15 Asian Musicians Who You Should Be Listening To, Right Now
Asian Heritage Month is a great opportunity to spotlight the dynamic work of Asian musicians. But these independent artists deserve your support year-round.
Bias Wrecker may have started as a K-Pop blog, but it's evolved into a platform to spotlight Asian artists who deserve your attention and support. So for Asian Heritage Month, I want to emphasize just how important it is for you to not just follow independent Asian musicians – but also support them by buying a ticket to their show, purchasing an album or coppin their merch.
As K-Pop has become a global phenomenon, it might be easy to think that Asian artists are getting a boost. And to be sure, there are certainly artists who have risen to higher profiles than ever before. Social media has empowered jazz artist Laufey or R&B singer Keshi to be hugely successful. But they also still feel like a community secret: There are no glowing profiles in major publications. While Blackpink headlined Coachella, these artists (who arguably feel more accessible and relatable to Asian audiences) have been left out.
Over the past year, I’ve profiled as many rising independent artists as possible. There are so many who are not receiving label funding, but are working to create the highest caliber work possible. They are all working outside of a system that is slow to catch up with the dynamic talent they’re bringing to the table. And they’re all releasing work that is diverse, inspiring, and utterly dynamic.
Want a few to start with?
I loved meeting XTIE, one of the only Asian female producers working in the industry. She began her work in Hong Kong, but with the release of her album “APOLLO-23” has expanded to a global audience.
I also love DEVYN, who’s story begins as a model who found her voice, literally, and began making the most personal work of her life. “I am such a strong advocate of being your unapologetic self and embracing all sides of who you are,” she told me last year.
If you like a musician who could also be an auteur, then HOHYUN might be your guy. He wrote, produced and funded his debut album “DRAMA.” without major label support, and filmed a short film for the title track.
Korean musician G. Nine recently experienced the biggest numbers of his career with the excellent EP “closure”. His R&B music is reminiscent of Daniel Caesar and includes the collaboration “eventually” with one of my favorite jazz-pop singers Yel.
Yel (left), Sarah Kang (right)
And yes, Yel is legitimately one of the most fascinating and promising singers I’ve found in the past year. She’s a sharp songwriter, piecing together small moments of romance and longing to create cinematic moments. Take her latest single, “He’s something”, as an example. Her voice soars and coos over a saxophone as she sings about a boy who tells her she’s beautiful on her worst days and comforts her after she wakes up from a nightmare.
I’m also transfixed by the career of Sarah Kang, a gem of a singer who makes jazzy music that has heart, integrity and sounds like intimate journal entries. Her debut album “how i remember” is gorgeous, but I still can’t get past how special her second album “Hopeless Romantic” is. Tracks like “It’s You I Like” are beautiful in their simplicity.
Roman Kayz
Roman Kayz, an LA-based Korean singer, is busy preparing for his debut EP, but I am still drawn back to his latest project the trilogy, which traces the end of a boy’s complicated relationship. It’s heartbreaking and cathartic with hints of California sunlight peeking through by the closing track, “i can’t afford to love you.”
Then there’s Toronto’s own BNZA. He’s a maverick with his lyrics and a playful musician who makes breezy, catchy R&B-pop tracks. He will soon debut his side project Ben Seasons, which will offer him the chance to record alt-pop music reminiscent of cigarettes after sex.
Jonum, an LA-based singer-songwriter and producer, might be a leader of his band Townewest but he’s also a talented soloist. His instrumental music, which includes “Surface Feelings” and “SAY NO 2 MEMEZ”, is weird, sly, and always smart. (Jonum’s band Townewest is also doing a fundraiser for their next album! Perks included a video call, merch, and invitation to a Towne BBQ.)
Two Filipino singers that I think pair nicely together are Pluto Koi and brynne. Both write catchy alt-pop music that is reminiscent of Keshi, but they are also emerging as forces in their own right. Pluto Koi may best be known for tracks like “You’re Not Lonely” newest music (which I’ve previewed) stands to be his most ambitious and experimental. Meanwhile brynne, who leads the collective NEXT WORLD with KU-KAI, is never content to box himself in. “Real fans of my art are not listening for a specific sound, they’re listening to what I want to put out there.,” he told me a few months ago. “We make a product, put it together and hope that the fans trust us.
I’ve become a big fan of Kim Suyoung’s debut album “Round and Round”. It’s engaging, lively music that shifts and turns with horns and guitars. But it’s also reminiscent of classic Korean ballads, which are some of my favorites to listen to.
Someone who knows his way around a classic Korean ballad – or the history of K-Pop – is Juju B. Goode. Juju is a Korean singer songwriter now based in Los Angeles whose debut album “Smile! You’re On Camera” is both intellectually stimulating and damn good. He’s also got a show coming up at the Viper Room next week!
Finally, there’s Bobo.Xx, a dynamite rockstar who is taking up space for Asian Americans anywhere he can. “I wanted to break through the stereotype, and show a different side of Asian Americans,” he told me in 2023. He’s pushed through pain, rejection, and stereotypes to finally play Kia Forum, opening for The Rose. Bobo is living proof that sometimes, you crash through glass ceilings..
