AAPI entertainers are making waves: 5 south asians you should know
2 min
Hey y’all, Meera here and it’s my favorite month… Asian American Pacific Islander History Month! A month dedicated to celebrating the history, accomplishments, and impacts of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in the United States.
You may not know, but, May was selected as AAPI History Month because the first known Japanese immigrant arrived in the U.S. on May 7, 1843. May also marked the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, in which up to 20,000 Chinese workers participated (TIME).
From the first arrival to now, our community has grown and become influential in every industry from film to fashion. In honor of this month, let’s take a look back at some of the incredible accomplishments of the South Asian community and amplify them not only this month, but all year long!
Riz Ahmed
The British-Pakistani actor and musician won his first Oscar for Aneil Karia’s live-action short film The Long Goodbye, which Ahmed co-wrote and starred in. Ahmed became the first South Asian, Muslim to win this category. The film centers around a typical immigrant family in Britain preparing for a wedding. The focus then shifts to a far-right riot that spirals out of control and eventually arrives at the family’s front door, leading to a devastating outcome.
Photo cred: dailysabah
Joseph Patel
The South Asian-American producer won his first Oscar for the documentary Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) directed by Amir Thompson (Questlove) from the band The Roots. The documentary transports you to the summer of 1969 where over the course of 6 weeks, thousands of people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival to celebrate Black history, culture, music, and fashion. Despite having a large attendance, the festival is much less well-known in the 21st-century than Woodstock and the filmmakers investigate this, among other topics.
Photo Credit: Momodu Mansaray/WireImage
Michael Maliakel
In 2021, Maliakel became the first South Asian-American to play Aladdin in Disney’s Broadway musical Aladdin. Along with Maliakel, Shoba Narayan joined the cast to play the first South Asian-American Jasmine. Prior to Aladdin, Maliakel first appeared on stage in the 2017 world premiere musical adaptation of Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding as Hemant.
Photo cred: The Juggernaut
Maryanne George
The daughter of Kerala immigrants, George took home her first Grammy with the collective Maverick City Music and Elevation Worship for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album. In 2021, George made her solo debut with the release of her EP, Not Just Stories, via Tribl Records. It debuted at #12 on the Top Christian Albums Chart and #3 on the Top Gospel Albums Chart in the U.S.
Photo cred: Maryanne George Facebook
Raveena
After a 3 year hiatus, Coachella came back in April 2022 and Raveena became the first Sikh South Asian-American to perform. The most memorable moment of her set was her cover of Dum Maro Dum from the Bollywood film Hare Krishna Hare Ram (1971). Raveena chose to include this in her set due to the popularity of the Westernization of Indian spirituality portrayed both in the film and modern-day.
While we are living through challenging times, now-more than ever-we must rise, support, and strengthen all AAPI communities. We must not let the progress we’ve made be diminished by violence. We must stand in solidarity with all the diverse groups that encompass the AAPI community and forge forward with resilience as we have for hundreds of years. Here’s to celebrating our music, food, fashion, traditions, art, and most importantly, our joy.
Want to learn more or support? Here are some of our favorite AAPI accounts to follow:
Finally, Ravi Ray Audio sports a history of supporting creatives in the AAPI community! Check out our projects here, and if you’re interested in learning more about getting a project done, reach out via contact page here.
Stay well, shine bright.
~Meera
