The month of May was designated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in 1992. Since 2008, Verizon Wireless has celebrated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with an annual concert tour featuring prominent Asian-American artists. This year, the event will be headlined by Korean-American singer Jay Park. Opening for him on the West Coast will be the Pan-Asian female pop group Blush and Filipino-American YouTube star, AJ Rafael. They will make their final stop in Los Angeles on May 27 at Club Nokia. Rafael talked to the Daily Bruin’s Michelle Lee about his experiences as an Asian-American artist in the music industry and touring in different continents.
Daily Bruin: What does it mean to you to perform at the Verizon APAHM Tour?
AJ Rafael: It’s a huge honor to be a part of this. Being Asian-American is something I am so proud of, and I hope many can identify with how close we hold on to our identities.
DB: What challenges have you faced as an Asian-American breaking into the entertainment industry?
AR: It’s definitely challenging because being Asian-American in the entertainment industry is just not normal. I think we are all hoping for the day when it won’t be weird or surprising that an Asian-American is the lead role of a TV sitcom like “Glee” or something. … The resources and opportunities out there for me all pretty much came from the Internet, so I’ve definitely learned to use it to my advantage.
DB: What made you want to start posting videos of yourself singing on YouTube?
AR: YouTube was never “the next big thing” for me when I first started posting videos. It all just happened organically and gradually, so I never had any change of heart or anything like that. I’ve always wanted to do music full-time, but with YouTube, I realized that it was an actual possibility. My dad, who passed away in 1999, was a musician and didn’t want me and my sisters becoming musicians because of the lack of stability and, of course, lack of income. Making him proud was always in my head throughout all of this. I never imagined the Internet and my music would take me to places like Southeast Asia and Europe and Australia. … It’s all still very surreal.
DB: Now that you’ve gotten to where you are now, are you interested in signing with a major label?
AR: At the moment, I am not interested in signing with a label. If anything, my fans have proven that they are all I need to distribute my music and spread the word.
DB: What has been the most memorable experience for you so far in your career?
AR: One of my most memorable experiences has to be playing in Southeast Asia for a tour. The fans were so receptive and even gave me and my bands gifts and things like that. They sang along at the top of their lungs, and we had packed venues. It was amazing.
DB: What piece of advice would you give to young aspiring Asian artists who want to break into the music industry?
AR: I’d have to say always stay true to yourself. You’ll run into situations where you’ll have to maybe change who you are, but those situations won’t satisfy your soul or truly make you happy, … and that’s what’s important when you’re in this tough industry, … staying happy and healthy, so when you reach your goal you can enjoy it and know that you really worked hard for it. Oh, and practice. Skill-building is very important. Be the best you can be.