL IS JUST TO ESPECIALLY PUT NEW MEXICO ON THE MAP. THAT’S ONE OF MY BIGGEST GOALS. I WANT TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST ARTISTS THAT COME OUT OF NEW MEXICO, AND WORKING TO ENGRAVE HIS NAME NEXT TO OTHER FAMOUS NEW MEXICAN IN THE WORLD. IS GETTING LONGER. SHADOWS GETTING COLD. WHILE DOING THE THING HE LOVES MOST. ALIYAH CHAVEZ. HOW MUCH TOO YOUNG TO FEEL THIS -- OLD. KOAT ACTION SEVEN NEWS. ZAC IS 600,000 FOLLOWERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA A