6 minute read
Cue the Music
By Susie Chen
Meet Elise Solberg. She is a producer, songwriter, and pianist based in Los Angeles. Born in Tokyo, Japan from a Japanese mother and an American father, Solberg’s journey in classical music began at the age of 7 when she started taking piano lessons in Tokyo. Later, she developed an interest in pop and indie music. When she was studying classical music, Solberg had role models to look up to, but she felt alone in the pop music scene. She shared a time when a man singled her out and assumed she couldn’t play anything besides classical music. “It’s so maddening that people think you can’t play something because of your ethnicity,” said Solberg. “We were supposed to play this intro that was more gospel and R&B, and this guy was going around to all of the musicians in the band saying they could play it. Then, he turned to me and said, ‘I don’t think you can play this.’”
While Solberg’s story doesn’t speak for all, it certainly gives insight into the struggles that aspiring Asian American musicians must endure to achieve their dreams. Success is a feat that is diffcult for them to achieve because of several factors, including the state of theindustry, stereotypes, and disapproval from loved ones.
The Struggle with Record Labels
Record labels have concerns about the success of Asian American musicians because there has never been a prominent “frst” Asian American musician in Western pop music. The lack of success stories from Asian Americans makes it diffcult for them to reach a deal with record labels. This grim reality stems from deeply rooted stereotypes. Perpetual foreigner syndrome is the idea that ethnic minorities are considered “other,” despite being born and raised in America like everyone else. The labeling of “other” onto Asian American musicians pushes them to kickstart their career in Asia rather than in America. In Asia, they feel accepted for who they are, which lowers the barriers to industry entrance. In America, they simply feel unwelcome. One musician who underwent this experience is Jay Park. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Park later moved to South Korea to seek a music and dance career in 2005. He debuted in a K-Pop group called 2PM and later pursued a solo career. Park then made moves to break into the Western music scene, where he became the frst Asian American artist under Jay-Z’s label, Roc Nation. Isha Aran, a reporter for Splinter News, commented on Park’s fame. “All it took was leaving the country he is from, putting in 12 years of work, and becoming Usher-level famous overseas. And even then, he still might not make it in America,” she said. Aran’s comments highlight a piece of advice that seems common to struggling Asian American musicians: Tap into markets overseas, get a following there, and bring that fame back. On a more positive note, with modern-day technology and social media, musicians now have more avenues than ever before to promote their music and connect with fans. YouTubers like Jason Chen and Wendy Jie Huang have used their platforms and other mediums like SoundCloud to eliminate the need for labels to act as the middleman.
The Removal of “Asian” from “Asian American” in the Industry
Growing up, the media defnes what certain ethnicities “should” look like. This limits people’s knowledge of ethnic categories and makes the categories more absolute, leading to racial lumping. Racial lumping occurs when there is an inability to
differentiate between people of varying ethnicities and national origins. Because Asians are one of the most ethnically diverse groups, racial lumping is a common experience.
Saachi Konjalwar, a second-year business administration student at the University of Florida, shared her experience of racial lumping.
“When I fll out a form and the ethnicities are limited, I am obviously flling out Asian because I am Asian. India is in Asia,” Konjalwar said. “I think a lot of people have that notion that all of Asia is just East Asia. It’s what they’re seeing externally and feature-wise. People say, ‘Wait, you’re Indian. How are you Asian?’”
Now the question is, what makes Asian American musicians like Olivia Rodrigo so successful? Given that Rodrigo’s looks are not conventionally what Americans deem as “Asian,” few can accurately distinguish her Asian ancestry and are often surprised to discover that she has a Filipino background.
Rodrigo’s looks are what one would call to be racially ambiguous, meaning one cannot pinpoint the musician’s racial background merely by external features. Other musicians such as Vanessa Hudgens and Conan Gray also have racially ambiguous looks. While having this trait can lower industry barriers for Asian American musicians, the cost is that it cements the notion that conventional-looking Asian
Americans are not pop star material.
The Role of the Fam
There is a shared concern across all ethnicities that a music career would not be a stable job. This worry is often more prevalent in immigrant families. Children of immigrants know that their parents struggled to come to the United States, and they want to ensure that the effort their parents put in for their success does not go to waste. Giving back to one’s family is an act of flial piety and comes from a place of gratitude, but it can be burdensome at times for the children who feel that they are living their parents’ dreams, not their own.
Lyle Kam is a fourth-year engineering student at the University of Waterloo who produces and writes his own songs. When asked about his parent’s support of his music, Kam said, “They weren’t supportive in the beginning, but I think once the idea that money comes in and there is potential, they start to change their minds a bit, but I don’t think they are
100% on board.”
Kam also shared that Asians often don’t go into the arts because success is not guaranteed.
“Immigrants coming over to America have tried and tested methods of supporting themselves, such as academia or something that has a higher chance of success,” he said. “Immigrant parents go through the system, follow the rules, and get a living even if they are not super passionate. They push that idea onto their children because they want them to be successful. I think in their heads it’s not a big deal.”
Claire Jabba, a music industry intern and artist manager in Los Angeles, shared her experiences of feeling alienated by her own family.
“A lot of my family is in nursing and fnance, and I’m kind of like the odd one out,” she said.
Continuing the Conversation
Society must discuss the wide range of issues that affect Asian American musicians. There is so much more that can and should be done, but by having musicians and industry professionals start this conversation, society can begin to create a diverse and inclusive space for Asian American musicians and their music.
