Jing Wen (10) | STAFF REPORTER
May marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and there are many notable individuals who have contributed to the entertainment industry we have today.
The girl group CHAI is a Japanese rock band from Nagoya consisting of Mana, Kana, Yuuki, and Yuna. In August of 2016, their extended play Hottaraka Series started streaming globally and their song Gyaranboo reached #36 on Spotify’s UK Top 50 Chart. They aim to redefine “kawaii” which means cute because they realized that the world has a narrow definition of cute and they believed that everyone is cute in their own way; a message they strongly express through their music.
Nicole Zefanya, who performs under the stage name NIKI, is an Indonesian singer-songwriter and record producer who is a rising artist under an American record label. She addresses her representation as an Asian female in the music industry and wears her identity with pride. She was also one of the many talented artists who contributed to the MCU’s Shang-Chi soundtrack.
Many Asian Pacific Islanders continue to remain unseen in tv shows and films, but as Asian-American roles start becoming more prominent, more actors and actresses are getting recognition. One of the many notable actors includes Henry Goulding, a Malaysian-American actor and television host. He has been a presenter on BBC’s The Travel Show for eight years and his casting as the main male lead in the widely known series Crazy Rich Asians has elevated Asian representation in film.
Song Kang-ho is a South Korean actor who was picked by The New York Times as one of “The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century” due to his outstanding performance skills. He has been known for his interpretations of his characters and genuinely portraying them in a special way, taking the stories to the next level.
Akira Kurosawa was a very important and influential filmmaker of Japanese descent. He entered the Japanese film industry in 1936 and has directed 30 films over the course of more than 50 years. Kurosawa was the first Japanese film director to win international acclaim and his filmmaking techniques have been inspiring to many directors such as George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, who said Kurosawa greatly influenced his work.
There are many talented Asians and Pacific Islanders who put their heart into all their work so that the entertainment media that we consume give us joy. This month is for recognizing all those faces who have not yet had the chance to let their names be known as a minority in the entertainment industry, so take a little bit of time to celebrate many more of these wonderful individuals for APAHM.
