The Proud Asian

The Start or End of “Brat Summer”? Charli xcx Kicks Off Her U.S. Arena Tour in Austin

Mochi Magazine — Fri, 09 May 2025 00:15:06 +0000

“Night two, bitches,” Charli xcx yells as “365 featuring shygirl” bumps in the background.

Fresh off of two back-to-back weekends at Coachella, the English pop singer of Scottish and Indian descent kicked off her 2025 Brat Arena Tour with two sold out nights in Austin, Texas. Producer and songwriter Finn Keane joined her to open the show.

Though Charli’s album “Brat” was released nearly a year ago in June, its impact on pop culture has been immense. Charli describes the album as, “me, my flaws, my fuck ups, my ego all rolled into one.”

More specifically, “You’re just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes, who feels herself but maybe also has a breakdown, but kind of parties through it, is very honest, is very blunt, a little bit volatile, does dumb things. But it’s brat,“ she explains in a TikTok interview clip,

In some ways, to be “brat” is to be human. And seeing a South Asian woman accept herself in this way feels particularly refreshing. Plus, the adoption of “brat” as an attitude, vibe, and lifestyle led to the “brat summer” trend that spawned off into many a meme and remix, and even the famous “kamala IS brat” post. The Brat Arena Tour began at the end of last year in the United Kingdom before extending to other dates, including the U.S. leg.

A Seamless Show

At 8:58 p.m., “Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve begins to play. As the song fades away a few minutes later, the lights dim and begin to flash as Charli’s introduction blares across the venue.

The singer’s entrance isn’t grand. But when she lifts up the bright green “brat” curtain that’s dropped from the ceiling in between beats to loud cheers and steps forward into view, the crowd goes wild. For the rest of the night, the energy stays that way.

Even her exit at the end of the night is a little unceremonious. She stays on stage for her video outro, but quietly walks off as the…

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Myra Molloy debuts as ‘Eurydice’ in “Hadestown”, the first leading Thai actress on Broadway – Cold Tea Collective

Cold Tea Collective — Tue, 06 May 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Myra Molloy makes history as first Thai leading actress in a Broadway musical

Early on in the Zoom conversation, I slipped into my Thai Indian accent when pronouncing the name, Eurydice, in what was perhaps a momentary code-switching lapse. Thai American actress Myra Molloy, who, today, will be beginning her run as the character Eurydice in Broadway’s Hadestown, was completely unfazed and continued partaking in the conversation. I apologized moments later, admitting to my mistake, and Molloy generously confessed that she routinely did the same with certain Thai words as well.

“The other day, I said something on the street and my sister was laughing so hard because I emphasized it in the way you would say it in Thai or Tinglish,” said Molloy. Over Zoom, her hair was slicked back into a ponytail and she wore long dangling earrings that bounced around as she spoke. “I put the emphasis on the wrong part of the word and it sounded so funny, but that’s just what happens when you’re a bilingual queen. Or trilingual like you!”

Molloy joins costar Louis Bourzgui, who will play Orpheus, in the Tony-winning musical at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Today, she also makes history as the first Thai actress to lead a musical on Broadway. This achievement comes full circle as Molloy’s first exposure to Broadway dates back to when her parents took her to musical theatre shows in New York as a young girl.

From Bangkok to Broadway – Myra Molloy’s journey

Born and raised in Bangkok, Molloy was part of a family who was not in the arts or anywhere near it. But Broadway changed her life then as well, introducing her to the world of acting and singing. She was so entranced that she watched Phantom of the Opera “maybe upwards of 20 times.” She didn’t quite know what she was feeling but a determination had been planted in her to be a part of the world somehow.

Before TikTok could catapult unknown singers into fame, Molloy…

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What to Watch in May

Mochi Magazine — Sat, 03 May 2025 19:49:42 +0000

“Holy Night: Demon Hunters”

Movie
May 2, 2025

When a devil-worshipping criminal network in Seoul throws the city into crisis, the police beg a trio of demon hunters known as “Holy Night” to help. Armed with powers, the group is led by Ba Woo (Ma Dong-Seok), who has supernatural strength, whereas Sharon (Seohyun) detects and exorcises demons, and Kim-kun (David Lee) supports them both. When psychiatrist Jung-Won (Kyung Soo-Jin) finds his sister Eun-Seo (Jung Ji-So) is possessed by a demon, the demon hunters have to fight a powerful force to save her.

You can catch this South Korean movie in theaters starting May 2.

“I’m Beginning to See the Light”

Movie
May 2, 2025

When former trumpeter Ezra retreats to a remote lighthouse in his grief, he meets and bonds with a troubled nomad and a mysterious woman. When tensions rise, the three of them must confront their unaddressed grief, jealousy, and even hope of redemption.

Featuring Jamie Chung, this movie will be out in theaters on May 2.

“Poker Face: Season 2”

TV series
May 8, 2025

“Poker Face” is a mystery-of-the-week series following Charlie (Natasha Lyonne), who has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. She hits the road with her Plymouth Barracuda and, with every stop, encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can’t help but solve.

Premiering May 8, “Poker Face” is streaming on Peacock. Check out these celebrity guest stars in Season 2: Lauren Tom, Awkwafina, Geraldine Viswanathan, John Cho, Kumail Nanjiani, and Sherry Cola.

“The Royals”

Limited Series
May 9, 2025

When Aviraaj Singh, the polo-playing, pleasure-seeking party prince, heir to the royal throne of Morpur, meets high-functioning, tightly wound, ace CEO Sophia Kanmani Shekhar, sparks and insults fly as they reluctantly come together to save his royally dysfunctional family from…

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Fifty years after the Fall of Saigon – Cold Tea Collective

Cold Tea Collective — Thu, 01 May 2025 04:25:36 +0000

April 30th holds a deep, complicated place in Vietnamese history. Known as Black April or Tháng Tư Đen among the diaspora, it marks the Fall of Saigon in 1975, the end of the Vietnam War, and the beginning of mass displacement for millions of Vietnamese people.

In Vietnam, the same date is celebrated as Ngày Thống Nhất (Reunification Day), but for many overseas Vietnamese who had emigrated from the homeland, it is a day of remembrance, grief, and reflection on the losses, traumas, and survival that shaped their lives across continents.

April 30, 2025, specifically marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam American War.

A new wave of people and a new way of life

Now, 50 years later, Vietnamese-Chinese American filmmaker Elizabeth Ai brings a powerful new perspective to this legacy through her documentary New Wave. As a career producer, this is Ai’s directorial debut, where she challenges herself and her subjects to go beyond the surface and deep into layers of not just trauma, but also joy.

‘New Wave’ is a musical genre from the late 70s and early 80s – a distinct mix of pop, synth, punk, disco, and reggae. The sounds of new wave are synonymous with playful, bold colors and unconventional mixtures of clothing materials and textures, bold jewelry and hairstyles, embracing both androgyny and flamboyance.

Being a ‘New Waver’ meant that you would assert yourself as both an individual, but also as part of a collective. It also meant being in community with other Vietnamese refugees striving to move beyond the trauma by reinventing oneself and creating a new sense of belonging in America.

At its heart, Ai’s New Wave documentary feature film captures the spirit of the 1980s Vietnamese New Wave music scene in Orange County, California, a subculture where refugee youth, carrying invisible scars from war and displacement, found freedom and self-expression through mile-high hair, synthesized beats, and…

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Nicole Wong’s Advice for New Mahjong Players

Mochi Magazine — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 20:59:44 +0000

I have a confession: I’ve only “played” mahjong once, and I put that word in quotation marks because we didn’t even finish a whole game. I was in my late 30s, and my white mother-in-law was trying to teach me. Mahjong was not a part of my childhood — my parents don’t even know how to play. Their families equated the game with gambling, which was frowned upon in their households.

But over the last year, the desire to try again resurfaced. I always thought the game was intriguing, and learning to play feels like an avenue to my Chinese culture, even if the game has no personal ties. Turns out I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Adults in their early 20s through early 40s are among the trending demographic learning to play mahjong for the first time, along with “people who are getting more curious about their cultural heritage, specifically for the Asian diaspora,” says Nicole Wong, the author of “Mahjong: House Rules from Across the Asian Diaspora,” who is based in Oakland, California. “There is this exciting thing happening where it’s becoming more common for people to care about their heritage and want to know about their identity — and not just in an academic way, but in a way of life, like going to pop-ups that are Asian American–inspired, or going to specialty stores that stock Asian goods.”

She also has noticed a resurgence in mahjong since the pandemic, in the wake of anti-Asian violence, and as people are looking for a more structured, purposeful form of socializing.

Wong learned to play when she spent a month post-college with her grandparents in New Zealand. The weekly games were “serious business at Ma and Yeah Yeah’s house,” Wong wrote in her book. “As we played, other sides of my grandparents’ personalities emerged — their cheekiness, their competitive rapport, their smug pride in winning a hand — that cracked a little window into their younger days.”

Upon returning to the States, Wong began playing with…

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Asian Women Directors on Their SXSW 2025 Projects

Mochi Magazine — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 05:00:52 +0000

As we wind down from last month’s SXSW 2025 and head into summer film festival season, we’re revisiting some of our favorite screenings from this year’s event — all directed and led by Asian women (some for the first time!) with powerful perspectives.

“Forever We Are Young”

Directed by Patty Ahn and Grace Lee, “Forever We Are Young” is a documentary that follows K-pop boy group BTS’s fandom, known as ARMY, which stands for Adorable Representative MC for Youth. To be clear, it’s not a film about BTS, but the band’s fans.

“Through personal stories of ARMY, you get to know how BTS and ARMY evolved over the last 10 years,” Lee describes in an ATX Film Talks event hosted by AZN AMERICANA and Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience. “In the last decade, [BTS] went from an unknown company to global icons, and how did that happen? [That’s] the question we ask in the movie.” In the post-screening Q&A, she adds, “Looking around the audience at a BTS concert made [me] question, who are these people? How did they get here?”

From the very start, Ahn and Lee emphasize that they are both OT7, which is fanspeak for loving all seven members of the group. This film is truly by fans, for fans. Both separately attended the same “Permission to Dance on Stage” tour stop in 2022, but found each other through mutual connections. Their collaboration flourished from there.

“For me, it’s like, there’s life before seeing BTS live, and life after seeing BTS live. After I saw BTS live, I thought, this is something that cannot be described in words,” Ahn expresses.

“Forever We Are Young” tells the stories of several ARMY members around the world as a way to describe the whole. We hear from journalists and scholars and fans from the Midwest United States to Korea.

As these fans introduce their bias (fanspeak for their favorite), we get to learn about the group through their eyes. While my mind often goes to parasocial relationships, there’s…

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Advice for Pan-Asian filmmakers from Wong Fu Productions’ Wesley Chan – Cold Tea Collective

Cold Tea Collective — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 18:58:54 +0000

This article is sponsored by TELUS STORYHIVE.

Wesley Chan of Wong Fu Productions shares his advice for Pan-Asian storytellers to launch the inaugural TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Storyteller Edition, inspiring new and emerging filmmakers to apply for $20,000 (CAD) in funding, training, mentorship and distribution.

Since 2003, Wong Fu Productions have been pioneers in diverse storytelling on screen. Their films have influenced the representation of Pan-Asian experiences for generations of creatives, storytellers and fans.

Although mostly rooted in the Asian American experience, over the years, their projects have included several notable on-screen talents including Canadians such as Simu Liu and Linda Dong (also known as Leenda Dong). The stories they’ve told have transcended borders into Canada and across the globe.

Wong Fu Productions’ co-founder, Wesley Chan recently shared more about his filmmaking journey and future with Cold Tea Collective’s Founder and CEO, Natasha Jung.

Learn more about Chan’s experience and outlook and watch the full chat below.

The evolution of independent filmmaking from the early days of Wong Fu Productions to today

Wong Fu Productions first started producing films in 2003 – five years before the launch of YouTube. Their films were first featured on that very platform, Vimeo and more. But starting out, Wesley Chan humbly acknowledges that they didn’t know what they were doing.

“We were college kids that had a hobby making videos for fun… Now, we have a small company that’s working with major brands and talent, and recognized by you guys,” says Chan.

Chan also highlights the support he wished Wong Fu Productions had when they first started out: funding, training, mentorship and a community. Fast forward to 2025 – more than 20 years since their first production – Chan partnered with TELUS STORYHIVE, to…

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The Wedding Banquet shines bright as a beacon of love for queer Asian love – Cold Tea Collective

Cold Tea Collective — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 17:57:48 +0000

A reimagined classic of queer Asian love – Andrew Anh’s take on the 1993 Ang Lee film, The Wedding Banquet

The Wedding Banquet (2025) is a tender, emotionally layered reimagining of Ang Lee’s 1993 comedy classic. Under director Andrew Ahn’s thoughtful direction, the original storyline is updated for a new era—one in which queer Asian Americans are afforded more freedom, yet remain entangled in cultural traditions and familial expectations.

At the heart of the film is a quartet of housemates, lovers, and emotional entanglements. Chris (Bowen Yang) is a commitment-phobe, paralyzed by indecision in both his career and relationship. His partner, Min (Han Gi-Chan), is an aspiring artist living in the U.S. on an expiring student visa who is also the reluctant heir to a Korean multinational empire. The two live in the garage of a Seattle home owned by Lee (Lily Gladstone), an Indigenous and queer youth organizer who longs to be a parent, and Angela (Kelly Marie Tran), an introverted scientist whose fraught relationship with her own mother (played to perfection by Joan Chen) has left her uncertain whether she’s capable of becoming one herself.

The quartet live in a kind of queer domestic idyll—gardening, partying, and sharing morning routines—until Min gets a call from his grandmother (Youn Yuh-jung) that disrupts their delicate balance. Tensions that once simmered below the surface start to boil over. Lee’s IVF treatments aren’t taking. And when Min proposes a green card marriage with Angela to solve their complicated set of problems, their lives spiral into further chaos and disarray. The road to this improbable solution is marked by comedic missteps and emotional reckonings, but it’s the fractured, very human family they cobble together in the end that marks the film’s happy ending.

Cold Tea Collective’s Kacie Chow and Dennis Tran spoke with Andrew Anh,…

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Stories from Southeast Asian Americans – Cold Tea Collective

Cold Tea Collective — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 19:12:42 +0000

Photo by: Sarina Tran-Herman

Thai, Lao, and Cambodian New Year stories of renewal, resilience, and rootedness

As spring returns, so too does one of Southeast Asia’s most beloved and spirited holidays. From April 13–16, Thai, Lao, and Cambodian communities around the world celebrate the new year through Songkran (Thai), Boun Pi Mai (Lao), and Choul Chnam Thmey (Khmer). Timed with the shift from the dry season to the rains, it’s more than a seasonal reset – it’s a time for cleansing, connection, and coming home to oneself.

Through stories of blessing ceremonies, family recipes, traditional music, digital arts, and digital storytelling, four Southeast Asian voices from Thai, Lao, and Cambodian backgrounds share what their New Year celebrations mean to them.

Lao New Year: Water, woven threads, and coming home to self

Photo by: Sarina Tran-Herman

Sarina Tran-Herman (she/her) is a Lao-Vietnamese American based in Columbus, Ohio. She is a clinical therapist and content creator who shares stories about her Lao heritage and upbringing.

Her Lao heritage has always been rooted in family, resilience, and ritual.

“My family spends the weekend at the temple making boun, or merit. We pour water over Buddha statues and each other to wash away bad luck and welcome the new year. Everyone wears vibrant, handwoven silks and scarves. It’s such a beautiful reminder of where we come from.”

Photo by: Sarina Tran-Herman

One of the most sacred parts of Lao New Year for Sarina is the Baci Ceremony, a gathering of family and friends who tie white cotton strings around each other’s wrists to bless one another with luck, protection, and peace.

“The ceremony reminds us of the importance of unity and intention. It’s more than tradition; it’s about feeling whole, connected, and grounded.”

Photo by: Sarina Tran-Herman

Sarina, who is in an interracial marriage, says one of her most cherished memories is…

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Ji-young Yoo From “Freaky Tales” Unpacks Oakland’s Punk Scene

Mochi Magazine — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Oakland, California, in the 1980s had a bad rap. Despite the rising crime rates and drug use, there existed a vibrant community rich in cultural heritage and strong social bonds. “Freaky Tales” showcases stories from the era, shifting the spotlight away from the town’s stereotypes and toward its true spirit and mythos focusing on the funky, diverse, and resilient communities and arts scene.

Written by Bay Area native Ryan Fleck and co-writer Anna Boden, and based on Fleck’s real and imagined memories of the town, the film gives us not one — but four — intertwining stories that showcase the subcultures building momentum in Oakland: punk, hip-hop, and athletics.

I talked to Korean American actor Ji-young Yoo about punk culture, 1987 Oakland, and the film’s relevance today.

What is Punk Culture?

In the first vignette, “The Gilman Strikes Back,” young punks Tina (played by Yoo) and Lucid (played by Jack Champion) are part of the raw and chaotic Gilman Street community. It’s a real Oakland gem that spawned the likes of Green Day, Rancid, and Operation Ivy.

“Punk is really like an ethos and a culture and mindset … because punk is just kind of anti-institution, and is against capitalism and against trends,” Yoo informs me. “Punk in the ’80s would be different from what’s punk right now, which is a really interesting debate to have. For this film, we did a lot of work with the actual Gilman [music club] in Oakland and some of the original founding members of it, such [as] Tim Armstrong, who was a member of Rancid and also Operation Ivy, consulted a lot in the movie, and got us connected with a lot of the people, including the bands that perform in the film.”

Although punk music is associated with both mosh pits and aggression, the sign at the door of Gilman — both historically and fictionally — reads “No Racism, No Sexism, No Homophobia, No Drugs, No Alcohol, No Violence.” This counterculture is most importantly nonviolent….

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