Amazon Music announced new events and content amplifying the messages of resilience, opportunity, and belonging in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM). To celebrate the expansive API creative community, fans can find new, exclusive releases rolling out in May from artists including thuy, mxmtoon, WOOSUNG, and 2022 GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter Kalani Pe’a, as well as tune into the third annual IDENTITY livestream, featuring performances from mxmtoon, thuy, Su Lee, and B.I on May 28 via the Amazon Music channel on Twitch.
IDENTITY 2022 Livestream
Amazon Music joins with AEG, Gold House, Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation (PBA), and Transparent Arts to present IDENTITY 2022, a virtual celebration for APAHM. Streaming live on Saturday, May 28 at 5 p.m. PDT on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, this year’s event will feature live performances, PSAs, and panels from groundbreaking members of the API community, including Guapdad 4000, MIYAVI, Liza Soberano, Luna Li, Rhea Raj, and B.I. Co-hosted by rapper Dumbfoundead and actress Sherry Cola, the event will celebrate the PBA’s scholarship programs in collaboration with the Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter in support of the GRAMMY Museum Foundation’s GRAMMY Camp program. Dumbfoundead will also present “Fun with Dumb,” a special segment featuring members of the API Film & Television community such as Elodie Yung, Soji Arai, and Wong Fu Productions, and AEG will host "Talk Story with Greg Louganis," an intimate chat with the four-time Olympic diving gold medalist about his journey to discover his Samoan heritage.
“Thank you Amazon Music for inviting me to this amazing event,” said B.I. “I have a lot of respect for AAPI artists who contributed in music, or any type or art and culture. I am very honored to be joining this event, and I just can't wait! See you all soon at the IDENTITY festival.”
“Many of the issues our community faces still remain, which is why we chose to focus this narrative on resilience and belonging throughout our campaign for 2022,” said Frankie Yaptinchay, senior project manager of audience development and creative partnerships for API creators at Amazon Music. “Our team not only amplifies API creators during APAHM, but year-round, to honor and celebrate their contributions while uplifting our community. This year, we are honored to continue to support the Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation by supporting the GRAMMY Camp scholarship program to help develop the next generation of API creatives and music executives.”
“The scholarship programs were designed to help aspiring AANHPIs break into the music industry through financial support, mentorship, and access to networks that can lead to future opportunities. This was something very important to the Far East Movement (FEM), founders of the Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation,” said Annie Lam, executive director of PBA. “It’s really about passing on the knowledge, lessons learned, and advice that the FEM wished they had received early on in their career journey. We are excited to collaborate to celebrate AANHPIs and collectively work to support the next generation of AANHPI talents.”
88rising, Amazon Music, and Luna Li Short Film
Continuing the celebration, Amazon Music and 88rising, a label and media company focused on uplifting Asian artists and creatives, announce an upcoming short film with Luna Li—a follow-up to last year’s Webby-nominated Message In The Music—featuring stories of API women defying stereotypes and redefining culture. Luna Li is a Korean Canadian multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, and producer. The piece celebrates her artistry and the making of her debut album, Duality, and moving moments captured during her performance at the 88rising’s “Cloud Mansion” in the Coachella valley. Coachella Fans will also explore themes of identity and belonging as they watch Luna Li visit a historic Korean hanbok atelier in LA’s Koreatown and create her own custom hanbok—speaking to both her heritage and intention to foster community. The short film will come out May 20 on here and in the Amazon Music app.
Group Thread: IYKYK Vol. 2 Twitch Series
The IYKYK iteration of the ongoing Group Thread panel series, which launched last year on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch with artists such as UMI, Joyce Wrice, and others, returns this year for Vol. 2. The second installment will continue to empower API women with special guests including Ruby Ibarra, thuy, and more.
Asian American Girl Club
Founded by Ally Maki, Asian American Girl Club is a collective and apparel company set to redefine what it means to be a modern Asian American woman and to build community through talks and events. AAGC is collaborating with Amazon Music to launch a new curated line of exclusive merch and a playlist coming mid-month.
New Playlists and Amazon Original Songs Honoring API Voices
Highlighting remarkable talent from the API community across varying genres, Amazon Music is releasing a handful of Amazon Original tracks throughout May, starting Friday with the bilingual “Lazy (Sweater Beats Remix)” from WOOSUNG featuring Reddy. Other Amazon Originals available to stream later this month include Luna Li’s smooth cover of Rex Orange County’s “Loving is Easy,” thuy’s original single “i got it,” mxmtoon’s cover of Harry Styles’ latest hit “As it Was,” and a special remix from Guapdad 4000. Elsewhere, customers can find all new playlists including “Made in Hawaii” (an all-Hawaiian playlist, guest-curated by recent GRAMMY-award winner, Hawaii native Kalani Pe’a), “RISE: The Book,” featuring music from the “Asian American Playlist” as seen in the New York Times bestseller RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now, introduced by co-author Jeff Yang and curated by contributor Richie “Traktivist” Menchavez, in addition to previously released playlists such as “Mixtape Asia” (the leading Amazon Music playlist for new music discovery from Asian artists) and “The Collective” (featuring the best in new hip-hop from Asian artists), plus new [RE]DISCOVER artist playlists revisiting the extensive catalogs of API artists like Mike Shinoda and Steve Aoki.
