From the whimsical landscapes of Studio Ghibli to the psychedelic sounds of Toro y Moi, our Digital Press writers are here to share their favorite media for AAPI Heritage Month 2025! Regardless of who you are and where you come from, we can all recognize the importance of representation in the entertainment industry. Read all about our favorite AAPI artists and you might discover someone new. Happy listening and happy AAPIHM 2025 <3
Fake It Flowers by beabadoobee
Written by Dana Badii
It was spring quarter of my first year at UCLA, and times were rough. After bombing an Econ 2 midterm, I headed to YRL. In a slump, I looked up “emo songs” on Spotify. The aptly named “Emo Song” from the album Fake It Flowers by beabadoobee, a Filipina-British artist endorsed by many of the music meme pages on my feed, popped up. I pressed play, expecting a whiny pop-punk tune based on the title; instead, I heard a melancholic, yet beautiful ballad about experiencing the same situations in life over and over again.
For the rest of 2022, I wore out other songs on Fake It Flowers like an old hoodie. “Further Away” helped me cope with the fact that some of my high school friends and I didn’t see eye to eye anymore. The gut-punching guitar in “Sorry” screamed feelings that I couldn’t construct into words. beabadoobee poured her heart out in Fake It Flowers’ lyrics, weaving accounts of being an immigrant, navigating a posh private school as the only person of color, struggling with self-acceptance, and trying to salvage failing friendships.
As I did with any artist that caught my attention, I scoured YouTube for all of beabadoobee’s music videos and interviews. Without fail, so many comments were from millennial Asian viewers praising her for being an alt-rock musician who looked like them, carrying on the 1990s sound. It made me happy to see so many others find solace in her music.
I don’t have many decorations in my room, but I do have a Fake It Flowers poster next to my bed. Even though it sticks out between my alternative rap ones, it’s a reminder of the impact that album had on my early college experience.
GUTS (spilled) by Olivia Rodrigo
Written by Kiara Mack
My introduction to Olivia Rodrigo was all the way back in 2015 thanks to an American Girl movie she starred in, of all things. I proceeded to fervently follow her career from Bizaardvark to High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. It was when I first came across her original songs performed with just a guitar, piano, Instagram, and a dream that I realized she was truly something special.
Rodrigo has always been openly proud of her Filipino heritage and is one of the first artists I looked up to who was part Filipina like me. As she’s grown as both a writer and a young woman, her songwriting has evolved to reflect that, with several tracks on GUTS tackling her insecurity and struggle to fit into a white-dominated industry and society. In the album’s opener “all-american bitch,” she finds herself frustrated by the double standards and impossible ideals forced on American women. In “lacy,” she can’t stop comparing herself to a “Bardot reincarnate,” while “pretty isn’t pretty” finds her singing about the beauty standards that make you “just feel like shit over and over again.” Pop punk track, “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” paints an embarrassingly realistic portrayal of her failed attempts to fit in with kids her age which is about as relatable as a song can get for a fellow homeschooled Gen-Z Filipina. It all comes full circle on “so american” where Rodrigo finally reclaims what it means to be an American girl who is more than American enough for the British boy she loves.
I vividly remember begging my friends to watch her original “drivers license” video back in July 2020. Seeing her career blow up these past five years to the point of selling out a 55k stadium in Manila has been such a blessing as someone who has supported her from the very beginning. Rodrigo captures the angst and frustration of girlhood perfectly, but it’s her refusal to shy away from issues of race, gender, and politics in her music and real life that makes her such an important force in the pop world right now.
Whisper of the Heart from Studio Ghibli
Written by Kayalani DeGrave
Studio Ghibli is known for making waves in the animation industry. From their unique character designs to fantastical stories and expressive soundtracks, Studio Ghibli’s filmography is stacked with memorable and enticing projects such as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Ponyo.
One film that is often overlooked and even unknown amongst the studio’s catalog is 1995’s Whisper of the Heart. Unlike the magical realism found in most Ghibli films, Whisper of the Heart is rooted in reality and relatability. It follows a curious middle schooler, Shizuku, as she discovers her passion for writing and develops a heartwarming relationship with a boy at her school. Spliced between moments of her curious imagination and mundane school life, this coming-of-age family and romance film inhabits charm and an identifiable emotional journey while exploring themes of self-discovery, relationships, and growth. Just like any middle schooler, Shizuku’s emotions are high, making Ghibli’s evocative animation style perfectly suited to characterize the ups and downs of the youth experience. Whisper of the Heart is presented in a cozy manner that is easily relatable even thirty years after its release, making it a memorable watch for any viewer. I first discovered this film here at UCLA (far too late in my movie obsessed journey) in a Musicology course titled, “Music and Film.” Based on the class title, you can probably predict that this flick is sonically supreme, and you’d be correct! Through a combination of contemporary tunes and an original score, this movie tugs on the heart strings while soothing the ear. In classic Ghibli fashion, while silence is embraced in one scene, you’ll be tapping your feet just moments later as the film’s musical motif, “Take Me Home Country Roads,” is strummed along. Next time you’re doom scrolling through streaming services unsure of what to watch, I implore you to enjoy Whisper of the Heart. You won’t regret it!
MAHAL by Toro y Moi
Written by Ava Bozic
I first discovered MAHAL by Toro y Moi with a friend a few years ago. As a Bay Area native, I was immediately drawn to the cover — a car parked in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. The sounds were right up my alley: elements of jazz and funk mixed with psychedelic, summer-y sounds and Elliott Smith–style vocals all blended into a very enjoyable listen. I had the album on repeat that summer, listening to it on walks or driving around with friends.
Toro y Moi, or Chaz Bear, grappled with many themes representing his upbringing and Filipino heritage in this album. After further research, I discovered the car on the cover is actually a Jeepney, which is a colorful public transit vehicle quintessential to Filipino culture. The Jeepney on the cover has the original paint from the Philippines in 1967 — something clearly important to Bear in his album, which balances many modern themes of identity, technology, and existing in our fast-paced culture. Beyond that, the title MAHAL can be used multiple ways in Tagalog, including “love” and “expensive.”
MAHAL was an album coming out of quarantine (2022), using only live instruments — giving it the free and authentic heart that so many of us needed at the time. Bear expanded the world of MAHAL beyond music, also creating a short film titled Goes By So Fast: A MAHAL Film, which brings back the story of the Jeepney in a film more lighthearted than the album, but equally as enjoyable. The world of MAHAL is a great one; whether it’s the short film on YouTube or the album itself, it’s worth taking some time to look into.
