There was once a time when socialite and entrepreneur, Karrueche Tran, was most recognized for her relationship with R&B superstar, Chris Brown. Their relationship was tumultuous to say the least, and a narrative that wasn’t particularly fair to her was created in the media.
A series of incident stemming from this, caused her to lose her self confidence. After she found out the same time as the rest of the world, that her bae had impregnated another woman, she decided to call off the relationship and continue life as a single woman. It was a confusing phase in her life, and as a result, she had a chat with self-help author and life coach, Iyanla Vanzant, in a bid to to turn her life around.
“I hate to say the word fame, but because I was in a certain situation, in a high-profile relationship, I was recognizable. It was kind of like, ‘I have these followers. But what else do I have?’ I hit a point where I was like, ‘What am I going to do with my life?”
Raised in Los Angeles, Tran’s life was pretty normal before she met Chris. In 2010, while working as a personal assistant and a freelance stylist at the time, she met Brown during a styling job. Shortly after, they began dating and Tran’s life as she knew it completely changed. She made international headlines as Brown’s first major girlfriend since his dramatic breakup with Rihanna in 2009. For four years, Tran withstood an onslaught of bullying from both Chris’ and Rihanna’s fans, the paparazzi stalking her every move, and the tabloids digging into her personal life. The couple dated on and off until 2015 after news broke that Brown had fathered a child with another woman; that would become the proverbial last straw that broke the camel’s back.
Tran’s life has evolved since then, and she recently had a chat with Stylecaster, about her journey so far.
Being a tabloid sensation had its perks. Tran suddenly had millions of followers on social media, but her indecisiveness about her life path was a downside. She had wanted to become a hairdresser then a manicurist. Then for a while, she tried her hands with styling and even co-owning a clothing brand with Brown but she hit a road block and couldn’t quite figure out where she needed to be. The 30 year old stated:
“I had a platform. But there really was no substance and quality.”
There’s a level of self-awareness and brutal honesty with self that’s entangled with growth. If you can get past the first two which can be utterly difficult and painful, the growth comes and it all makes sense. Tran was there. She would move on to trying her hands at acting after a suggestion from her manager. An overnight success however, is something she definitely wasn’t.
She received several offers to become a reality television star, but Tran dismissed them, stating that she wanted longevity. Then her manager suggested acting. Despite having no acting experience, she invested in several acting classes and decided to go for it. “I was like, ‘If it works, that’s awesome. If not, then at least I tried,” Tran says.
“It’s an interesting society that we live in with social media, because if you have a platform and if you have the numbers, you can kind of venture into different things: acting, designing, collaborations,” Tran says. “People saw it as, ‘Oh, you know, she’s only able to become an actress because she has numbers, so they want to use her for her numbers.’ When I started acting, a lot of people didn’t believe in me or thought that I didn’t have talent.”
After a one-line role in a horror movie and guest spots here and there, Tran worked her way up to TNT’s Claws, a crime drama about five Florida manicurists who become entangled in one of the state’s biggest and most violent drug rings. The series is currently on it’s second season.
The half black and half Vietnamese millenial shared how people were always confused about race. However, she whole heartedly embraces both parts of her heritage. This racial ambiguity would later work well for her as she mentions that it has become a blessing, as she can play several roles identifying as different races. This is a true testament to the fact that the very features about your life that stand to ensnare you could be the very things that free you.
Tran credits the show’s success to the involvement of women behind the scenes. The show is written and directed by women predominantly, one of whom includes legendary actress and writer, Rashida Jones. She mentions that only women could really understand the woman’s experience and hence interprete it in a way that would be relatable.
“It’s not only a man’s world. Women can be badass, emotional, and strong.”
Karrueche Tran is inspiration that you can start over, have a do over and successfully re-invent yourself along the way. She’s on the rise and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. She’s also proof that what was meant to tear you down could be the very thing that lifts you up. Never be afraid to start over! Take the leap.
