Just when we thought he couldn’t get any cuter, Kai gives us his rendition of Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man”. The four-year-old fedora wearing cutie made his first appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show in March and it seems like fans couldn’t get enough of him. Get ready to squeal your heart out with Kai’s passionate singing, cute pronunciation, and hand-holding.
Having a bad day? Need a pick-me-up? Or maybe you just like indulging in cute? Well we’ve got just the thing for you!
Recently Ellen Degeneres stumbled upon the adorable 4 year old Kai singing a cover of “Grenade” by Bruno Mars. Sure enough, she asked him to come to the show and sing to her audience. Trust us, you’ll want to see this.
You’re welcome.
Former UCLA undergrad Alexander Wallace has had quite a year and it was not an overbearing semester that pushed her limits.
The management of finals, group projects and extracurricular activities fell secondary to her so-called “annoying and rude Asian American schoolmates” and she turned to YouTube to create a long and unnecessary rant about non-English speaking orientals that invade her library space.
“Hi, in America it is rude to talk on the phone in the library….and then all of a sudden when I’m about to reach an epiphany, somewhere I hear Ohhhhh Ching Chong Chong,” Wallace righteously stated.
It’s not easy breaking into the music industry; it’s even harder being an Asian trying to break into the industry, but it’s amazing how the Asian community has grown in terms of musical artists. On Friday, February 4th, talented musicians shared the stage of the University of Southern California’s Bovard Auditorium in a concert put together by the Asian Pacific American Student Association (APASA). As one of the performers of the night explained: it’s funny how Asian parents always push us to learn instruments such as piano and violin, expect us to play them well (and by well I mean finish the highest level examination), but when we tell them we want to pursue a career in music, they just shake their heads in disagreement. Why build up our interests and discourage it later on? But nonetheless, the artists this night fought for what they were passionate for, and that’s something we should all look up to.
Joseph Vincent.
Opening the show was Oak & Gorski (oakandgorski), a dual formed by Ken Oak and Ed Gorski in 2004. They have sold more than 30,000 albums independently and have recently launched their newest album Love Destroyer. For the night, Ed was on the rhythm guitar and Ken on the cello as they performed several of their songs. Like Billboard Magazine described, their songs were very “soulful” and “calming.” Then, Jason Chen (miniachilles) followed with two Bruno Mars covers and his first single on iTunes, an original titled Just for a Moment. He has gained fame through YouTube in a short period of time, with more than 130,000 subscribers and more than 22,000,000 upload views. He sounds just like he does on YouTube, meaning he’s just as incredible, so it’s definitely worth seeing him live. Before intermission, guest performer Heavy Impact from ABDC hit the floor and showed us how they worked their bodies.
Oak and Gorski.
- Jason Chen.
As the audience sat back into their seats, Jason Yang (jasonyangviolin), a USC alumni, was glad to be back performing at the place he feels most comfortable. Not only is he majorly gifted, he’s also quite humorous, as he explains that he was going to say “Happy Lunar New Year” after the section of the performance that sounds especially Chinese. His youtube received over 4,000,000 views and as his fan said, Jason is really taking violin to the next level. After was the heart-throbbing Joseph Vincent (hoorahjencar), who greeted us with his charming smirk. He really knows how to sing, but more importantly, he really knows how to engage the audience, welcoming us to sing along. His YouTube channel has over 140,000 subscribers and over 27,000,000 upload views. Clara Chung (ClaraCMusic), whose debut album released last September,was brought on to end the show. She has over 88,000 subscribers on YouTube, but her live performances are even better because she’s super cute in person and very approachable. She wasn’t afraid to get comfortable on stage by taking off her shoes too!
Jason Yang.
Clara C.
Subscribe to all their YouTube channels, like their facebook fan pages and attend their performances to show your support for the Asian music community!
YouTube has allowed us a glimpse into the world of gifted musicians and comedians who perform in the comfort of their own homes. Those who have had some success in more mainstream platforms include makeup guru Michelle Phan (who’s now makes makeup videos for Lancome), AJ Rafael (who tried out for American Idol), and Kevin Wu (who most recently starred in The Amazing Race), but that hasn’t stopped them from continuing to stream online. To pass on the stream, here’s a toast to the YouTube stars we know and love from 2010.
Joseph Vincent’s acoustic soul and Filipino American baby face continue to make girls and boys alike swoon, especially after his appearance on The Ellen Degeneres show last April.
Peter Chao delivers somewhat of the Chinese version of the Ken Jeong persona with his focus on societal and pop culture issues like bullying, Megan Fox’s hotness and PDA. As the number 1 and 2 Most Viewed in Canada of all time, Chao will be touring south to Washington and California in January 2011.
Her smooth strokes and smooth voice has landed Michelle Phan a Lancome career as the company’s first video makeup artist. Her makeup tutorials are made easy and accessible for millions of viewers, whether it’s Lady Gaga’s latest look or something more for everyday.
L.A. local Jason Chen, number 38 Most Viewed on Youtube for December, has been swooping the scene over the recent months. His covers, including Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” created on Garageband and Logic Studio, are now available on iTunes.
Who are your favorite YouTube stars? Tell us and you just might see them in Audrey!
I may be the butt of all jokes among my group of friends, but please believe me when I say that multi-talented Margaret Cho received a Grammy nomination on Wednesday for her album Cho Dependent under Clownery Records. She’s like a jester, and I say that with the most respect because she never fails to keep the public entertained with her quick-wit, swift dance moves and sassy voice.
Her album, which features the likes of Andrew Bird and Mickey Avalon, will be running against other town clowns such as Flight of the Conchords and Robin Williams in the Best Comedy Album category.
To date, this is Cho’s second ever Grammy nomination since her last in 2004 for her Revolution release.
Meanwhile, Bruno Mars is just doing his thing (not lines of cocaine, hopefully) and living the dream with his “Nothin’ on You” B.o.B. collaboration and “Just The Way You Are” hit because he picked up seven nominations for categories like Best Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
Other Asian Americans who also are in the running for a Grammy include Tia Carrere and Danny Ho, both nominated for Best Hawaiian Music Album and both under record label Danny Ho Creations. This looks like a win-win situation for Ho nonetheless.
Tia Carrere and Danny Ho play some music in the studio.
So let’s watch the actual face off (with the whole split screen shot and winner and losers reaction shot) when the 53rd Grammy Awards airs Feb. 13, 2011.
For the full list of the 109 Grammy nominations, please visit: http://www.grammy.com/nominees.
Stepping out with a Youtube star can be a scary thing. I had the chance to venture out with Youtube sensation Joseph Vincent and experience first-hand what life can be like when over 95,000 people subscribe to your Youtube channel.
We were checking out the Bruno Mars concert at The Grove in Los Angeles, CA. Mars killed it onstage, leaving the crowd pumped and excited from the free show.
Once the concert was over, a fan leaked it out that Joseph Vincent was in the audience. One “can I take a picture with you” led to another and soon, there was a swarm over the 21-years old singer. Vincent himself was surprised with all the brou-ha-ha. “Uh, Bruno Mars went that way, I think,” he pointed out. But nope, these girls wanted to take a picture with Joseph Vincent, not Bruno Mars.
The recognition didn’t end. Cameras were flashing everywhere and Vincent was getting stopped left and right. It got so bad that mall security had to escort us inside the AMC movie theater just so the crowd would dissipate.
How does Vincent handle all the attention?
“Oh, it’s fun. I love it. And none of the people are too aggressive so it’s cool. But yea, they’re really cute and nervous. They say, “I’ve seen you on Youtube, can I take a picture with you?” At first, I didn’t know how to act but now I’m more used to it.”
Judging from the singer’s busy schedule, from his B Here tour through some of America’s finest colleges to an upcoming album in the works, it looks like the fan recognition in public places is just going to get bigger.
No matter what, the singer will still take time out to take pictures with his good friends though. (Here with his college buddies.)
Can’t get enough of Joseph Vincent? Check him out in the pages of Audrey Magazine’s winter issue hitting the stands early December. Subscribe to Audrey here.
Photos courtesy of Carmen Chan.
When Bruno Mars held a special free concert at The Grove in LA on Friday, he made hundreds of young girls and boy swoon with his romantic medley, “Just The Way You Are.” We were totally impressed by Mars, whose real name is Peter Fernandez’ charm and charisma onstage. Watch it here:
Mars was promoting his debut album, “Doo-Wops & Hooligans” set to be released on October 5th. The title is both representative of the soft lovey dovey side the artist likes to sing about as well as his more rebellious persona. “I’m, you know, a little bit of a gangster.” Mars told KIIS FM’s Ryan Seacrest Friday morning.
The gangster side definitely came out a little when we found out via KoreAm that was arrested this weekend in Las Vegas on cocaine charges.
The 23-year-old singer, who rose to mainstream fame after singing on the Travie McCoy hit, “Billionaire,” was found with 2.6 grams of cocaine at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
According to an arrest report, a bathroom attendant alerted a security guard after seeing Mars enter a bathroom stall with a bag of white powder.
Police tested the powder and concluded it was cocaine. The report also stated the singer admitted doing a foolish thing and said he had never used drugs before.
Mars was released without bail on Sunday, and has not yet commented on the issue to the public.
