Happy AAPI Month! Asian American Pacific Islander Month is an important month to recognize the contributions, achievements, and culture of many Asian and Pacific Islander individuals. Officially in 1990, Congress extended this week-long celebration to a month to help people understand the history and achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States and many of these individuals are very influential in the music you listen to today but often go unrecognized—here are some Asian American artists to keep on your radar! 

Laufey Lin Bing Jonsdottir, born on April 23, 1999 is a singer and songwriter born to a Chinese mother and Icelandic father in Reykjavik, Iceland. Laufey mainly focuses on traditional jazz, pop and classical music. Many of her fans struggle with the correct pronunciation of her traditional Icelandic name, but the proper way to say it is “Lay-vay.” Laufey’s name has Norse origins and means “woody or leafy island.” Both her and her sister, Junia Lin Jonsdottir, share the Chinese middle name Lin in honor of their mother’s family name. Laufey was introduced into the music world at a very young age as her mother was a violinist and her father loved jazz. She learned piano when she was just four and cello at eight. Eventually, she attended Berklee College of Music where she was able to explore her blend of jazz, pop and classical music. Her music is very influential to all the young listeners because she doesn’t hide her heritage — she uses it to be an influential figure in today’s music industry.

In an interview with NPR, Laufey explains the significance of her heritage in her line of industry. “There aren’t many Asian women in the kind of singer-songwriter, indie space,” she said. “When we were younger, we didn’t have many people to look up to, and we definitely have a lot of Asians in our fan base, both mine and Bea’s. It’s cool to see this community that I, at least, did not have growing up, come together.” Laufey is able to experience a community and many different individuals that have a biracial heritage being accepted in the music world.

Beatrice Kristi Laus, professionally known as Beabadoobee, was born on June 3, 2000, in Iloilo City, Philippines. She is a Filipino-British singer and songwriter, originally starting off recording music and teaching herself how to play guitar in her room when she discovered her passion for music. In an interview with SPIN, Beabadoobee explained that when she first encountered music, she wondered, “Why is there no one who looks like me onstage?” She was nervous because the style of music she enjoyed did not have many Asian women like herself. The first song she wrote and recorded was called “Coffee,” going viral immediately and successfully got her name out there. Her overall dream is to continue to make music for films while she is also a nursery teacher. She feels as though she really gets along with kids and understands them, as her brother has autism. Beabadoobee has spoken about her passion and hopes for the younger generation to inspire the youth and give them representation as an Asian artist, so that she can influence someone’s own music career.

Olivia Isabel Rodrigo is a Filipino American singer and actress. She was born on February 20, 2003, in Murrieta, California. Olivia’s grandparents and great-grandparents emigrated from the Philippines. Growing up, her parents played rock music a lot around the house so she was always exposed to music at a very young age. At 12 years old, she made her acting debut and the very next year, she was seen on Disney Channel on the series “Bizaardvark”. After, she was seen on “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” and wrote a song for the show called “All I Want,” earning her big break in the music industry. All of the acting Olivia did easily segued into her music career, eventually leading her to release the hit song “Drivers License” which officially cemented her spot as one of the biggest artists currently. Throughout Olivia’s songs, she shows how she really appreciates emotional storytelling through her music, where she brings up many themes like heartbreak, identity and vulnerability which inspires and connects to her fans all around the world.