{"id":5922,"date":"2010-06-20T01:06:37","date_gmt":"2010-06-20T01:06:37","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2010-06-20T01:06:49","modified_gmt":"2010-06-20T01:06:49","slug":"Asian-American-artists-on-the-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=5922","title":{"rendered":"Asian American artists on the rise"},"content":{"rendered":"

Great article in The New York Times<\/a> about Asian American singers and musicians. The article mentions artists such as Charice, David Choi, AJ Rafael, Kina Grannis, Gabe Bondoc, Cathy Nguyen, JR Aquino, Dawen, Jennifer Chung, and more<\/strong>. The entire article posted after the jump.<\/p>\n

OVER the last few months the four Filipino-American R&B singers from the San Francisco Bay Area known as Legaci have appeared on some of the biggest stages of American pop. There they were, belting perfect four-part harmony on \u201cSaturday Night Live,\u201d finger-snapping and line-dancing like the Temptations on \u201cThe View,\u201d \u201cEllen\u201d and \u201cToday,\u201d and crooning to a hysterical, sold-out crowd of 15,000 at the annual KIIS-FM Wango Tango blowout in Los Angeles. (They took the stage just after Kesha and Adam Lambert, just before Ludacris and Usher.)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve never heard of them, chances are you have heard of their boss, the teenage pop heartthrob Justin Bieber. Legaci\u2019s members are his backup singers, which means that their camera time comes in blink-and-you\u2019ll-miss-them flashes. Onstage they live between bursts of spotlight and the shadows of their perch at stage right. As they performed behind Mr. Bieber on \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d in April, Ahmir Thompson, better known as Questlove, the drummer for the hip-hop tastemakers the Roots, singled them out on Twitter. He gave Mr. Bieber \u201ccool points\u201d for having \u201cthe Asian New Edition\u201d as his backup singers.<\/p>\n

They just might be the most visible yet invisible pop figures in the world.
\n
\nBefore joining Mr. Bieber\u2019s touring group, they were rising stars on YouTube, now a crucial launching pad for Asian-American artists seeking the kind of exposure rarely afforded them by the mainstream recording industry.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThe stereotype is that we\u2019re violinists or mathematicians,\u201d the cultural critic Oliver Wang said. \u201cSo for a lot of industry executives there\u2019s this disconnect when they see an Asian-American singing R&B. But YouTube is chipping away at that. It\u2019s becoming a much more common sight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Micah Tolentino, 30, started Legaci with Jason Atencion (who has left the group) under the influence of R&B acts like Boyz II Men and Shai, in 1997, while in high school in Vallejo, Calif.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if most people just know us as Justin Bieber\u2019s Asian backup singers,\u201d Mr. Tolentino said, \u201cwe\u2019re proud to be out there, to show the world that Asian-Americans are talented.\u201d
\nWhile the pop charts are a familiar home to African-Americans and Latino-Americans, they\u2019ve been less hospitable to Asian-Americans in the United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsian-Americans are locked out,\u201d said Phil Yu, who runs the pop-culture blog angryasianman.com. \u201cThere are definitely elements of racism, but it\u2019s also that audiences are not used to seeing Asian faces on the pop charts or on music videos, and record labels won\u2019t take a chance on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Legaci can list its fellow travelers on one hand. There\u2019s the Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger (her father is Filipino), the fledgling Filipino pop star Charice (who sings a duet with Iyaz on her first United States single, \u201cPyramid\u201d ) and most famously, Allan Pineda, a k a Apl.de.ap, of the Black Eyed Peas.
\n\u201cMostly when you see Asian artists, it\u2019s as D.J.\u2019s or producers,\u201d said Mr. Pineda, who was born and raised in the Philippines and immigrated to Los Angeles when he was 11. \u201cYou don\u2019t really see people up front as singers or musicians. We\u2019re always part of the background scene. We\u2019re like the quiet storm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Pineda has sneaked two songs in Tagalog, \u201cThe Apl Song\u201d and \u201cBebot,\u201d onto Black Eyed Peas albums. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be hard for a Tagalog song to ever be a single for the Peas,\u201d said Mr. Pineda, who has started his own Asian-focused record label, Jeepney Music, and recently recorded \u201cTake Me to the Philippines\u201d under the auspices of the Philippine Tourism Department.<\/p>\n

Christine Balance, a professor of Asian-American studies at the University of California, Irvine, points out that while Latin and black music have longstanding currency in the industry, there\u2019s nothing comparable for Asian-Americans. \u201cHow do you market an Asian-American star?\u201d she said. \u201cAfrican-Americans are foundational to U.S. popular culture, and for Latinos there\u2019s the adjective \u2018Latin\u2019 music that\u2019s used to describe a variety of musical forms. But Asians are still seen as foreign or alien to mainstream America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet the one place where Asian-American artists flourish in contemporary pop is on YouTube. The ninth-most-subscribed YouTube musician channel \u2014 basically a video home page that fans can subscribe to \u2014 belongs to the Korean-American pop singer David Choi (one spot behind Taylor Swift and 12 ahead of Beyonc\u00e9). Of the 50 most subscribed music channels at press time, 4 belong to Asian-American artists: AJ Rafael (178,117 subscribers), Kina Grannis (177, 560), Gabe Bondoc (143, 881) and Cathy Nguyen (140, 904). Since posting her rendition of \u201cAirplanes,\u201d the hit collaboration between the rapper B.o.B. and the Paramore singer Hayley Williams, a little over a month ago, Ms. Nguyen\u2019s version has been viewed well over a million times; her take on Jason Mraz\u2019s \u201cLucky\u201d from a year ago, which begins with her declaring \u201cMy nose itches,\u201d has topped five million.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never imagined for anything to happen when I posted my videos,\u201d Ms. Nguyen wrote via e-mail. \u201cAlthough I did secretly want to be a YouTube star.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other Asian-Americans with a notable presence on YouTube include singer-songwriters like Melissa Polinar and acoustic soul aspirants like Jr Aquino, Dawen, Jennifer Chung and Melvin Gutierrez.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsian-Americans want to see people who look like they do, who reflect their lifestyle, who speak English the same way they speak English,\u201d Mr. Yu said. \u201cNow for a kid growing up the most famous personality for them is not necessarily Lady Gaga but David Choi. That\u2019s a big shift that wouldn\u2019t have happened without YouTube.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian-American influence on YouTube has even been credited with bolstering the success of Andrew Garcia, a Top 10 finalist on this past season of \u201cAmerican Idol.\u201d Mr. Garcia is Mexican-American, but he is married to a Filipina, and before the show he was on YouTube and had collaborated with Ms. Nguyen and Mr. Rafael. In early April, Legaci posted a video urging its fans to vote for Mr. Garcia.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was kind of like Andrew was repping for the Asians,\u201d said Dominic Manuel, 28, of Legaci (Above picture). \u201cThe Asian community is very supportive. Once they\u2019re fans, they are rabid fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

The members of Legaci contend that many Asian-Americans turn to YouTube because they are unable to break through to the mainstream music industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very rare to hear an Asian-American on the radio,\u201d Mr. Manuel said . \u201cSo we all had to find somewhere to go. YouTube levels the playing field. It was our chance to have our voices heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s certainly a strategy that has worked for Legaci. The group tried the traditional route when it emerged in the late \u201990s as part of a larger Filipino R&B boom in Northern California that included groups like Pinay, DNH and Kai. It performed in clubs and on college campuses, and released two albums of polished throwback R&B that mixed its own songs with covers ( \u201cLittle Black Book,\u201d from 2006, and \u201cSessions,\u201d a year later). The group also auditioned for television talent competitions with open calls: \u201cAmerican Idol,\u201d \u201cThe Sing Off,\u201d \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent\u201d and MTV\u2019s \u201cTop Pop Group.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried them all,\u201d Mr. Tolentino said. \u201cAnd they all said the same thing, \u2018You guys are great, you have great voices, but you\u2019re not what we\u2019re looking for.\u2019 The first couple times we were like, \u2018O.K., maybe we didn\u2019t hit it that hard,\u2019 but the more we heard it, we couldn\u2019t help wondering: \u2018Is it because of who we are? Because we\u2019re Asian-American?\u2019 We decided that if TV wouldn\u2019t give us a chance, and major labels wouldn\u2019t give us a chance, we would turn to YouTube.\u201d<\/p>\n

The amateur aesthetic at the heart of YouTube \u2014 singing somebody else\u2019s songs in your bedroom or living room \u2014 had long been part of Legaci\u2019s own upbringing. Its members all grew up singing pop and R&B hits on the karaoke machines of their Philippines-born parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cFilipino culture is based on performing,\u201d Chris Abad, 28, said. \u201cIn the Philippines there\u2019s a cover band in every restaurant, in every club. Everybody knows how to play guitar. You are raised to have music as part of your life. Our parents put that into our minds at a very young age.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2007, Legaci began posting videos of itself doing mostly a cappella covers of Top 40 pop and R&B hits in the living rooms of its members (or of their parents). They were encouraged by the success of another Filipino from the Bay Area, Jeremy Manongdo, known professionally as Passion, who in 2006 went from being an unknown to racking up thousands of subscribers in just a few months.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe actually had a meeting,\u201d said Delfin Lazaro, 28, of Legaci, who had been a member of another \u201990s Filipino R&B group, Next Phaze. \u201cAnd we said, \u2018O.K., we want to be the first Asian-American group to really make it, so how are we going to do this, since we didn\u2019t have any money?\u2019 We dedicated ourselves to our YouTube videos.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group has covered a few Boyz II Men classics, slowed Jason Derulo\u2019s sparkling hit \u201cWhatcha Say\u201d into a plaintive, heart-melting ballad, and when it took on Iyaz\u2019s \u201cReplay,\u201d Mr. Tolentino recreated its rhythms and studio effects using old-school hip-hop beat-box vocal techniques.<\/p>\n

But it was Legaci\u2019s version of \u201cBaby,\u201d the ubiquitous spring smash by Mr. Bieber, that changed everything. Joined by Ms. Nguyen and the rapper Traphik (another YouTube mainstay), the group stripped \u201cBaby\u201d of its slick production and re-arranged it into a passionate slice of pop.<\/p>\n

The video was barely up for one day when the group received a call from Scooter Braun, Mr. Bieber\u2019s manager, who just three years ago had discovered Mr. Bieber in much the same way, watching him perform his own cover versions on YouTube. Mr. Braun was so impressed with Legaci\u2019s take on the song that he invited the group to join Mr. Bieber.<\/p>\n

\u201cI absolutely loved what I saw,\u201d Mr. Braun said by phone from the Bahamas, where Mr. Bieber and Legaci were rehearsing for a summer tour. \u201cI really wanted someone to be in the band who was from YouTube, so that Justin could give something back to the community that gave so much to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Only a week after receiving the call Legaci flew to New York for rehearsals and then joined Mr. Bieber live on MTV and on New York\u2019s top pop radio station Z100. The group has been pleasantly surprised by just how much it has been embraced by Mr. Bieber\u2019s fans, many of whom now follow Legaci on Twitter and subscribe to its YouTube channel. The connection is not lost on Mr. Braun, who is working with Legaci on a record deal.
\n\u201cThe amount of exposure they get on the road with Justin is more exposure than they\u2019d ever get working a single with a major label,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

During the tour, which begins on Wednesday in Hartford and comes to Madison Square Garden in August, Mr. Bieber has made room in his set for Legaci to perform one of its own songs. It\u2019s the kind of support that Legaci hopes will help let a generation of young music fans see that it is not unusual for Asian-Americans to be in the spotlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know how long it\u2019s taken African-American groups to be totally accepted by the mainstream,\u201d said Mr. Lazaro. \u201cThat will happen for Asian-Americans too. We want to open that door, and then we\u2019ll bring everyone with us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Great article in The New York Times about Asian American singers and musicians. The article mentions artists such as Charice,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":72448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x150.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","large":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-highlighted-post":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-featured-post-medium":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-featured-post-small":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x90.jpg","colormag-featured-image":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-default-news":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x150.jpg","colormag-featured-image-large":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-block-extra-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-grid-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-grid-small-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-grid-medium-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"Admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/53e6cdc30765aade0129f85e5aeb50124b1d3f5bb9a70373be31e4eb328371e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Great article in The New York Times about Asian American singers and musicians. The article mentions artists such as Charice,","magazineBlocksPostCategories":[],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":137,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":10,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg",113,170,false],"medium":["https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg",113,170,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x150.jpg",113,150,true]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"Admin","author_link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?author=1"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/53e6cdc30765aade0129f85e5aeb50124b1d3f5bb9a70373be31e4eb328371e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/72448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}