Recognizing the history, achievements, and music of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander musicians.
Kina Grannis is a Japanese-American singer-songwriter known for her indie folk-pop music. She gained widespread recognition after winning the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest with her song "Message from Your Heart." Elements is her second album and features songs filled with layered vocals and harmonies and lush, intricate soundscapes, while documenting a period of growth and change in her personal life, complete with an honesty and a vulnerability that she's excited to share with her fans.
The Green is a reggae band from Hawaii consisting of members Caleb Keolanui, JP Kennedy, Zion Thompson, Brad Watanabe, and Ikaika Antone. They blend traditional reggae with elements of rock, pop, and R&B. Produced by the band with Danny Kalb (Jack Johnson, Ben Harper), the record shows off the band's many singers and sides, from roots anthems to romantic ballads.
Japanese Breakfast is the performing/recording name of Korean-American musician and bestselling author, Michelle Zauner. On Soft Sounds from Another Planet she continues to explore her own brand of intimate, reflective indie pop.
Hawaiian musician and ukulele player Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, often referred to as "Iz," became internationally famous for his medley of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World." Sung in Hawaiian and English, The Man and His Music is a live album assembled from concert tours during the years 1993 to 1997.
Kishi Bashi is the solo recording project of singer-songwriter, producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist Kaoru Ishibashi. This album is a companion piece to his documentary, Omoiyari: a Songfilm, where he explores contemporary anti-immigrant rhetoric and performs music in locations relevant to the WWII-era incarceration of Japanese-Americans. Himself, the son of Japanese immigrants. While the theme of Omoiyari is rooted in 1940s America, the album's message is timeless. In exploring the emotional lives of the innocent Japanese-Americans who were unjustly incarcerated, Kishi Bashi hopes to nurture a sense of “omoiyari,” which means acting with consideration, empathy, and compassion, in all who hear the album.
Renowned Chinese-American cellist Yo-Yo Ma is known for his virtuosity and versatility in classical music. This album is a collaborative project with prolific Italian composer Ennio Morricone who conducts the Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra on selections from his film scores including pieces from "Once Upon a Time in America," "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," and "Cinema Paradiso."
The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We is Japanese-American musician Mitsuki Miyawaki’s seventh full-length album. It is sonically Mitski's most expansive, epic, and wise, the songs seem to be introducing wounds and then actively healing them. It plays like a tiny epic. Produced by Patrick Hyland, with accompanying musicians, choir and orchestra accompaniment.
Kalani Peʻa is a Hawaiian singer-songwriter known for his contemporary Hawaiian music. He's won multiple Grammy Awards for his albums featuring his soulful vocals and modern take on Hawaiian classics.
Silk Sonic is an American musical superduo composed of musicians Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak. Singer/songwriter, producer, and successful solo artist Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez in Hawaii and is of Puerto Rican and Filipino descent Anderson .Paak was born in California and is of African American and Korean descent. An Evening with Silk Sonic, showcases their talents on an exemplary R&B album influenced by classic funk and Motown and Philly soul.
ATUM (pronounced Autumn) is the Smashing Pumpkins twelfth studio album. ATUM is a rock opera presented in three acts featuring 33-tracks. This is the final installment in a concept album trilogy, which began with 1995’s Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness and then continued with 2000's Machina/The Machines of God. The album features three original members of the band, Billy Corgan, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, and Japanese-American guitarist James Iha.
The soundtrack to the 2011 family dramedy, The Descendants, contains numerous Hawaiian musicians, including slack-key guitar masters Gabby Pahinui and Keola Beamer and traditional Hawaiian musical group, Makaha Sons.
Korean-American musician and lead vocalist of the indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Karen O (Karen Lee Orzolek) is known for her dynamic performances. Fever to Tell, is their first full-length album and their major-label debut.