mxmtoon

mxmtoon is a Chinese American indie artist who began making music secretly in 2016, releasing cleverly recorded covers and original songs on SoundCloud with just her ukulele and various household items. Over time, she amassed a big enough following to begin taking music seriously. Her single “prom dress” blew up in 2019, creating an influx of new listeners for her debut album “the masquerade,” released in September of 2019. mxmtoon has released another EP and two albums since then, and she consistently outdoes herself in each new release. Her music is on the softer side and includes themes of struggling with mental health and growing up in a world of uncertainty. She also has quite a few songs detailing her relationship with her family growing up as a Chinese American such as “hong kong,” “unspoken words” and “florida.” Her lyrics in these types of songs often talk about her experiences and advocate for Asian American causes on her social media. For the fellow college students who are struggling to find their place in the world and are battling the fear of growing up, “growing pains,” “coming of age” and “victim of nostalgia,” all on her latest album, can provide a lot of comfort and a reminder that we are not alone in our struggles.

Wallice

A Japanese American indie artist from Los Angeles, Wallice is a rising artist whose music often covers themes of mental health, navigating new experiences and different relationships. More recently, on Nov. 30, she released a single titled “Japan.” The song discusses her relationship with being mixed race, revisiting her dad’s hometown of Tokyo after the pandemic and trying to understand where she belongs as a mixed culture person. She paired this single with another version titled “日本,” a Japanese version of the song and her first ever song in Japanese. Having the song in both English and Japanese seems to be a way for her to connect with both the cultures she comes from and publicly share more of herself with her listeners. The pair of songs has a softer feel to it, diverging from her grungier sound, which she seems to have returned to with recent singles, “Best Friend” and “Loser at Best.” She’s a great artist to follow this AAPI Month — and all months of the year — with compelling lyrics that any indie fan can appreciate. 

Zeph

Alternative/indie artist Zeph is a Korean American, self-produced singer and songwriter who has had a passion for music from a very young age. Prior to her first full-length song release, “Forever and Always,” in 2018, Zeph was known on Instagram for her art as well as her short and self-produced song snippets. After the success of this single, she released two more songs in 2020 —“Lucky” and “Ways to Go” —  which were the catalyst to fully focusing on her music career. Other than her EP “scared of everything,” released in 2021, her Instagram and Spotify are filled with mostly demos and singles. In March of 2023, she released a new single titled “like everyone else,” marking a new era for her music and hopefully an EP or album release before the end of the year. Zeph’s music is on the softer side, with most of it focusing on mental health struggles and how they can affect relationships with other people. Her music is a heartfelt reminder of how much mental health can factor into our daily lives and can prove to be relatable to anyone trying to navigate their own mental health struggles.  

Kazi 

Kazi is a Chinese American musician and producer. Although a lot of his time is spent in the New York DJ scene, he has been releasing music since 2018 and has begun focusing more on his music career within the past year. His music is self-produced and ranges through all kinds of genres, having a big pop influence with some undertones of hyperpop and hip-hop. One of his most popular songs “ruin my life” talks about a toxic relationship and how it can be addicting despite its bad nature. The instrumentals of this song are very upbeat, making it feel like the perfect summer song. Kazi also isn’t afraid to break gender norms with the music video for his song “real ones.” Other popular songs of his include “necklace,” with a similar feel to “ruin my life,” and his latest release “my bad…” which has a more electronic influence to it. Despite his smaller following, Kazi is a rising artist who is the perfect soundtrack for AAPI month and for the whole summer. 

khai dreams

khai dreams is a non-binary Vietnamese American who came to huge popularity around 2018, with singles such as “Lost in You,” “Through” and “Sunkissed” being largely characteristic of the indie pop era of the time. These songs have a very nostalgic feel to them and are reminiscent of the carefree feelings of summer as a kid/teen. However, with a pretty large break from music around 2020 to 2022, khai dreams is back with a new era of music, showcasing a more alternative spin on their previous style. Their newest album “ABSOLUTE HEARTBREAK,” with singles, “Bugs,” “Rats” and “Panic Attack,” covers some more serious topics and is overall their most authentic piece of work, with interesting instrumentals and lyrics that are very true to themselves. Overall, this maturation of khai dreams’ work is impressive, inspiring and definitely worth checking out this AAPI month. 

Woosung

Woosung is a Korean American artist who is a vocalist and guitarist for the Korean soft rock band, The Rose. Woosung has been active with the band since 2017 and made his solo debut in 2019 with his EP titled “WOLF.” He released his debut album “Genre” in December of 2021 and his EP “Moth” soon after in May 2022. His music has a unique sound to it, blending both Korean and English styles and lyrics smoothly and an interesting spin on the typical pop genre. His songs also range through a variety of topics, with his most popular song, “Phase Me,” including themes of jealousy and heartbreak and being about the process of getting over an ex and watching them move on. Another popular song of his titled “Modern Life” is about navigating a digital world full of fake people and learning how to stay true to yourself despite how easy it is to feel lost in this “modern life.” Overall, his songs are a great introduction to Korean music while still appealing to an American style. 

Lyn Lapid 

Filipina American Lyn Lapid rose to popularity through sharing her music on TikTok during the pandemic and eventually releasing her song “Producer Man” in October 2020 after seeing huge success for the single when clips of it went viral. Her highest streamed song on Spotify at over 100 million streams, “In My Mind” went similarly viral on TikTok and resonated deeply with people who are often stuck in their minds. She has consistently been releasing powerful and beautiful songs, amassing over 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify in just two and a half years. Her songs range from topics of love to heartbreak with catchy lyrics and beautiful melodies. This is still only the beginning for Lapid, and she’s a great artist to keep an eye and support on as she continues to grow. 

Crimson Apple

Crimson Apple is a dark pop band of four sisters who have been making empowering music since 2018. The sisters are residents of Hawaii and of Japanese descent, with both of these being a source of inspiration for the band’s music. They especially pull inspiration from Japanese music, which can be traced in both their instrumentals and vocals. Their most popular song, “War With My Mind,” depicts a toxic relationship and breakup and showcases relatable lyrics for anyone going through a similar situation. Their newest album, “The Worst Idea,” including songs like “Warning,” has more aggressive and punchy sounding lyrics and is definitely suitable for anyone going through an angry and villainous era. Overall, Crimson Apple has a very unique and interesting sound, providing the perfect soundtrack for anyone who’s angry with the world. 

Jay Chang

Currently signed to the Korean entertainment agency, FM Entertainment, New Jersey native and Chinese Filipino American Jay Chang is a new talent among the K-pop world. Despite his current K-pop affiliations, Chang currently has two powerful singles on Spotify. The most recent, “LIAR,” showcases a more sensual side of him with strong lyrics and dramatic instrumentals, whereas his first release, “Is you,” is a love song showcasing a softer and sweeter side of him. Recently, he was a contestant on the Korean competition show, “Boys Planet.” Despite not making it to the final round, this show has greatly boosted his popularity and made him an interesting artist to follow. Although the future of his music is uncertain, he is sure to be an impactful artist no matter which path he takes, and his current singles are a great way to support him in the meantime.