BY: ANIKA MOLINO
EDITED BY: JACK HILLS
2020 has been full of everlasting surprises, landing us here, at last, the end of the year. Despite being holed up in our homes for most of the year, many of us found ourselves alone, wondering what to do after plans and events were cancelled. In particular, one thing that has gotten many and the NGA team through this year was music. Music brought comfort through these trying times; it helped ease our worries, reminding us that there is light at the end of the tunnel. We asked the NGA team and our followers on Instagram about who their top musicians/groups were for 2020. So without further adieu, we’d like to share some of our top Asian and Asian-American musicians/music groups of 2020:
UMI
Tierra Umi Wilson, “UMI”, is an American RnB singer, songwriter from Seattle, Washington of Japanese and African-American descent.
Songs:
-Sukidakara
-Down to Earth
BTS
The world-renowned Korean boy group BTS has taken over the world since their debut and continues to enamour fans and non-fans with their music.
Songs:
-Life Goes On
-My Time
3. LUKE CHIANG
RnB/Solo musician Luke Chiang is a Taiwanese American singer, songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona.
Songs:
-Shouldn’t Be
-May I Ask
4. NIKI
Niki is an Indonesian singer, songwriter from Jakarta, Indonesia and is based in the US under the label 88rising.
Songs:
-La La Lost You
-lowkey
5. RINA SAWAYAMA
A former member of Lazy Lion, Rina Sawyama is a Japanese-British musician who after her solo debut in 2013, moved on to get critical acclaim for her recent album Sawayama.
Songs:
-Cherry
-XS
6. MITSKI
Mitski is a Japanese American Indie Rock singer, songwriter.
Songs:
-First Love
-Late Spring
7. RINI
Rini is a Filipino-Australian RnB/Solo singer, songwriter currently based in LA.
Songs:
-My Favourite Clothes
-Meet Me in Amsterdam
8. HWASA
Hwasa is a South Korean singer, rapper, and songwriter who first debuted as a member of the girl group Mamamoo.
Songs:
-LMM
-Maria
9. BEABADOOBEE
Beatrice Laus (Beabadoobee) is a Filipino-British singer, songwriter who started as supporting acts to The 1975, and Clario.
Songs:
-The Moon Song
-Coffee
10. JAY PARK
Korean-American Jay Park is a hip-hop artist that has successfully taken over the world as an independent musician.
Songs:
-All I Wanna Do
-iffy (Prod. GroovyRoom)
11. KESHI
Keshi is an Asian American artist who started off creating lofi music in 2013 but moved on to become a singer, songwriter.
Songs:
-blue
-talk
12. TIFFANY DAY
Tiffany Day is an Asian-American, who after a video of her singing ‘Hallelujah’ into a well, continued to pursue a career in music with her harmonious voice.
Songs:
-Autopilot
-TWFNO
13. WOLFTYLA
Hailing from New York, Wolftyla is an Afro-Korean American who gained popularity through Vine and is now a vocalist and lyricist.
Songs:
-All Tinted
-Butterflies
14. RICH BRIAN
Rich Brian is an Indonesian rapper, record producer, singer, and songwriter from Jakarta.
Songs:
-DOA
-Rapapapa (feat. RZA)
15. JOJI
Former internet personality Pink Guy and Filthy Frank, Joji has made his name in the music industry as a singer, songwriter, and music producer.
Songs:
-SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK
-MODUS
16. ERIC NAM
Korean-American Eric Nam moved from Atlanta, Georgia to South Korea to pursue his passion for music debuting with Cloud 9 in 2013. Check out his podcast ‘DIVE Studios’
Songs:
-How You Been
-Love Die Young (English and Korean version)
17. JACKSON WANG
A Hong Kong rapper based in South Korea, Jackson Wang first debuted in the K boy group Got7 and continued a solo career afterwards.
Songs:
-I Love You 3000 II
-Pretty Please
18. JAPANESE BREAKFAST
Japanese Breakfast is a solo project by musician Michelle Zauner.
Songs:
-Boyish
-Head Over Heels
19. MXMTOON
Asian American Maia (Mxmtoon) is a singer, songwriter from Oakland, California known for her ukulele skills and lofi chill pop music.
Songs:
-unspoken words
-almost home
20. DAVID SO
Known for his comedic videos on youtube and his association with JustKiddingNews, David So began his music career not long after.
Songs:
-Honeymoon Avenue
-I Want You Around
Honourable Mentions
CENJI
Songs:
-Sunday Candy
-All My Friends
EAJ
Songs:
-50 proof
-Pacman
ERIC REPRID
Songs:
-June Blues
-Don’t Worry
JHENE AIKO
Songs:
-Lightning & Thunder
-Lyin King
JEN Z
Songs:
-Falling to Your Knees
-Talking Loud
LANA CONDOR
Songs:
-Raining in London
-For Real
STEVE AOKI
Songs:
-Delirious
-Waste It On Me
AUGUST D
Songs:
-Daechwita
-Moonlight
Cover Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/well/live/music-therapy-cancer.html - Jamie Jacob
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