Ten Artists You Need to Know For AAPI Heritage Month

ANSON

ANSON’s songs resurrect early aughts rock with modern-day panache.

Listening to “Halsey” or “Bad Taste” is like opening a once-buried time capsule. All the 2000s hallmarks are present, from crunchy guitars to journal-worthy, heart-on-sleeve lyrics. But the Los Angeles artist is anything but a nostalgia artist. Lead songwriter Anson Li pens sincere, massive hooks that remind listeners why unabashedly arena-ready rock music mattered to so many in the first place.

We think they'll be leading the sound's comeback, stat.

Beth Ann McDowell

Beth Ann McDowell’s music feels designed to break the algorithm.

Her album The Sim Is Real ping-pongs from genre to genre with ease. “Highwayman” is full of country-tinged guitars. Follow-up track “Where The Calm Things Are” is ominous, string-laden goth-rock to make Tori Amos proud. McDowell’s voice anchors all these shifts with ease. Whether she’s pining for lost love or reading an ex for filth, she and her songwriting are endlessly approachable and appealing.

That makes her a true original and instantly worthy of your time.

BoyWithUke

The first thing you notice about BoyWithUke is his moniker. 

It’s modern yet classic, evoking social media handles and campfire troubadours in one fell swoop. That goes double for BoyWithUke’s music, which marries bedroom-pop vulnerability to Hot 100-worthy melodies. On the hypnotic “Blurry Nights,” acoustic uke and piano riffs give way to hip-hop drums and hyper-processed vocal layering.

Those sounds never clash. Instead, they cohere to form a song as idiosyncratic as BoyWithUke’s name. Enjoy both now.

Dharma

Dharma’s “It’s Not That Deep” encapsulates the instantaneous appeal of Dharma’s music.

It’s immediately familiar pop. On first listen, you feel like you’ve known and loved it for years. In an era where hits can feel focus-grouped for “TikTok potential,” Dharma’s songwriting seems remarkably effortless. It isn’t trying to be catchy – it just is.

Dharma makes bangers. To quote her own song: it’s not that deep.

KC Rae

“Isn’t it funny how your mind changes with the wind / I’m just one sad song from crying again”

These are the opening lyrics of KC Rae’s “Bathroom Floor,” and calling them “lyrics” feels insufficient. They’re bars. They form a universal portrait of listening to music when feelings have you in a vice grip. Most importantly, they encapsulate what makes Rae so special. Her pen is tapped into the modern human condition, and she sets her verbal sketches to muscular music that’s equally breathtaking.

Stream “Bathroom Floor” to feel seen and hear one of your new favorite artists.

LION BABE

LION BABE – a duo composed of Jillian Hervey and AAPI producer/DJ Lucas Goodman – describe themselves as “redefining electronic soul.” 

Stream one song of theirs and you understand why.

Goodman’s propulsive beats are a rollercoaster Hervey rides with ease, whether in collaboration with luminaries like Childish Gambino and Pharell Williams or when turning Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin ‘Bout You” into a house dance ripper. 

Don’t take our word for it: check out their track with Busta Rhymes to hear what electronic soul can truly sound like.

Madame Gandhi

On her new record Let Me Be Water, Madame Gandhi effortlessly marries smooth music with life-affirming activism.

That’s an incredibly difficult task, but Kiran Gandhi is more than up to it. She’s a TED Fellow who’s also a Forbes 30 under 30 recipient. She’s a SXSW Jury Award-ed musician. On her record’s title track, she proves why. “Let Me Be Water” (feat. NATURE) spoken word passages ride gently pulsing drums and give way to a breezy chorus that’ll stick in your head for days. 

Like water, Madame Gandhi’s music is life-giving. We can’t recommend it enough.

Sophie Colette

Sophie Colette music is simultaneously retro and forward-thinking.

You can hear shades of 80s greats in songs like “Don’t Worry,” from Madonna to Paula Abdul. But Colette is more interested in being great than emulating legends. She participated in Direct-To-Vinyl Sessions and created single take, one-of-a-kind audio polaroids for her fan base. “Can’t Help Falling In Love” reinvents the torch song Elvis made famous as an intimate, bedroom pop dispatch.

Colette is carving her own path through pop’s landscapes – follow her journey now.

Sushi Soucy

It’s easy to hear why Sushi Soucy earns more than 600,000 listens a month on Spotify.

Her quirky indie tracks are both breezy and bracing. “I Deserve to Bleed” welds humorous yet horrific imagery to doo-wop harmonies and a propulsive ukelele. That goes double for “Rock in God’s Shoe,” which provokes and delights in equal measure (see: “God is a middle schooler / We are a science project”). 

Once you’ve heard Soucy’s music, you won’t forget it. If you haven’t, get started immediately.

Wingy

The cover art of Wingy’s “Confidence” is a large chicken squat-cleaning tons of weight. It’s wild. It’s weird. You instantly want to hear the song that accompanies the image.

“Confidence” lives up to that art and then some. The Brooklyn-born Wingy sings comedic confessionals over minimalist dance beats that form a basement party soundtrack for the ages. It’s no wonder his music’s become attached to viral memes and TikTok trends alike.

Wingy is plugged into what brings the audience joy. Get plugged into his music now.