Tag: asian

4 Fire Songs by Asian Artists You’ve Probably Never Heard Before

Helen Mun

If you’re like me, music has been with you during some of the most difficult times of your life. Listening to music isn’t just about aesthetics, but a personal connection. Growing up with a hyphenated identity is unique, and consists of a variety of experiences and perspectives. But growing up, the only representation of my identity that I found in music was in k-pop, the occasional Asian-American musician who played a supporting role in a band, and, as I grew older and gained more access to the Internet, YouTube artists. Asian-Americans…

Does Yellow Skin Burn?

Helen Mun

I realized I was Asian when my family moved from Los Angeles to Charlotte, North Carolina. I realized it in my third-grade classroom when my teacher conflated my culture and language with those of Kazuhide, a Japanese-American student and the only other Asian kid in the class besides for me. I’d wanted to be his friend, maybe if only for the fact that he looked like me, but after that interaction with our teacher I felt like I had to keep a distance, draw a line, remind everyone that Korean and…