They Call Us Bruce 227: They Call Us The Greatest Night in Pop

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.

What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome back filmmaker Bao Nguyen, director of the documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, which goes behind the scenes of the fateful, once-in-a-lifetime night in 1985 when music's biggest stars gathered to record "We Are the World." He talks about the unique way this iconic pop song transcended cultures and generations, why he told this story like a heist movie, and getting to film at Bruce Springsteen's house. He also may or may not explain Dan Aykroyd's participation in "We Are the World."

They Call Us Bruce 214: They Call Us Kishi Bashi

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.

What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome singer, violinist and multi-instrumentalist Kishi Bashi, whose latest project is the album and "songfilm" Omoiyari, a musical journey to understand World War II-era Japanese American incarceration, assimilation, and what it means to be a minority in America today. He talks about exploring empathy and compassion through music, drawing parallels between incarceration camps and contemporary treatment of migrants and Muslims, and finding better understanding of his own bi-cultural identity in the process.

Why Do Asian Americans Love "Bizarre Love Triangle"?

Why can't we be ourselves like we were yesterday?



Asian Americans, we have an anthem. If you are Asian American of a certain age, there is a song that can immediately pull us into circle formation on the dance floor like synth siren's song. I am, of course, talking about "Bizarre Love Triangle" by New Order. If you know, you know. But why? What is about this specific track that has resonated so strongly with a generation of Asian Americans?

Our friend, sociology professor, DJ and music scholar Oliver Wang is formally asking the questions about "Bizarre Love Triangle" and doing some important work for the culture. Through a research study entitled "Bizarre Love Theories," he intends to get to the bottom of why New Order's 1986 dance chart hit has been embraced as an unofficial anthem of Asian America. And he needs your help. Check it:

Billie Eilish Apologizes for Mouthing Racial Slur in Video

"I am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that I ever mouthed along to that word."

Billie Eilish has apologized after a video surfaced of her apparently mouthing along to a song as an anti-Asian racial slur is used. The singer posted a statement on her Instagram account addressing the edited compilation of videos, which was widely circulated on TikTok earlier this month. Eilish says the videos in question were recorded when she was 13 or 14 years old. In one clip, Eilish mouthed the word "chink" -- which she claims she didn't know was a slur at the time -- and in another video she apparently imitated an accent.

Seems like sooner or later, somebody always digs up some racist bullshit you did in your young past -- whether you knew it was racist or not. It's like a twisted celebrity rite of passage.

More here: Billie Eilish Says She Is Sorry After TikTok Video Shows Her Mouthing A Racist Slur

"We Belong '21" by Magnetic North & Taiyo Na (feat. Ann One)

"...but we're still here; And we're going strong; And we're getting tired of proving we belong."



I'm proud to share "We Belong '21," the new track from Magnetic North & Taiyo Na, featuring Ann One.

Back in 2010, Magnetic North & Taiyo Na's "We Belong" was a rallying cry for humanity and belonging amidst the AAPI community's experiences with erasure, exclusion and absurdity. Sampling Asian American folk pioneer Chris Iijima's "Asian Song" on the chorus, the song was part of a larger thematic album Home:Word, where homeland and refuge were explored from an Asian American migrant perspective.

Unless you've been actively putting your head in the sand -- and let's face it, this is entirely possible -- you know that there's been a near-daily deluge of reports of attacks on Asian Americans. Upon hearing the details of yet another violent assault, in which the attacker told the victim, "You don't belong here," I was reminded of Iijima's lyrics: "...but we're still here; And we're going strong; And we're getting tired of proving we belong."

I begged Theresa, Derek and Taiyo to get back on the mic to record an updated version of "We Belong." It just felt like we needed it. Turns out, they were already thinking about revisiting the song in light of recent events, particularly the mass shootings in Atlanta and Indianapolis. And they have delivered.

"We Belong '21" adds layers of urgency and relevance to the original track, delving deeper into experiences of a community being appropriated and othered while pointing towards the possibilities of solidarity and action to bring us forward. The soulful Ann One lends her voice to sing Iijima's timeless words.

Listen here:

Recognizing an Exit From an Ambitious and Lonely Love

Music Premiere: "Gilot" by Surrija



At long last, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Jane Lui, who's making music these days under the name Surrija, will release her long-awaited fourth album next month. Surrija will be available on April 3.

It's a been a minute since Jane, a good friend to this website, dropped a full-length. While taking a break after her last record, 2010's Goodnight Company, Jane says she wasn't even sure she had another album in her. But when she finally did start writing again, she found inspiration half a world away, in Spain.

"When I felt the songs again, I hopped on a plane to Barcelona, locked myself in a room for three weeks, and material came rushing through," Jane shared during the new album's Kickstarter campaign. "During these Barcelona sessions, I deliberately wrote away from my normal tendencies to hatch an evolution."

The result: Surrija, and a haunting new electropop sound. We're proud to debut the new single, "Gilot."

A Music Video History of Asian America

It's like a fun, overly informative Asian American version of 'Pop-Up Video.'



You wanna teach the kids a little something about Asian Americans in music? Point them to A Music Video History of Asian America, created by our friends at Pacific Arts Movement. Their team spent 130+ hours putting together this epic 35-minute compilation of 46 music videos that crafts a 46-year oral history of Asian America. It plays like a fun, overly informative Asian American version of Pop-Up Video.

This will probably be the only time you'll see the likes of Yellow Pearl alongside Jocelyn Enriquez, alongside Das Racist, alongside Ruby Ibarra, alongside Japanese Breakfast... alongside...

Check it out:

Sophia Chang is 'The Baddest Bitch in the Room'

Former Wu-Tang manager will tell her story in a new audiobook memoir.



Sophia Chang calls herself "the first Asian woman in hip-hop"... and she has the resumé to back up the title.

She has extensive record company experience, including marketing at Atlantic, A&R at Jive, A&R Administration at UMG, GM of Razor Sharp Records, Cinematic Music Group and Pro Era Records. But Chang is best known for her time as a manager with an all-star roster of clients, including Wu-Tang's RZA, GZA, and Ol' Dirty Bastard; D'Angelo, Raphael Saadiq, Q-Tip and more.

Now, after a career of helping artists tell their stories, Chang will tell her own in the upcoming audio memoir The Baddest Bitch in the Room, available in September. And maaaaaan, I bet she's got some stories.

Here's an excerpt, in which she recounts that first time Method Man brought the ruckus on her behalf when someone asked her that eye-rolling question, where are you from?:

Music Video Premiere: "dec17" by fuvk

"Maybe later on this week we'll take back the words we speak."



Engineers by day, musicians by night! fuvk is the Austin-based bedroom indie pop project (or termed "audio journal") of Shirley Zhu. Started in 2016, the band features Zhu on vocals/guitar, Jiyoung Min on violin and Kevin Javier on cello -- all graduates of the University of Texas with STEM degrees, now working full-time day jobs (Zhu is an analyst at EA, and Min is a software developer at vrbo).

We're proud to present the premiere of their new music video for "dec17" from their EP Golden Girl, directed by award-winning filmmaker Huay-Bing Law.

Toro y Moi performs at NPR's Tiny Desk

Artist offers four stripped down tracks from 'Outer Peace.'



Chaz Bear, who performs as Toro y Moi, is the latest artist to drop by and perform for NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series, treating fans to four stripped down tracks from his acclaimed record Outer Peace. Peeling away the heavy auto-tune and electronic effects of the record, Toro y Moi offers acoustic versions of "Laws of the Universe,' "New House," "Freelance" and "Ordinary Pleasure."

Check it out:

Jane Lui is making her long-awaited fourth album

Help this mad genius make her first album in nine years.



All right, everybody. Our good friend singer/songwriter Jane Lui is raising funds for her new album Surrija -- her first in nine years -- and she needs your help. She's got new songs, a new sound, a great team of collaborators, and some good old fashioned Spanish inspiration to make what she believes is her best record to date.

"I took a much needed break after my last record and honestly didn't know if I had another album in me," Jane shares. "When I felt the songs again, I hopped on a plane to Barcelona, locked myself in a room for three weeks, and material came rushing through. During these Barcelona sessions, I deliberately wrote away from my normal tendencies to hatch an evolution."

Here's some more info from Jane:

Awkwafina is hosting 'Saturday Night Live'

'Crazy Rich Asians' and 'Ocean's 8' star will be the first Asian American woman to host in 18 years.



Rapper/actress Awakwafina, recently seen stealing scene after scene as Peik Lin Goh in the box office smash Crazy Rich Asians, will host the upcoming October 6 episode of Saturday Night Live.

By our rough count, that makes Awkwafina -- aka Queens-bred Nora Lum -- one of only a handful of Asian American hosts in the perennial NBC sketch show's 43-plus-season, 851-episode history. In fact, it's been eighteen years since an Asian American woman hosted SNL: Lucy Liu appeared on December 16, 2000.

Saturday Night Live officially announced the lineup Thursday on Twitter, sharing a photo of Post-It notes listing the first three hosts and musical acts of the upcoming 44th season.

A Filipino American DJ finds her groove in 'Flip the Record'

Marie Jamora's retro short is screening as part of the PBS Online Film Festival.



A little-known but lasting explosion of hip hop culture grew out of the Filipino American community of 1980s San Francisco. The short film Flip the Record, written and directed by Marie Jamora, takes us into the beat of an aspiring mobile DJ crew in '84. Vanessa, sick of the constraints and boring piano lessons in her conservative Filipino American household, starts teaching herself on the sly how to scratch on her older brother's turntables. Flip the Record follows Ness as she discovers her talents and place in the local music scene of the era.

After screening on the festival circuit, Flip the Record is now available to watch as part of the 2018 PBS Online Film Festival. The key to this film is in the feel of the details, from the retro fashion to the fresh dance moves, and even the hot-off-the-press homemade business cards. And of course, the music. It's a fun, vibrant look back at an influential but overlooked era in Filipino American pop culture.

Check it out:

I Can't Wait To Be An Old Asian American Woman

"I will do nothing else but sit in my favorite chair and let all my migrant muscles rest."



From the icy wilds and tiny desks of Alaska... I don't know about you, but Christy NaMee Eriksen can't wait to be an old Asian American woman. The Juneau-based poet and activist gives us a gorgeous gift: her wonderful, unique last-minute submission to NPR's 2018 Tiny Desk Contest.

Recorded on frozen Auke Lake and accompanied on guitar by Avery Stewart, she lists off all the awesome things she's legitimately looking forward to being and doing when she is an old Asian American woman. It's a thank you to Asian America and a thank you to ajummas everywhere.

Bruno Mars won all the Grammys

Including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.



There must have been some 24 karat magic in the air.

Bruno Mars was the big winner Sunday night at the 60th annual Grammy Awards, sweeping the major categories and picking up seven wins, including the coveted Album of the Year and Record of the Year.

The Filipino American music-multi-hyphenate also cleaned up in four other categories, picking up trophies for Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for "That's What I Like," and Best R&B Album for 24K Magic. Throw in the Grammy for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, and Mr. Mars officially walked away from the proceedings as the year's most decorated artist.

Bruno also rocked a rousing Cross-Colours-soaked, 1990s-inspired live performance of "Finesse" with Cardi B, complete with retro dance moves. The only thing missing were the Fly Girls.

When taiko meets big band and swing dancing!

Watch a performance from San Jose Taiko's Swingposium: Big Band Music and Dance from Camp.



What do you get when you mix taiko with big band and swing dancing? A super-fun time, as evidenced by this awesome performance from San Jose Taiko's Swingposium: Big Band Music and Dance from Camp, an immersive show performed and produced last year with Epic Immersive and Wesley Jazz Ensemble.

The piece, "Singing in the Present," is a mash-up of San Jose Taiko's signature song, "Gendai ni Ikiru (Living in the Present)" and Benny Goodman's swing classic, "Sing Sing Sing." And it looks like it was a blast.

That time figure skating got a little crunk

Jimmy Ma performs to "Turn Down For What" at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.



A few years ago, the International Skating Union changed its rules to allow skaters to use songs with lyrics in their routines, a decision designed to shake up traditional performances set to classical music.

I suppose it was only a matter of time before somebody performed to Lil Jon.

For Jimmy Ma, the time is now. On Thursday at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the 22-year-old skater from Queens competed in the mens' short program with a routine that included "Turn Down For What" by DJ Snake and Lil Jon. And nothing will ever be the same again.

This cover of "California Dreamin'" is cool as hell

Japanese Breakfast puts a gorgeous spin on The Mamas and The Papas classic.



Singer/songwriter Michelle Zauner, who makes music as Japanese Breakfast, recently shared this devastatingly gorgeous synth-tastic cover of the Mamas and The Papas' 1965 folk-rock classic "California Dreamin'" she recorded during a session for SiriusXMU. Wait until that beat drops.

How Asian Grandpas Get Down With The Weeknd

Just another day at the park with your Asian grandpa...



This is the silliest thing you'll see today. Let it be your guide.

Funny video makers Chuck Maa and Geo Lee, aka Seventh Grade, teamed up with Will Choi of Asian AF to channel their future Asian grandpa selves for this incredible lip sync video to the tune of "I Feel It Coming." Daft Punk ain't got nothing on these visor-clad old timers. Check those stretches. Feel it.

2 Live Crew's Fresh Kid Ice dies at 53

Christopher Wong Won was a founding member of the groundbreaking, controversial rap group.



Christopher Wong Won, aka Fresh Kid Ice, a founding member of the groundbreaking, controversial rap group 2 Live Crew and one of the first high-profile Asian American rappers, has died. He was 53.

2 Live Crew Rapper Fresh Kid Ice Dies at 53

Won died of an undisclosed medical condition in a Miami hospital on Tuesday, according to his longtime manager Debo. 2 Live Crew's former frontman Luther Campbell, aka Uncle Luke, aka Luke Skyywalker, tweeted his condolences on Thursday morning, calling Fresh Kid Ice "a legend."