In honor of AAPI Month, Billboard speaks to numerous artists and executives on how the music business can higher serve their group.
From left: Annie Chen, Joyce Wrice, Sailorr and Monica Kran.
Illustration by Lyanne Natividad
As hip-hop and R&B proceed to evolve right into a melting pot of numerous nationalities and backgrounds, for AAPI Month, Billboard explores the affect of Asian People and Pacific Islanders.
With high-ranking executives like Mass Attraction’s Annie Chen and Amazon Music’s Frankie Yaptinchay serving as cornerstones for his or her respective firms whereas representing their AAPI group, this brings immense pleasure to their lives.
“It provides me an immense degree of gratitude seeing an increasing number of members of the AAPI group rising into distinguished positions and making an affect throughout the business,” Yaptinchay says. “Having the chance to characterize our group is an incredible honor that I don’t take without any consideration. In 2025, I’m impressed to see the following era of AAPI leaders breaking boundaries to carve new lanes for the AAPI artist and creator communities. I’m enthusiastic about new avenues for collaboration and international development throughout the business. It’s inspiring, and we’re solely getting began. We’re all attempting to make our mother and father proud!”
AAPI artists are additionally carving out their lanes with their indelible abilities and charisma. Earlier this month, Sailorr launched her debut venture, From Florida’s Best, after the success of her breakout single “Pookie’s Requiem.” Past her uncooked lyrics and radiant charisma, the Vietnamese-American singer honors her roots by way of symbolic expression — like her black-dyed enamel.
“Manner again when, quite a lot of Southeast Asian girls would dye their enamel black utilizing varied issues, it relies on the place you come from. My grandma had black enamel,” she told Billboard in February. “The very adolescence of my life, when my mother and father have been working, I used to be being watched by my grandma. She was my first have a look at what femininity is. It was an homage to her, but in addition, rising up in Florida, everyone has grillz. It’s an ideal intersection of the place I come from after which the place I come from.”
See what different executives and artists mentioned beneath.
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Monica Krat
Expertise Partnerships at Snapchat
What does it imply to be an government in 2025 as a member of the AAPI group?
It means so much: I take into consideration the youthful model of myself — who didn’t usually see individuals who seemed like me in positions of affect — and I really feel proud to be a part of a crew the place I can assist individuals change that. Within the first quarter of 2025, Snapchat reached 460 million individuals day by day, and it’s essential that our group sees themselves mirrored not simply within the content material, however within the individuals supporting them behind the scenes. Being a part of these high-level conversations with a perspective formed by my identification and lived expertise is one thing I take critically. On the finish of the day, I’m a storyteller — and I’m lucky to get to champion and amplify the voices of different storytellers, particularly those that haven’t at all times had a seat on the desk.
How can the music business higher serve the AAPI group?
I’m a first-generation Khmer American, and like many AAPI artists, I carry the load of my household’s journey. Our mother and father and grandparents made unimaginable sacrifices so we might have the liberty to create and dream larger than they ever might. Merely present — and creating — in these areas is a testomony to their resilience. When the music business uplifts AAPI artists, it’s not simply in regards to the music. It’s about honoring the layered histories, cultures, and communities that formed us. Our tales are rooted in migration, sacrifice, pleasure and survival. There’s a lot depth and richness in these narratives, and so they should be seen, heard, and celebrated–not simply throughout AAPI Heritage Month, however at all times.
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Annie Chen
VP of Advertising at Mass Attraction
What does it imply to be an government in 2025 as a member of the AAPI group?
For me, being an AAPI government in 2025 means exhibiting up with intention. It’s about utilizing the seat I’ve earned to not solely contribute strategically, but in addition to characterize and create house for others in our group. It additionally means difficult outdated narratives. We’re not right here to suit a mould, we convey perspective, innovation and international consciousness that the business wants now greater than ever.
There’s an actual alternative for the business to proceed to develop and acknowledge the range throughout the AAPI tradition. Additionally it’s not in regards to the visibility throughout one month, it’s about long run dedication and funding, meaning constructing ongoing collaborations with AAPI expertise, creatives, behind the scenes groups and executives.
How can the music business higher serve the AAPI group?
It’s about increasing the AAPI tales as there are such a lot of completely different layers to the tradition.
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Frankie Yaptinchay
Music Business & Tradition / Amazon Music
What does it imply to be an government in 2025 as a member of the AAPI group?
It provides me pleasure. It provides me an immense degree of gratitude seeing an increasing number of members of the AAPI group rising into distinguished positions and making an affect throughout the business. Having the chance to characterize for our group is an incredible honor that I don’t take without any consideration. In 2025 I’m impressed to see the following era of AAPI leaders breaking boundaries to carve new lanes for the AAPI artist and creator communities. I’m enthusiastic about new avenues for collaboration and international development throughout the business. It’s inspiring and we’re solely getting began.
How can the Music Business higher serve the AAPI group?
The business is altering and changing into an increasing number of international than ever earlier than. For my part the business has been extra inclusive and supportive in embracing collaboration, change, and new concepts. I’d love the business to proceed to look past conventional norms and put money into underserved genres, creators and communities earlier. I look to the business to suppose larger. Let’s proceed to construct bridges throughout borders, languages and cultures to convey visibility to AAPI artists throughout the globe. There’s a world of immense expertise that wants this platform this business can present. This may forge development for improvement, illustration and financial alternatives for AAPI professionals, artists, and creators throughout industries around the globe.
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Zeena Koda
Vice President, Co-Founder Asian American Collective (AAC) + Advertising @ Common Music Enterprises
What does it imply to be an government in 2025 as a member of the AAPI group?
It means being true to my phrase. I take the duty of this so critically — when you ask my husband, in all probability too critically! It’s having the ability to characterize and mirror a perspective wanted in rooms we haven’t historically been in. It’s placing on the following era of creatives + taking the time to mentor and sponsor them. It’s dedicating the time to be the very best I might be at my profession but in addition to maneuver the group ahead, in each small and monumental methods.
How can the music business higher serve the AAPI group?
By inclusion. Convey us into your conversations. Worth our opinions. Don’t blindly misappropriate our tradition, convey us in to do it proper. Acknowledge our abilities as multifaceted and permit us to make an affect and have a voice in areas different than simply Okay-pop. We’re already on the market in each style, you don’t should look far.
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Austin Thach
CEO/Founder The Forefront Group
What does it imply to be an government in 2025 as a member of the AAPI group?
It means main with pleasure, objective and the duty to create house for others. As an AAPI government, I’m not simply representing my tradition; I’m pushing for visibility, fairness, and possession in rooms the place we’ve traditionally been missed.
How can the music business higher serve the AAPI group?
By investing in AAPI expertise at each degree; not simply artists, but in addition executives, creatives and decision-makers. We create significant illustration. It’s about constructing lasting infrastructure that uplifts our voices year-round, not simply throughout cultural moments.
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Sunkis
Artist
What does it imply to be artistic in 2025 as a member of the AAPI group?
To be an American-born Chinese language artist in 2025 means expressing my identification by way of creativity — utilizing artwork to inform my story and mirror a group usually liable to erasure. It’s additionally about giving voice to the tales which were silenced all through historical past. My artistic outlet is how I navigate and talk the complexities of my third-culture identification and the continuing seek for steadiness inside it.
How can the music business higher serve the AAPI group?
Elevate AAPI voices in A&R, manufacturing, advertising and label management to make sure choices mirror our communities from inside. Help numerous genres and narratives — not simply what’s trend-driven or simply marketable. The Asian American diaspora is extremely numerous, and plenty of tales, particularly from underrepresented teams inside our communities, stay untold. Media and mainstream platforms have the facility to convey these voices ahead.
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Yung Kai
Artist
What does it imply to be artistic in 2025 as a member of the AAPI group?
It means the world to be an affect to my fellow artist. I bear in mind once I was youthful, trying as much as artists corresponding to Keshi, Wealthy Brian and The Larger Brothers, now I get messages and feedback from individuals saying they give the impression of being as much as me. It feels surreal, however I’m very grateful.
How can the music business higher serve the AAPI group?
The quantity of Asian illustration within the music is rising very quick and it actually makes me very pleased. I consider that constantly supporting Asian artists whereas additionally normalizing their artistry within the mainstream market is how the music business can higher serve the group.
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Daju
Artist
What does it imply to be a artistic in 2025 as a member of the AAPI group?
It means every part to be a artistic within the AAPI group. It’s one thing to be happy with particularly throughout the previous couple years, areas with a platform have been permitting us to voice and amplify our tales. As a Black/Filipino artist rising up in Hawaii, I really feel extra represented and seen.
How can the music business higher serve the AAPI group?
Proceed to assist and create packages for up and coming artists in AAPI areas whereas rising present ones. Exploring extra outreach in underdeveloped areas with AAPI presence.
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P-Lo
Artist
What does it imply to be artistic in 2025 as a member of the AAPI group?
Being a artistic within the AAPi group means every part, having the ability to characterize and pave the way in which for the following era is what retains me impressed.
How can the music business higher serve the AAPI group?
Simply proceed to pave the way in which and usher within the subsequent era. Additionally serving to the following era navigate the music business.
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Sailorr
Artist
What does it imply to be artistic in 2025 as a member of the AAPI group?
Being a artistic in 2025 as a member of the AAPI group is fairly cool as a result of rising up I really feel like I didn’t get to see quite a lot of illustration in quite a lot of TV, media or music. Now that I get to principally set the precedent for the way I categorical myself, it’s fairly cool to see. So I’m glad that individuals have given me an area and a platform to have the ability to categorical myself authentically.
How can the music business higher serve the AAPI group?
I really feel just like the music business serves the AAPI group in a extremely cool approach by giving us that lane to simply present up.
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Joyce Wrice
Artist
What does it imply to be artistic in 2025 as a member of the AAPI group?
Being a artistic in 2025 as a part of the AAPI group means proudly owning your story and your voice greater than ever and difficult the narratives which have boxed us in.
How can the music business higher serve the AAPI group?
The music business can higher serve the AAPI group by creating extra of a tradition of real inclusion. I’d like to see the business transfer past tokenism and supply extra platforms all yr round. I consider it’s additionally essential for extra AAPI voices to be employed behind the scenes. Illustration isn’t solely about who’s on stage but in addition who’s within the room when choices are being made.