DISCLAIMER: Since I am Chinese, I will be looking at this issue through an East Asian lens. What you will be reading, will be from my own perspectives and experiences, focusing on Asians in the music industry. 

In light of recent events that have happened during the Grammy Award nomination announcement, I decided to reflect on what problems the music industry faces in recognizing minorities and people of colour. As a Canadian-born Chinese, it is hard to find musicians who look Asian growing up. I wondered why it was difficult for people of my own ethnicity to thrive in this industry. The only Asian American musician who I know, like singer Bruno Mars (who is part Filipino) and rapper Tyga (who is half Vietnamese), could hide their ethnicities as they do not pass as being Asian. When you look at any music chart, be it Billboard or Music Canada, you will not find a single artist who looks Asian. Most of them are either White or Black. Why is that?

The answer to this question comes down to a butterfly effect that is the result of cultural differences between first-generation Asian immigrants (in both the United States and Canada) and their children. 

In East Asian culture, most families have a collectivist mindset. Emphasis was placed on raising children in traditional ways. Children sacrificed all personal freedom in thoughts and action as their parents were the authoritative figures to be obeyed. All decisions in their lives are made for them by their elders, such as which university to go to for their studies, their careers and even who they will marry. They have to agree to whatever decisions their parents made to show respect, honour and be collective as a family.  If they stray from their parents’ chosen path, they were faced with serious consequences. 

Most Asian parents will be displeased when their child wants to have a career in the fine arts (like being a musician, dancer, painter or even actor/actress). To them, having careers in this field is purely subjective. They feel people of their culture face stronger judgement and prejudice. However, in careers that involve subjects like math and science, where 1+1 will always equal 2 and the mitochondria will always be the powerhouse of the cell, there is strictly only one solution. You can back up your answers with facts. It is totally objective and not influenced by one’s personal feelings or opinions.

On the contrary to what I just mentioned about East Asian traditional culture, the North American mindset is solely focused on personal freedom. Parents want their kids to discover their passions and strive for their goals. As the saying goes:

If you work hard, dreams come true.

So if a child born to Canadian parents wants to become a pop star, most parents will accept the fact and help their child achieve their dreams.

Asian’s collectivist upbringing and the lack of Asians being involved in the fine arts have caused negative stereotypes to erupt. In her book, Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism, sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen states that:

Racism, in the form of job exclusion and racially stereotyped roles, has defined the Hollywood film industry since its birth in the early 1900s.

For example, if you look at any movie made in the 1950s to the 1990s, whenever an Asian character was present, you would see many stereotypes. These characters often have an accent, were nerdy, given annoying personalities or negative roles like a threatening villain. They were never portrayed as heroic personalities. However, if an Asian character was in the lead role, it would most likely go towards a white actor or actress impersonating the Asian character.

Asian stereotypes were made even worse in the realm of the music industry. William Hung, a contestant on the 2004 season of American Idol, went viral because of his “so bad it’s good” rendition of Ricky Martin’s song, She Bangs. He was the picture-perfect example of an Asian stereotype. He had buck teeth, looked like a nerd and lacked any singing talent or stage presence. His career rose out of the mockery of Asian stereotypes. Ron Lin, the former editor-in-chief of UC Berkeley’s student newspaper even said:

“It’s really difficult for Asian American males to break through and [Hung] may not be the most appealing example.”

He was correct. Wanting to shatter the stereotypes that were seen with Hung, Paul Kim tried to audition for American Idol. Even though the judges loved him, the audience did not. He was voted off the show. Kim has even stated that:

“I was told over and over again by countless label execs that if it weren’t for me being Asian, I would’ve been signed yesterday.”

This goes into my other point, MARKETABILITY. Since there is no sense of Asian American culture, it makes it harder for major record labels (like Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group and Warner Music Group) to market Asian Americans. These labels build their artist branding off of another artist. Think of it as a foundation of a building. Since there are no previous artists to build off, major labels don’t want to take risks to promote artists who visibly look Asian or fit the stereotype. This is why Asian artists who perform in their native language (like K-Pop groups) tend to get more recognition rather than Asian artists performing in English.

In a study done by Victoria Noriega, she states that just by looking at 229 musicians signed to major labels in pop music, more than three quarters are white. Now, how about Asian Americans? A mere 1.06%, which makes up around 2 artists out of the 229 that she researched.

Now, why am I writing this? In my opinion, many Asians who want a career in the music industry are often hindered by the statistics you see above. They are often tied down by their parents’ outdated ideologies on collectivism that made them afraid to try new experiences. Those statistics can be improved if more and more Asians tap into their own desires and pursue the career of their dreams, not their parents.

So, how is the music industry improving for Asian Americans and what can be done in signing more artists from minorities? I have listed out three ways to help bring light to this issue:

• There has to be a dialogue between Asian American musicians, singers or even record producers and major label executives on how to promote and market Asian American musicians in various genres. 
• Streaming Services need to do more to promote Asian American artists. Now you might say that music streaming services have playlists composed of Asian artists. However, these streaming services, like Spotify, have playlists that clump Asian artists into one big category. A great example would be Beast Meets West. They rarely promote their songs anywhere else on the service or even in their respected genres.

• Lastly, Asian Americans need to embrace the fine arts and produce content they enjoy:
  • Here are some tips for those who are scared to pursue music as a career:
    • NEVER go into music to become famous
      •  produce, song write and perform because you like to do it
    • Success takes time, don’t go into a music career expecting to become a pop star overnight
    • There is no such thing as making it
      • Everyone is at a different stage of their career
      • Even the pop stars you listen to have not “made it” in their own eyes
    • There will be lots of rejection, but that’s just part of the process
      • Learn what you can do better and keep on trying!

Learn to accept rejections and disappointments in your career and take those as learning experiences. Every hurdle is an inch closer to success!