SHOW YOURSELF
A Benefit Residency Celebrating AAPI Stories
Celebrate the stories of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) artists through music and conversation in this residency that runs during AAPI Heritage Month and benefits The Quiet Voice Fund. Tonight, hear from MILCK, Alex Wong, and TONIE as they lift their voices and show themselves to New York and beyond. Also featuring special streamed guest, Jen Kwok!
This series is co-produced by Alex Wong. Sign up to join his Patreon and receive free livestream tickets to every show!
Doors open: 7:30pm
MILCK
MILCK is a singer, songwriter, producer, and advocate who is known for co-writing and performing “Quiet," the viral sensation that became known as the unofficial anthem of the Women’s March, Billboard’s No.1 Protest Song, and a featured selection on NPR’s American Anthem Series. The City of Los Angeles featured MILCK as a leader in positive change and influence for the AAPI Community in the Together WeSpeak Exhibit. In 2020, her single with Atlantic Records, “If I Ruled the World,” was named song of the week by Time Magazine. Her 2021 song “I Belong” was featured in the CBS special “See Us”, a nationwide special to bring more tolerance and safety for the AAPI community. Other songs of MILCK's can oftentimes be heard on major TV shows, trailers, and international commercial campaigns.
Alex Wong
Alex Wong creates music to help people remember who they are and show themselves to the world. He has always had a complicated relationship with his own memories, unable to remember his own childhood birthday parties yet possessing many vivid, sensory memories from dreams, places he’d never been, and what seemed almost like isolated vignettes from another life. That dissonance led to the songs on his latest album, “The Elephant and the Seahorse.” As he looked closer at his memories from the past, he was forced to acknowledge that he had been “hiding” his identity as a second generation Chinese-American for much of his life. Memories of being told to downplay his ethnicity in school, social groups, or in the mostly-white music industry, assimilate to white culture, speak with no accent, and keep himself small rushed to the surface, along with waves of shame and anger for buying into this conditioning. A lot of deep questioning followed, which he chronicles for the first time in his song “Show Yourself.”
Alex is a Latin GRAMMY-nominated artist and producer known for his work with Delta Rae, Vienna Teng, Melissa Ferrick and Morgxn, among others. Alex’s music has been featured in movies including “The Last Song” and TV shows including “True Blood.” Alex has toured all over the world, performing at festivals like Coachella, Outside Lands, and Corona Capital, in arenas in Mexico City and theaters in Europe and Japan, and on NPR’s Mountain Stage.
Alex has previously performed in the Keepsake House shows From Story to Song and Foresight and is a 2022 Keepsake House Artist in Residence.
Website | Spotify | Instagram | Patreon
TONIE
Vietnamese-American producer TONIE is doing their very best to make you cry, in all the best ways. The LA-native writes and produces each synth-pop track from the comfort of their skylit home studio in Brooklyn, NY—a perfect backdrop for the emotional vulnerability that colors their lyrics.
Tonie was the Music Director in the Keepsake House show From Story to Song.
Also featuring special streamed guest…
Jen Kwok
Jen Kwok is a Chinese American writer/performer and the daughter of Vietnam War refugees. She grew up in the Mojave Desert and is based in NY’s Hudson Valley, where is mom to toddler Wolfgang and goldendoodle Lucy. Jen is a multi-hyphenate creator with a musician’s soul, a healer’s heart and a comedian’s delivery. Her work ranges from acting on ABC’s “Quantico” to creating music for Peloton’s “Fitness Flipped” podcast, and writing “See Us Coming Together”, the title song performed for Sesame Street’s AAPI special and the 95th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Jen has previously performed in the Keepsake House show Unmute Yourself.
Website | Instagram | Twitter
With all tickets benefiting…
The Quiet Voice Fund
The Quiet Voice Fund was created by Alex Wong and shares its name with one of his songs, written around a simple idea: our voices don’t have to be LOUD to be strong. Alex believes that true power doesn’t come from being aggressive, selfish or dominating, but rather from the courage to be authentic and empathic, and to speak for those who can’t. The fund supports incredible organizations and people who embody this belief as they fight every day for the most vulnerable among us, through education, individual empowerment, and community strengthening. The supported organizations for this series are Stop AAPI Hate, Hate is a Virus, Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit, AAPI Women Lead, and Center for Family Life in Sunset Park.
And keepsakes sponsored by…
Flair Chocolatier
Flair Chocolatier’s journey started in New York, 2018 with a quest to push the boundaries of chocolate, setting a new standard for chocolate taste and design. Each bite should be a tasting experience that stimulates your senses and brings up memories of places around the world. Way more than “just chocolate.” Genie Kwon leads the development of recipes and artistic presentations for Flair. Esquire magazine named her as the 2017 “Pastry Chef of the Year” for her memorable desserts at Oriole, the 2-star Michelin restaurant in Chicago that she co-founded.
Website | Instagram | Facebook
From Here to Sunday
From Here to Sunday began in a fake bodega within a real museum by artist Diana Ho with the simple act of sharing baked goods. This gesture is at the root of the business, which values creating an inclusive community through artful gift-giving. Each product is lovingly made in limited quantities by talented artists—ranging from paintings, to zines, to jewelry, to baked goods, and beyond. This small business continues to evolve in different contexts, whether it is a pop-up shop or an art exhibition. Now with a brick-and-mortar space, From Here to Sunday strives to utilize its platform to uplift marginalized artists through a decolonized lens.
Kam Hing Coffee Shop
Kam Hing Coffee Shop is a landmark of [Manhattan] Chinatown. It opened its doors about 35 years ago and is famous for its light, fluffy, and moist sponge cake. Chinese American owner Liz Yee and her family opened Kam Hing Coffee Shop as a way to pass down memories from generation to generation. Besides the original sponge cake version, you can find a multitude of flavors such as pandan, matcha, ube, black sesame, and coconut. (Bio by Izzy Chan and With Warm Welcome for The Infatuation.)
Leanne Gan
Leanne Gan is a queer Chinese-Filipino designer and illustrator based in Brooklyn. She works as a full-time designer for the American Civil Liberties Union and during the pandemic has pivoted to creating art to support small businesses and nonprofits through multiple print fundraisers. She has raised over $15,000 since 2020. Fundraiser recipients include Cubbyhole Bar, Ginger’s Bar, Spicy Village, Welcome to Chinatown, Send Chinatown Love, Save Our Chinatowns, Chinatown Community for Equitable Development, and more.