In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, the Recording Academy’s Los Angeles Chapter and SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans) hosted "Let Our Story Be Heard: A Conversation with AAPI Creators and Professionals." Part one of the two-part program was a panel discussion moderated by Apple Music Radio Technical Producer, Manny Streetz, featuring Vice President of A&R at Def Jam Recordings, Marisa Pizarro, Frankie Yaptinchay, who is a Senior Voice Creative for Amazon Music, and artist/songwriter/producer Alex Ritchie. The group discussed how Asian stereotypes in America shaped their upbringings, whether imposter syndrome affects the ability to embrace heritage, combatting unsafe situations in the workplace and beyond, and the importance of community involvement and pride.
Part two was a fireside chat with Ritchie and drag queen, recording artist, comedian, and "RuPaul’s Drag Race" star Manila Luzon.
When asked about embracing her Pilipino-American heritage in her career, Luzon replied, "Just doing what you do will get its own attention if you put enough passion and time and energy and money behind it. You know what I mean? So yes, I’m proud to be able to do what I do but ultimately, when I decided to be a drag queen, I always knew that I wanted my Asian heritage to play a part in in."
"My mother is Pilipino, she's from Manila, and so when I named myself, I did it in honor of my mother and my family and their birthplace and their hometown. And so that is one of the big things that has allowed me to embrace my Asian-American heritage and use that to separate myself from just any other drag queen."
Watch both parts of "Let Our Story Be Heard" above to learn more about the Asian-American experience in today’s entertainment industry and how you can be more inclusive.
