Trace Repeat’s Indiegogo Soul Revival

After a month-long online campaign, Kollaboration finalists Trace Repeat recently finished crowdsourcing their debut EP with over $8,000. Along with meeting their initial $5,000 goal, the band will now perform at South By Southwest and produce a behind-the-scenes video of the recording process.

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The six-piece Oakland, California band began two years ago by Zach Hing and Wesley Woo, and was originally a side project for all the members. What began as a cover band of Motown and classics like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and James Brown, Woo said that Trace Repeat began to draw on those influences to write original songs, creating their own style of funk band. In May 2016, the band met Kollaboration San Francisco staff member Lauren Lee and last November, they represented SF as the city finalists at the Kollaboration STAR showcase. Representation in the arts is important to the band, and their multiethnic Asian American identities played a large part in the band’s Indiegogo story.

Zach and Wesley told much of their story in the campaign video, and on page they wrote, “We believe Trace Repeat can affect change in Asian American representation.” As one of the few— and often only— Asian American bands in the Bay Area, Trace Repeat recognizes how important it is to see accurate representation in the media. By focusing their campaign on the mission of empowering their communities, Hing said that this first record just happened to be about Asian American empowerment.

“Us being a practically Asian American band has kind of attracted certain negative connotations from people who see us on stage and don’t really get it,” Wesley said. “I don’t just want to ask people to give money for a record, I want to ask people to give money to a cause that really matters.”

Giving is not without its perks. To fit the band’s throwback aesthetic of older days filled with postcards, polaroids, and typewriters, Trace Repeat’s perks for donors featured a number of those very antiques. For $10 backers got a typewriter-written thank you note, $75 gets an engraved pocket watch, and $200 gets a vintage case made from repurposed suitcases and “comes fully loaded with CDs, stickers, flyers, and other Trace Repeat memorabilia.” And for $1,000 and the chance to “own a piece of the album,” Zach and Wesley are giving away their guitars and bass used to record the album (though no one has claimed it yet.) The band wants their debut EP to recall the days of finding an old-school vinyl gem, and they put a lot of thought into perks to reflect the band. The idea for the actual items came to the them on a road trip.

“We were in a very small car, with no air conditioning, driving through the hottest part of central California,” Wesley adds. “And I personally love collecting vintage things, just weird things no one wants anymore. We wanted to make interesting rewards, so why don’t we find really old stuff and turn it into new stuff.”

With less than 24 hours to go of the campaign and a fully funded studio album on the way, Trace Repeat is most excited for fans to hear the album. Their recording studio, Watershed Sound, has helped the band not feel stressed out about producing the album while they work on mixing the songs. The six songs on the EP are all Trace Repeat originals, familiar to fans who have seen the band perform before, but the EP won’t sound old hat.

“I feel like one thing that’s cool about the album is that the album really is going to be in itself something pretty new,” David Kaiser-Jones, Trace Repeat’s trombone player, said. “They’re going to be something that’s going to be really exciting to share with people.”

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Along with the EP, Trace Repeat is taking their new songs on the road to Austin as one of the band’s stretch goals. David acted as one of the biggest cheerleaders for the band to accept an invitation to play at the Red Gorilla Stage at the Austin, Texas festival after they reached the first stretch goal of $6,000. During their four day stay in Texas they also plan to play for the first time in an Irish pub on St. Patricks Day.

“Guys, we’re gonna learn a Dropkick Murphy’s cover,” Zach said.

With Trace Repeat’s first EP is on the way, the band looks to set themselves apart as a funk band. Zach and Wesley agree that the main focus of the Indiegogo campaign isn’t to compare or compete Trace Repeat to other Asian American groups, but to add the band to the mix of Asian American artists. Wesley says that when Trace Repeats performs, he doesn’t think of the band as making a certain statement about Asian American empowerment when they get on stage. He only sees Trace Repeat as “a really awesome funk band.”

“All we’re saying, and this goes plain and simple in our Indiegogo campaign, is that there’s just not enough of us.” Zach said. “Bands like Run River North and Far East Movement are great; I really, really stand for what they do. It’s that key word— there’s not enough of it. We want it to become something that isn’t the anomaly anymore, we want adequate representation.”

Trace Repeat’s Indiegogo campaign ended February 11 with $8,165 from 194 backers. The album can be expected later in 2017, and Trace Repeat can be seen on their YouTube channel, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Haikus On Hotties Returns for Another Year of Asian American Hotness

The year is ending.

How will you mark the future?

Why not with hot men?

It’s almost the end of 2016, which means people can finally turn the calendar and bring in a new year. And there’s no better way to start 2017 than with over a dozen handsome Asian men with poetry written on them.

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After the success of the original 2016 Haikus with Hotties calendar, creator Ada Tseng decided to bring the project back for a second year. This time Tseng funded the calendar through Kickstarter to meet the costs of printing, hiring production staff, and donating proceeds to the AngryAsianMan blog.

“Last time it started as a series, it was in each issue of Audrey Magazine. So when we started calendar we already had like eight people,” Tseng said. “So this time around, we kind of started with a clean slate, so I think we really made it a priority to get a nice mix of people.”

The 2016 edition featured many actors, along with comedians, chefs, and models. 2017 features such hotties as celebrity chef Ronnie Woo, cartoonist Vishavjit Singh, body builder Kenta Seki, singer Joseph Vincent, and many more. The diversity of artists for next year’s calendar expands how people think of Asian American men and success. Except this year, Tseng wanted to include a new take on the hot guy-plus-haiku formula.

“This time around, a pharmacist friend of ours suggested that the only thing Haikus With Hotties fans might like more than a haiku exchange WITH hotties, is if the haikus were actually ON the hotties.” the Kickstarter page says. “It was an intriguing challenge — one that we weren’t initially sure we could deliver. So, we went back to our unofficial Haikus With Hotties ambassadors Yoshi and Peter Sudarso to see whether this was even possible.”

Luckily it was very possible. Tseng said on the Kickstarter page that round two would include rules for the hotties’ poetry: “This time around, they write one haiku, and the only rule is that it has to be about hotness. And we have to figure out a way to get it on them — whether it’s on clothing, their bodies or some other creative interpretation of Haikus On Hotties.” So with some help from the unofficial ambassadors, Tseng and the Sudarso brothers geared up, got some paint, and stripped down to promote the second Haikus On Hotties calendar.

 

One of the risks Tseng listed on the Kickstarter page was “really wanting one of the hotties to do a photo spoof of those Carl’s Jr. burger commercials (sexily eating burgers at the beach or while sitting on a luxury car) but having failed to convince any of them so far — don’t worry, we’ll handle it.” That’s where ISA TV hotties Dan Matthews and Mike Bow come in.

“Mike is doing this interview topless,” Matthews wants everyone to know first thing. “How did Mike and I get involved? I’ve actually been friends with Ada for a little while, and I knew about this project last year and I thought it was a really clever and cool community project. When I heard she was doing it again this year, I kind of jokingly said ‘Hey, it would be fun to be a part of it.’ I didn’t expect her to actually ask us to do it.”

(Tseng, also at the photoshoot, said that she suggested and asked Matthews to do it.)

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Bow, YouTuber MikeBowShow and ISA TV host,  heard about the calendar from the Sudarso brothers. He thought “it must be nice to be invited to this hot Asian guy calendar” and then found out Tseng already had him in mind. Bow and Matthews posing together brings the ISA TV element to the calendar, and when Ada emailed them saying no one wanted to do the Carl’s Jr spoof concept they signed up. Both have have done photoshoots before, but none shirtless, for a calendar.

“This is literally about attractive Asian males,” Bow said. “So this is a lot hinging on it, that’s a lot of pressure. It’s not about the clothes, it’s about your body, your hotness.”

At the shoot, the haiku still needed to be written, but given Matthews is known as the rapper DANakaDAN, 5-7-5 syllables on hotness shouldn’t be too difficult. He also wanted to define Asian male hotness outside physical appearance.

“Even more though, I think one of the most important key things to take away from this is hotness in general, female or male, shouldn’t just be defined as what you look like,” Matthews said. “Being clever is hot, confidence is hot. I think people who can take off their shirts are confident in some ways, but I think there’s other ways you can be hot.”

The Kickstarter campaign lasted one month from September 8th to October 8th, and met its goal of $6,780. Over 200 people backed the calendar, including international donations from Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Singapore, and more. The campaign promised quite a few different perks for higher backers including the 2016 calendar, posters, special photos, stickers of the hotties, and shipping “a SECOND calendar to a Hollywood casting agency with a note telling them to cast these hot Asian American men in their upcoming projects.”

Shipping out all the perks begins just before the holidays, the perfect time before the start of the new year. For those who missed the Kickstarter, the 2017 and 2016 Haikus With Hotties calendars are available today at HaikusWithHotties.com

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Meet the STAR Finalists: Trace Repeat

Kollaboration San Fransico’s Trace Repeat, Wesley Woo and Zach Hing

Wesley— Zach and I started this band two years ago. It started out as a side project, all of us were working on solo stuff and it sort of evolved into a much larger thing over time. It developed from a side thing to a real thing, and now it’s like a seven-piece band. It finally got out of hand after a while.

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How did you find Kollab?

Zach— Well Wesley has kind of known about you guys for a few years now. But if you want to talk about how Trace Repeat got involved, we actually ran into Lauren (Lee) at the Asian Heritage Festival that happens in San Fransisco, back in May. Kollaboration comes around the same circle of people that we all know, like if you’re Asian American making music in the Bay Area then we all know the same artists that are doing all the Asian American music because there not really that many of them. Kollaboration, being a part of that community, was sort of a natural thing that happened.

What does it mean to you and the band that you’ve gotten this far? 

Wesley— It’s kind of ridiculous in a lot of way. I didn’t expect it to happen. We sort of ran into Lauren at the Asian Heritage Festival, and I had done a couple of thing for Kollaboration a while back, I think I auditioned once or twice as a solo act, but I never go that far with it. Then we ran into Lauren and she was like, “I’m doing all these really cool things with Kollaboration and I really want them to hear new music and find new sound.” Well, we’re new sounds. Then it just sort of snowballed into this huge thing and we never expected it.

Zach— In terms of our feelings on the matter, we’re more than excited, we’re really stoked being on board. I think like Wesley said, Kollaboration is sort of exists as that community that we definitely want to be a part of. Getting this far in itself is already a really, really good accomplishment in our book, and I think you guys have been very good about the support and welcoming us with open arms. To have gotten this far in the competition, we couldn’t be happier. So, thank you.

Is Trace Repeat one of the few Asian American bands in San Fransisco?

Wesley— Yeah, always.

Zach— There’s only really three or four of us in the immediate Oakland-San Francisco area, not counting San Jose, but we’re basically it.

Wesley— Especially in regard in finding musicians who really take it seriously, making a career out of it. That’s more difficult to find at all. I feel like I know most of the musicians in San Fransisco, at least the basic singer-songwriter community, and of that community I can count on one hand the Asian Americans who are a part of that.

 

What is the band’s style like?

Wesley— It started out at its very earliest conception as basically a funk band. We were playing a lot of Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, James Brown, a lot of Prince covers. It wasn’t really working well because we weren’t really a cover band, so the covers didn’t sound good. Then we started writing music instead, and the songs took their own shape, and in the end we drew a lot of influence from the songs we were covering. In a round about way, it’s a funk band, but a funk band with a lot of other very random influences.

Why do you think representation in the arts is important?

Zach— I think that representation in the arts is extremely important, especially for Asian Americans. There’s just not as much representation, there’s not a lot of adequate representation. The way Asian Americans have been portrayed in the stereotypical emasculated, work hard, study hard kind of stereotype. I think that to be able to play music or be an artist, to go against the grain and have a shot to show what it really is we’re capable of is extremely important for a lot of people. I think influence and being able to inspire people because you’re a little bit different, at the end of the day gives us a voice and a lot of freedom to  be able to choose our owns ways. Which in a lot of ways is at its core a given right.

Wesley— I think that also touches on one of the big things for why I’ve always found Asian American empowerment to be something to talk about. Especially as a musician, especially as a funk musician. We’re breaking down barriers and we’re breaking down stereotypes and as a musician we’re already breaking down the stereotype of what everyone expects you to be as an Asian American. But at the same time we’re also breaking down another barrier because we’re not playing the same kind of music people are expecting us to play. When you’re Asian American there’s a very specific thing that people are expecting. When we get up on stage, it also speaks volumes about sounding different.

Do you think it’s easier to break stereotypes of Asian Americans in music as a band or on your own?

Wesley— Everything is easier a a band, because with more people in you have a support system. It’s really hard being on your own, making all these decisions, showing up on your own, playing shows and controlling a room. It’s a lot more difficult than when you get up on stage with six other guys that are like you’re best friends in the world. Even if the show sucks, and you have a good time with your friends, when you’re having a good time with your friends that kind of makes the show a good show.

Zach— Speaking to the growth of that, I want to add that as a band it’s definitely easier, but because there are more of you, it gives you a sense of identity. I think that my growth, not just as a musician but as an Asian American socially aware person, has come from playing in communities where you can’t help but be surrounded by like minded individuals. That only helps become who you are. A lot of my Asian American tendencies that I want to are sort of a by-product of the people I’m around.

What’s your advice for people who want to get started but are too scared?

Wesley— Don’t be afraid to fail, that’s really the thing I’ve been thinking about a lot. You’re gonna suck for a long time, that’s fine, it’s fine to suck because everyone sucks in the beginning. That’s kind of what’s fun about it, being bad at what you do for a long time. Then once you are terrible at something for a while, you eventually get pretty good at it and people start to actually dig what you’re doing.

Zach— Share your dreams with people too. That’s an important thing, you’ll find people who want to go on the wild ride with you. I think that only helps you get started a lot more swiftly than if you were to dive into the unknown by yourself.


 

Follow Trace Repeat on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and be sure to see the whole band at their performance at Kollaboration STAR.

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Kollaboration to host “Asian Americans Break the Silence and Stereotypes” panel at SXSW 2017

Panel focuses on Asian American representation in the media and the people working to increase visibility

The Austin, Texas festival South By Southwest (SXSW) is a nine day event featuring artists, business professionals, musicians, film and TV leaders, and more who come together to attend in panels, screenings, and concerts. SXSW is the largest multi-media festival of its kind, and last year over 8,000 attendees came to Austin for its panels, keynote speeches, screenings, and performances while over 70 thousand people came to the 4-day trade show. 2016’s lineup hosted Barack and Michelle Obama as the keynote speakers, featured over 142 film screenings, and over 2,000 festival showcase acts from 62 countries performed. The cross-collaboration in the media and tech industries creates a place for innovators and upcoming talent to work together and inspire one another.

Kollaboration Executive Director Minji Chang will be joined by writer Phil Yu of Angry Asian Man, actor and co-founder of  the artists collective We Own the 8th Dante Basco, and comedian and founder of Disoriented Comedy Jenny Yang on a SXSW Social Impact panel,” Asian Americans Break the Silence and Stereotypes” discussing Asian American representation in the arts. Asian Americans have often been underrepresented, stereotyped, or whitewashed in mainstream media and left very much invisible. In recent years, a growing grassroots movement and collaborative effort of API creatives in new media, music, & film have changed the scene & brought this issue to the forefront after years of cultural evolution.

“We are witnessing a turning point for minority representation in new media,” Minji Chang, Executive Director at Kollaboration, said. “A million different micromovements have brought us to a point where the underrepresented feel more compelled and increasingly confident to voice their dissatisfaction with the status quo and envision a richer, more diverse narrative that benefits us all. SXSW is an incredible and respected  epicenter for innovative thought and creativity, so I’m honored to have this panel be a part of that larger conversation. It’s an exciting time for the Asian American artistic community,  as so many passionate, talented creatives blaze new trails and bring their stories to the limelight. This is only the beginning.”

These leading Asian American creatives will discuss the layered issues behind how absence in media representation leads to the challenges of being pegged as “unmarketable” by Hollywood, and showing the ways API stories enrich, entertain, and leave an impact on universal audiences.

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Panelists from left to right: Minji Chang, Phil Yu, Dante Basco, Jenny Yang

Panelists:

Minji Chang, actress & director of Kollaboration: Christine Minji Chang is a Bay Area native and a well-traveled California girl whose love for music, film, theater, and science have grown over the years. She is the 2nd child of 3 to Korean immigrant parents, who came to the US from Seoul in 1980. With a dual cultural upbringing, Minji navigated the many highs & lows of figuring out her identity & purpose in the grand scheme of things. At a young age, she struggled to clarify her life’s calling of being a doctor or an actor. After getting a degree in Public Health from UC Berkeley, Minji worked in the public health sector in violence prevention work before giving corporate America & technology a try at Macys.com. She was in San Francisco, after all. Meanwhile, Minji started volunteering for Kollaboration, which would become her fulltime job as executive director. She also began acting professionally. Her journey has taught her the importance of authenticity, grit, and courage & the ability to heal & transform through art.

Phil Yu, creator and writer at Angry Asian Man: Phil Yu is a writer, speaker and host best known as the founder/editor of Angry Asian Man, one of the most widely-read and longest-running independent websites covering news, culture and perspectives from the Asian American community. The Washington Post calls Angry Asian Man “a daily must-read for the media-savvy, socially conscious, pop-cultured Asian American.” Mixing humor with criticism, Phil’s commentary has been featured and quoted in the New York Times, National Public Radio, CNN, NBC, Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed and more. 

Jenny Yang, actress & co-founder of DisOriented Comedy: Jenny Yang is a Los Angeles-based writer and stand up comedian who produces the first-ever, mostly female, Asian American standup comedy tour, Disoriented Comedy, and The Comedy Comedy Festival: A Comedy Festival, a comedy festival showcasing the best in Asian American comedic talent. In 2016, Jenny was honored as a White House Champion of Change for Asian American and Pacific Islander Art and Storytelling. Taiwan-born and Southern California-raised, Jenny is a frequent collaborator on viral Buzzfeed videos that have amassed over 20 million combined views, and actor in numerous digital projects including Comedy Central’s “White Flight.” In 2015, she was dubbed one of Los Angeles’ “most fascinating people” in LA Weekly’s annual “People” issue. Drawing from her former career in politics, Jenny is a regular commentator on politics and pop culture with contributions featured in National Public Radio, The Guardian, NBC News, BBC News, Al Jazeera America, Complex Magazine.

Dante Basco, actor & co-founder of We Own the 8th: Dante Basco is an American actor, voice actor, and dancer. He is best known for his role as Rufio in the 1991 live-action film Hook. Dante is a Filipino American born in Pittsburg, California and raised in Cerritos and Paramount, California. He has four siblings, including actor Dion Basco. He is also known for voicing Zuko in the Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Jake Long from the Disney series American Dragon: Jake Long. He also starred in the hit Indie films The Debut and But I’m a Cheerleader. He attended Orange County High School of the Arts[6] in the Music and Theatre Conservatory and graduated in 1993. He had guest roles on television shows The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, and had a recurring role on Moesha. After portraying characters of various Asian ethnicity except his own, he portrayed a Filipino American alongside his three brothers and sister in the independent film The Debut.

LINK TO SXSW SCHEDULE: http://schedule.sxsw.com/2017/events/PP65346

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About Kollaboration: Kollaboration is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and movement founded in 2000 by Paul “PK” Kim to support the endeavors of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in the arts. Kollaboration’s mission is to build bridges, out-create negative stereotypes and promote diversity by providing platforms to discover, empower and connect the next generation of API artists and leaders. Kollaboration programs seek to highlight and bring awareness of API talent to the mainstream media and drive change in popular culture.

Meet the STAR Finalists: Kaptivated

Kollaboration Atlanta’s Kaptivated, rapper

My government name is Edward Sun. I’m Chinese American, I was born and raised in Atlanta, I’m 22 years old. The meaning behind the phrase “Kaptivated” is that a lot of who I am today has to do with my faith. Captivated by love that God has shown me, and because of that I do a lot of what I do. The things that I talk about, the Asian American experience and who I am in general, is all wrapped up and comes out of that idea. It’s just spelled with a K so people can find me.

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How did you find out about Kollaboration?

I have a friend who did Kollaboration, his name is Josh Fu he’s part of The Fu Muisc, who were competitors. Both of them went to my church, and I heard about it when they started making music, and looking through stuff that they’ve done I saw that they’ve performed at Kollaboration. I started thinking about auditioning, and then I did it. That’s when I auditioned for Kollaboration Atlanta last time. This is the second time.

How do you feel that you’ve gotten this far?

It’s crazy. I remember specifically the first time I auditioned for Kollaboration Atlanta, I remember a friend of mine asked, “what if you win?” Then another friends of mine who was there said, “You’re not gonna win.” That was a couple of years ago, and it’s really crazy to see that now I have that exact opportunity that I didn’t think I could get or have. Plus, it wasn’t even all by myself, it was the people who have been seeing me do what I’ve been doing for a long time voting for me and supporting me. It’s not just that I’ve been given the opportunity by you guys, which I really appreciate, but it’s also I never really understood how much my fans really support me. I feel so blessed.

Why did you decide to audition for Kollaboration Atlanta again?

The first time that I did it, it was a great experience. I really think I grew a lot from it and I met a lot of great people. It was the biggest show I’ve ever been to, and I always was thinking maybe I’ll try again. I think it was mostly the fact that during the first time I auditioned, I didn’t know who I was. I didn’t know my musical identity, what I really wanted to accomplish with my music, and I realize that it didn’t really make sense what I was trying to communicate. What can I do with this audience, an Asian American audience, that I can’t do anywhere else? So I wrote a song about he Asian American experience and that song really aligns with Kollaboration’s mission, and does something that can only be done with this specific audience. Not only have I grown into what I believe I really know who I am now as a musician, but I think it’s just a greater purpose than just me getting greater exposure. I feel like redoing it with those things in the right place is worth doing.

How did you get started in music?

Two things happened at the same time: my older brother started rapping first, and me getting my first iPod. So I got my first iPod and started listening to a lot of rap, and one song I listen to was “Stand” by Eminem. That song made me realize how powerful hip-hop could be, so while I had that realization, I watched my brother start to rap. I had the relaxation the hip-hop is very powerful, and also anyone can do it. That kind of compelled me to do the same thing and start writing. That was around freshmen year of high school, and I started writing two songs a year. It was no big deal for me, but then I started to show my friends my music and they would all say, “You need to record a CD!” Freshman year of college they bought me the microphone, and that’s when I started doing Kaptivated.

When did you start taking Kaptivated for real?

I kind of got started my freshmen year of college, I’m a senior now, it was three years ago and my friends put together a bunch of money to buy me a microphone for my birthday. After that I’m like, “I need to take this seriously, so I’m going to do this for real.” So I started recording and then I released my first mix tape that year, and that’s when I started pursuing it for real.

How do you describe your style?

I think it’s pretty precise, it’s not like Lupe or really relaxed. I tend to be less poetic and more this is what I’m trying to say. It came from listening to a lot of specific kinds of hip hop. I guess there’s a lyrical side of hip hop and there’s a more conversational side, and I listen to those kind of rappers. For example, when I was just getting into hip-hop I listened to a lot of B.O.B. and the Cray, Logic, and Drake, and all of them just say what they’re trying to say. Like Lupe Fiasco, you have to really listen to what he’s trying to say. I think it was just what I was exposed to is what I was trying to do and imitate.

Why do you think representation in the arts is important?

I think it’s because Asians exist in America. If there were no Asian, I wouldn’t care. But because we exist, there are a lot of issues that we experience that I think are unique to us. We don’t have anyone to look up to, we don’t have anyone who is leading and how to deal with that kind of experience. If we do have those people, they’re not in media, which is the best way for us to even observe. Also, people just don’t know our experience, and because there’s no representation, you get broad misunderstandings of who we are, what we think, how we feel. That manifests itself in stuff like stereotyping and racism. Ultimately, I think it’s better for society as a whole if these people exist, they should be represented.

What’s it like being a rapper when there aren’t many Asians in the field?

Music could be made by anyone, but it feels like I have a lot of space to do what I want to do and be myself. I have a lot of freedom, as in I can only copy other people to an extent because it’s never been done. And if it has been done, it’s only been done one way. So I think that I have a very unique privilege when it comes to speaking— especially through hip hop because it’s very dense a genre. You can say a lot more in hip hop than you can in other genres and one of the biggest things about hip hop is its authenticity, more so than most other genres. The tool that I have in my hand is very powerful, and for me to be able to use it with a unique perspective for a unique audience and share a unique story, it’s great. It’s exactly what I think we need, so it’s really good to know that I’m filling a need.

You said your brother raps too, so how has it been telling your parents you both want to do this?

At first it was a lot of, “You guys have to understand this is just a hobby. You’ll never be the best so you might as well as do something else to be the best as like doctor or lawyer. But after I started putting together shows and performed at Kollaboration… I think the tipping point was more when I needed all this equipment and my parents said, “Is it a necessity? Because I’m not buying it for you.” So I worked at Apple and all of the money I got I spent on music equipment. I guess it made them realize how serious I was, and at that point they’ve been a lot more supportive. They will never really say, “we want you to do this for a living.” but they will come out to my shows and share the stuff that I post. They’ll understand that I care about it.

What’s your advice for people who want to get started but are too scared?

Yo, if you have a gift or a passion, do it no matter what. I think like what you like, and do what you want to do. If you do it well, and some areas it’s going to be harder to get full time than in other areas, but you can do it if you work hard enough. Just do it, be yourself.

 

Follow Kaptivated on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Soundcloud, and be sure to catch him perform at Kollaboration STAR 2016!

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Meet the STAR Finalists: Timothy John

Kollaboration Los Angeles’ Timothy John Gonzales, singer-songwriter

I’m 22 and I just graduated from University of California Irvine, half of my college career was mechanical engineering but I ended up with business economics. I decided to do this whole music thing legitimately, and all my passion goes toward that and mechanical engineering was sucking my life out of my body. I’m Chinese-Filipino, but culturally I’m fully Filipino. I’m not originally not from California, I was born and raised in New Jersey. I moved around a lot as a kid, then I came to California in the middle of my ninth grade year of high school.

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How did you hear about Kollaboration?

I had a friend who won Kollaboration LA in 2013, but I didn’t think I was ready to play until this past Kollaboration. Actually, that’s a lie— I was ready to play last year, but I missed the audition. I actually know quite a few people who have played for Kollaboration but I wasn’t really ready at the time. This year, I’m actually glad I didn’t do it last year because now I feel like I’ve actually developed a sound and something that I’m proud of.

What does it mean that you’ve gotten this far?

In terms of Kollaboration, I couldn’t be more humbled to be there. I’m just glad that I was able to play. I didn’t really expect much, there’s some photos that I was pretty shocked that I won. STAR is going to be great, we have a bigger line up, it’s going to be good. I’ve been kind of going by what one of the judges at LA told me— she was explaining that when we play, it’s always as if there was nobody else in the crowd, we’d still be playing the exact same way. That’s what I want to stay true to. It’d be nice to win, but I’m honestly just grateful for the opportunity.

How did you get into music?

I started playing guitar when I was 12, my dad is really into music and my whole life I’ve been singing. I’ve always been around a lot of music, a lot of my family members play instruments and sing. It wasn’t until I moved to California where I kind of developed my sense of what I thought music was and what is was to me, the self expression and the art versus a sound. It was a lot of darker times, moving here, it was a heavy time where I was able to discover myself as a songwriter. It wasn’t until becoming a songwriter that I really fell in love with music and the ability to create something out of nothing. I love having an idea in my mind and seeing it come to fruition, having a tangible product.

Who are some of your influences?

Definitely my family, I wouldn’t be here playing music without my dad or my brothers. In terms of artists, I love old American folk songwriters. I’m kind of late to the game, but I fell in love with blues when I was 17. That’s been my bread and butter, I love to express in terms of guitar playing the most. People say I sound like Hozier, James Bay, and the guy that I love right now is Matt Corby, he’s a huge influence for me. A lot of inspiration from blues and soul, and a focus on songwriting.

Do you normally play covers or your own music?

I barely ever do covers, I write all my own music, arrange and write. I like covers, but I’m not a huge fan of playing covers because for me I lose a sense of myself in playing other people’s music. It’s kind of like this romance in playing your own music, you’ve been with it, you’ve cherished it. Especially when you’re writing, it’s really intimate because you have to keep playing the song a million times to get it right. It’s really special to me to play my own music.

What’s your advice for songwriters?

Anyone can really do it. I describe myself very much so as a songwriter, so if I’m going to be completely honest, I’d say to be aware. When you’re writing a song, you’re trying to tell a story. I think a lot of the time people forget that your melody also tells a story. If your lyrics are telling one story and your melody is telling a different story, it’s not going to go together.

How was it to release your own EP?

So the intent was not to sell records, I just wanted a tangible product to give to people to listen to or for something to hand to people. It was interesting, I learned a ton about myself as a musician. I wasn’t entirely happy with the EP, but it was great because I learned what I want my sound to be like. I learned that I’m an artist that actually sounds better live. People talk about, “I wish you could put the emotion that you portray into a record,” which now I’m working on making another record and I would love to dig deeper into how to do that. It was a low-budget EP, and I’m proud of it for sure. But I know I can always do better.

Why do you think representation in the arts is important?

I think it’s definitely something that’s been neglected, or overlooked. It’s not so much there isn’t anybody around, it’s just nobody’s paying attention or giving any opportunities. I’m all about Kollaboration and I love that they’re offering a platform for Asian Americans to play. I think we’re in the times right now, especially in America, there’s a bridge now that we can cross and we just need to make enough names to change stereotypes. At the end of the day, I really truly believe that if you’re just good, people can’t deny you. Especially as a musician, if you hone your craft, and you’re passionate, people can’t ignore the sound.

Do you have advice for people who want to get started but are too scared?

If I’m going to give advice to Asian Americans, I would say, write. A lot of the time the focus is put on covers, and we need to create original content. People will see that Asian Americans are creating, versus just like twisting. So I would love for younger Asian Americans artists who are looking for advice to think to the roots of creating art. Writing songs, composing music, it’s becoming a lost art.

Follow Kollaboration Los Angeles to keep up with Timothy John and be sure to catch him at Kollaboration STAR.

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Meet the STAR Finalists: Jason Vinluan

Kollaboration Chicago’s Jason Vinluan, violinist

I’m Filipino, I grew up in Milwaukee, went to school in Madison, Wisconsin. I moved to Chicago for music in 2000, so I’m pretty familiar with the music scene and I wanted to get more into the Asian American scene.

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How’d you hear about Kollaboration?

I found Kollaboration through one of my Filipino friends, they’re kind of infiltrated in the Chicago scene, so I talked to the head guy and he wanted me on his showcase.

How does it feel that you’ve come this far?

I feel honored. Just knowing and competing with the talent we have here (in Chicago) I was pretty intimidated. I feel very lucky to do this, and I didn’t really expect that this was going to happen. I kind of just took it as it’s never going to happen, and then when it did I was just kind of shocked. I feel kind of concussed right now. I’m excited for this whole thing, I want to tell my whole family.

When did you get into music?

I’ve been playing since I was young. I played a lot when I was a child, my parents made me practice all the time, it sucked, I hated it. In college it was great, I was able to meet so many different people, people that really enjoy music, enjoy violin. It’s something that I wanted to pursue, and I knew I had the work ethic. I moved to Chicago because there was a band that I auditioned for, and I came out and started playing with them.

Has it been hard to pursue music as career?

Yeah for sure because I was on the pre-med path, I majored in micro biology in college. It was tough, but the success I had coming out of college, I was really surprised with the success I had, and I was able to make enough that I was able to make my own decisions. I feel like Asian influence and the pressure, I think it’s so extreme, the backlash is also huge. Like when I was 18 and I finally left the house, I felt like there was a beast inside of me. We’re balancing things out with my dad. I’m back in school, and he knows that I love music and that I don’t want to give that up. But you can always do more.

What was it like going from pre-med to pursuing music?

The summer after college I studied to take the MCAT, I did good enough to get back into Wisconsin for school, but I thought I’m going to try out music for a little while. Of course I was young, and the romantic idea of touring the country and getting paid to play music was so great. Now, I’m old enough it sounds like a pain in the ass. I’ve traveled a lot and it’s hard, it’s not the easiest thing in the world, and you start to miss home.

How do you describe your style?

I have influences in jazz fusion, the classical violinists, and modern music with violin. For me right now, I think I like songs. I don’t care what kind of style it is, if it’s a good song. I think that’s the kind of style I’m going for.

As a more established musician and a violinist, do you think your approach to STAR is different?

What I do is a little different because I’m not up there playing guitar and singing. The game I’m playing is different. I feel like playing guitar and singing, there’s a lot of talented singer-songwriters out there, if you’re good, you’re good and you know it. That’s something you see all the time so you can compare yourself, you can kind of etch your way into that kind of style. For me it’s hard because the sky’s the limit. I’m working so my audience doesn’t get bored, they must never get bored during a performance.

Why do you think representation in the arts is important?

I think it’s incredibly important because in pop culture, you think about Asian icons in the States, and I think I can name like three of four in the last thirty or forty years. Everyone knows like five or six Asians they can name off, and three of them are NBA players. Any culture, there’s beauty in it, in a lot of different aspects and I feel like it hasn’t been expressed. The more we can do that the better.

Advice for people who want to get started but are too scared?

Love what you do. Be patient because if you don’t have patience you can be destroyed pretty easily.

Advice for people who want to start out but don’t know how to tell their parents?

Show them that you love what you’re doing. It could be simple as if you’re a songwriter, write them a song. Whatever it is, express why you want to do that and hopefully if they see it, they’ll understand.

 

Follow Jason on Facebook and be sure to catch him this year at Kollaboration STAR.

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Meet the STAR Finalists: Samica Jhangiani

Kollaboration Boston’s Samica Jhangiani, singer-songwriter

I’m from San Francisco, California, born and raised here. Then I decided that since I was born and raised in California, I wanted to explore what else is out there. That’s why I applied to Boston University and at BU I was just a confused child, I literally studied everything. I tried dentistry, bio, and then junior year I’m just going to business because it’s the most vague thing. Then I finally got the degree, made my parents happy, and somehow convinced them to give me time to try and do the whole music thing.

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How did you hear about Kollaboration?

At BU my roommate founded the BU International Society, and asked me to come to her show. So I played a few songs, and two people from BU Taiwanese American Student Association found me and asked me to play their show. When I went to that show, and it was a collab with Kollaboration Boston. I won that and then I met Jane (Pak) and she told me about Kollaboration, the whole community, and I just thought it was the coolest thing ever. There’s so many people that are so similar to me, that have the same kind of story. I just fell in love with it and wanted to be a part of it. Jane invited me to come play at the event they were having and then they nominated me to come represent Boston in LA. It was crazy, everything was a domino effect, one after the other. I was like, “Wow, this is something I should really be a part of.”

What does it mean to you’re going to perform at STAR?

It’s so funny, I was just telling my mom yesterday that this is a really big deal. It was just so new to me, I researched so much about it, and it’s a big deal so I’m super excited by it. I feel so #blessed to be the one to represent Boston, I have to much of my pride there, meeting all the people there, and getting a chance to be a part of it was just a big deal. In Boston I would do little things here or there, but I’ve never been a part of a huge competition, it’s definitely my first time feeling like I’m competing against so many people. It’s a bit nerve wracking but it’s also a bit exhilarating.

How did you get into music?

My sister sings as well so we’ve grown up with music. Both of my grandmothers sing, so they really taught us how to sing Indian music and then we picked up English music being here. When I was really young, I had this super baby guitar, so music has always been with me growing up. Even in high school my thing was choir, I was the cool choir kid, I did musicals.

What are some of your influences?

Both my parents are Indian, my mom grew up in Chicago, and my grandparents also live here. So my grandma sings all the time, in the temples and stuff like that, so she’s so good! I wish I could be that good! She sings strictly classical Indian music, stuff like Bollywood, and she taught that to me and my sister. What I try to do, since I am both, is mix the Hindi and Punjabi lyrics with English so it represents me and both cultures. I have a bunch of singles written but never played for anyone, or put them out there yet. I play quite a few of my originals when I write them, and if there’s a show I always like to mix the two.

What’s the best way to describe your style?

I would say probably low-key rebellious. Really low-key rebellious. If you meet me in person, I’m super bubbly and stuff. But because as an Asian American you have to follow a certain path that’s set up for you— engineering, doctor, and especially in the tech world, you become a computer science major— that’s just standard what you do. I feel like I am the only one that’s not on a paved path. I’m making my own path doing music. It’s hard to tell your parents, “Hey you just spend 200 grand, but I’m going to go try and pursue this and see what happens.”

Why do you think representation is important in the arts?

No one really listens to Asian American music sunless you are Asian American. I think that’s just because there isn’t really much of a representation as the should be. I think that it’s harder to reach more ears, and now that there’s so many more people coming in, there’s so much more diversity between all of us. It’s kind of cool, that I’m an Indian girl and then I see Priyanka Chopra. Your’e just like, I’m not separated, I’m not divided between being just American and being just Indian. I can can actually really blend the two. You don’t have to choose between the two which one you want to be, you can mix the two and make it your own, and so creative that other people can relate to it.

What’s your advice for people who want to get started but are too scared?

I feel like I’m still starting, but I can say what really helped me was putting myself out there. I never really put myself out there until I started putting it on social media, posting videos to YouTube, on Instagram, little things. Really getting that started, that’s what really helped me, even with my parents. That’s one of the biggest challenges for me growing up because they never really saw the opportunity in it. I started posting stuff online, and then people really liked it, and I would tell my parents. They were like, “Wow, you’re really taking on the challenge yourself.” If you do it for yourself, you kind of get it started and aren’t waiting around for something to happen, and just take the plunge. I think that’s the best thing you can do, and sometimes it can be hard, but it’s really important that it happens.

Follow Samica on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and be sure to catch her performance at Kollaboration Star.

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Meet the STAR Finalists: Brian Bui

Kollaboration D.C.’s Brian Bui, singer-songwriter

I’m a singer-songwriter, 21 years-old, half-Vietnamese and half-Chinese, I go to George Mason University in D.C. I’m studying marketing and hopefully I can work in the music industry somehow through marketing. If I’m not an artist, then I would want to be behind the scenes.

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How’d you hear about Kollaboration?

I followed it for a few years, my sister told me about it, and I knew this girl named Alice Park who auditioned and got pretty far, and so I just heard it through friends. This (year) just so happened to come up and one of my friends told me, “The deadline is in like three days, you need to apply!” So I just went for it.

What does it mean that you’ve gotten this far?

It means a lot because I’m mainly doing this for the experience. I actually never thought of myself winning… I mean, I want to win. But the main point of it for me is the experience, meeting new people, and getting to know a lot more other Asian American artists who are in this industry and want to pursue this as their passion. Hopefully through this I could maybe work with people who do music production, or collab with them. But winning, ultimately, would be great.

How did you get into music?

I always had an affinity towards music from a young age, and then I started doing chorus in elementary school and all up until the end of high school. It didn’t really hit me until seventh grade (and) I started getting recognized for singing. As a middle schooler, a high school teachers asked me to be in the high school musical Les Miserables. I played Garvoche, and then from that I gained more confidence in singing. Then, at the end of eighth grade, I was following Melissa Polinar on YouTube and I really got inspired by her, so I started to pick it up and see where it took me.

What’s the best way to describe your style?

This isn’t really a genre, singer-songwriter. I’m kind of Ed Sheeran-esque, it’s more of like pop with jazz influenced vocals. I do both (original songs and covers), and at STAR I’ll probably do one original and one cover. I’m still working on what I should do, I’m not sure if I should repeat what I’ve already done for Kollaboration or steer away from that.

How do you incorporate your influences in your sound?

I follow a lot of their guitars styles, you can see a lot of Ed Sheeran, Tori Kelly, Melissa Polinar, they are only just a guitar and a voice. I look to that for influence. As for melodies, I usually go for a really easy flow— when I just play something and whatever comes to mind, I’ll sing it. I don’t think of a concept before I do it, that’s just the general feeling that I have, it’s like a real-time kind of feeling.

Why do you think representation in the arts is important?

I think it’s important because it showcases a lot of the diversity in our nation, and the world especially. In the U.S. Asian American minorities are the fastest rising group, so it makes sense for them to get showcased. It’s getting more prevalent in TV, but it’s not really hitting he music scene as much.

How do you feel since there aren’t a lot of Asian singers in the mainstream?

There’s not many Asian singers at all, it makes me kind of sad. The entertainment business mainly focuses on white, and black and Latinos, and don’t really focus on the Asian population because it’s not “popular.” You don’t see us as often in media, so we’re not going to be shown, they’re not going to put effort into promoting these new artists. I think it’s just sad, so hopefully through non-profits like Kollaboration there’s more of an opportunity to show what we can do.

Do you think it would be easier for Asian Americans who are getting started to do it independently or through the traditional route?

I think now, even though it’s been progressive through the entertainment business, I think it would be better to be independent. Also going through an agent and the industry, they want you to write about certain things. You’re not a creative as you can be. Like I said before, the music industry looks for a specific look or voice, and Asian Americans aren’t really sought after. I think doing your independent thing, growing a following, is a lot better.

Do you have advice for people who want to get started but are too scared?

Even if you don’t think you’re going to make it, determination is probably the number one thing that you have to think about. There have been doubts in my music career, and I thought as an Asian American, I wouldn’t be able to to showcase my talent. Because you don’t see people who are in the media who are like that. But you grow a following by yourself and just keep doing what you’re doing. You just have to do what you love and hopefully people will recognize your talent.

 

Follow Brian on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter and be sure to catch him November 12 at Kollaboration STAR.

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A Not-Quite Homecoming Trip to China

Editor’s Note: About a month ago, our Associate Editor Lily Rugo left for a trip to visit China, the country of her birth. We asked her to write down a few of her thoughts as an adoptee making this trip for the first time.

I have the average “adoptee visiting the Motherland” story. I’m not meeting my birth family or filming a documentary about finding my long-lost twin on YouTube. Instead it’s more of a pilgrimage, the most daunting and personal pilgrimage for me yet: China.

I’ve always loved personal journeys because, for me, physically being at a place that holds special connections makes it more meaningful. Connecting with my heritage and identity as a Chinese adoptee has become more and more important to me in the past few years. Growing up I only had this vague idea about China. Between dim sum and human rights issues, I never knew if China (or coming from there) was a good or bad thing. It was after the 2008 Beijing Olympic opening ceremony when I started to care about “the Motherland” more. As I see more of a negative take on China in the West, I decided I don’t believe it. China’s not perfect, but I wasn’t going to take other people’s word for it anymore. I fortunately have the chance to go there through a summer program that includes intensive language classes coupled with an internship. In a few days I’m headed back to the Motherland after nearly twenty years.

However, the more I think about spending twelve weeks in China, more or less on my own, the more I realize how crazy this whole venture sounds. I get lost in Boston, how am I supposed to navigate a city with over twenty million people? And truthfully I’ve been very pragmatic in how I go about connecting to my Chinese roots. I’m learning Mandarin because it’s more widely spoken than Cantonese. I want to go to Shanghai because it’s one of the most exciting cities in the world, and slightly less polluted than Beijing. I want an internship because as the Wonders Of The Orient become more interesting for Westerners, I want a Chinese edge on my resume. China is a part of my identity, I want to visit it and learn about its history, people, and future. But this doesn’t feel like a heritage trip.

What makes a visit to the Motherland a “heritage trip”? Actually, this isn’t even my true Chinese heritage. I was born somewhere in the Cantonese-speaking southern Guangdong province. I’m about to spend twelves weeks learning Mandarin and most of my time in Shanghai. Before my program, I’ll see the great Wall of China, the terra cotta warriors, adorable pandas, take a cruise along the Yangtze River, and explore Shanghai. Then I’m spending a week in Tokyo. No visit to the orphanage where I was adopted from, or even Guangzhou, the city where I met my [adoptive] parents. I wouldn’t know who to contact to line up a personal tour on that scale. Like most other Chinese adoptees, I’m not even sure if I have the paper trail to set up something like that either. Sure I’m going to the Motherland, but does it count as “connecting with my roots” if I’m going to connect with all the wrong parts of China?

Even if it’s the wrong part of China, I can at least say I’ve been to the Motherland, been to the place where it all began. Will I ever visit Guangzhou or learn Cantonese? Maybe.But I’m not going to China to find answers- I gave up on that a long time ago. I’m going to China because I feel like I have to. I want to see this country that I’ve only heard about, yet claims so much of my identity. Hopefully, this is only one of many trips to the Motherland to explore my heritage.

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