Category: Music
-
S4 E05: Er-Gene Kahng found community, Florence Price, and her Asian American identity in Arkansas
Er-Gene Kahng used to find safety in the anonymity of an urban crowd. Moving to Arkansas helped her learn how to truly be part of a community by giving back as much as you take. We talk about her discovery of Black Arkansan composer Florence Price, and how classical musicians can participate in conversations around…
-
S3 E14: Charles Levan on his career working at EMI/Capitol Records, and becoming a licensing agent for independent artists.
Charles Levan started his career at EMI/Capitol records, worked on Al Green’s Greatest Hits album campaign, and started his own company, Blue Buddha Entertainment. He talks about finding great mentors early on in his career, and shares his views on the current sync landscape.
-
S3 E05: Dani Saldo is a hot, talented, disabled bisexual pop-star on the rise, who had to break up with her old (able-bodied) self.
Dani Saldo is a Filipino Canadian queer, disabled, super hot and talented songwriter and artist. She is committed to bringing sexy back with her walker, all while writing hits and being a loud and proud disability and queer advocate. We talk about the grief that comes with knowing you’ll never be your old self again,…
-
S3 E04: Teresa Suydam, Filipino & First Nations Ojibwe artist, on being a “Lost Bird”, reconnecting with their biological mom, and making deliberate efforts to find their roots.
If you’ve ever wondered why Iran sometimes is, sometimes isn’t considered part of Asia, this episode has the answer. Because of the revolution in Iran, I really wanted to talk to a woman from the Iranian American diaspora and had the privilege of talking to Women’s, Gender & Sexuality studies professor, Dr. Manijeh Moradian. Manijeh…
-
S3 E02: Cherie Hu on music, culture and technology, and why you can’t copy/paste deployment strategies across cultural contexts. We also talk about AI, ChatGPT and deepfakes in music & media.
Interview with Cherie Hu, founder of music-tech research organization Water & Music. Her writing has been featured in Billboard, Forbes, Pitchfork, Variety & more. She has taught as a guest lecturer at Harvard, NYU, and others.
-
S3 E01: DJ Mimi Chen on knowing her worth, standing up for herself, and having a blast doing it.
This week, I had the privilege of talking to Mimi Chen. I was so excited when I first saw Mimi’s Instagram because how cool is it that an Asian American woman has been killing it in the radio industry for decades? Mimi Chen is a Chinese American career DJ, who has been a trailblazer in…
-
S2 E13: Waddy Dacay on how he sold his mom on an art degree back in the 70s, how anthropology helped expand his worldview, and how he adapted to the digital age as a pen & ink technical illustrator.
GUEST BIO Waddy Dacay is from the island of Kauai, Hawaii. He attended Kapiolani Community College on Oahu in 1973 then went to art school in 1976 in Oakland CA at California College of Arts and Crafts, now called California College of the Arts. He graduated BFA in 1978 and got a job in Palo…
-
S2 E12: Rod Kim on why an Asian Bruce Springsteen is overdue, full circle moments with his parents & music, and reclaiming his youth. BONUS: see why he gets our vote for coolest uncle!
Rod Kim on why an Asian Bruce Springsteen is overdue, full circle moments with his parents & music, and reclaiming his youth. Bonus: see why he gets our vote for coolest uncle!
-
S2 E11: AIR APPARENT (Neil Sethi) on his kinship with Southerners, what California could learn from Georgia, using his music as a platform for change, and embracing his own unique path.
AIR APPARENT (Neil Sethi) on his kinship with Southerners, what California could learn from Georgia, using his music as a platform for change, and embracing his own unique path.
-
S2 E10: Jess Pillay on juggling multiple cultural identities as an Indo-Fijian-American, finding applicable career advice as a woman of color, and reconnecting with her faith through therapy.
Summary GUEST BIO Jess Pillay is an Indo-Fijian-American independent singer/songwriter and podcaster from the Pacific Northwest. Growing up in Seattle with Indo-Fijian roots, she spent most of her life feeling like a cultural orphan, but music gave her a sense of identity and purpose. Now in her 30s, she’s deeply passionate about racial and gender…