The "Back To Our Roots" themed LA County Fair brought NEXTFEST - a multi-stage indie music festival inside the fair - featuring the next in emerging talent. NextFest emerging talent performances took place from all sound arenas every weekend of May, Fridays-Sundays during the Fair across 4 stages. Fair goers saw NextFest LA on The Lagoon Stage, The Farm Stage, The Plaza Stage and The Community Stage. Performers includes Mayer Hawthorne, The Boompap Kids & many more. For more info and to see the previous line up - visit nextfestla.com.
On Saturday May 7, 2022, MYX partnered with the NEXTFEST to curate an eclectic group of established & emerging talented artists of Filipino American heritage to perform at the NEXFEST MYXtape including AJ Rafael, Nieman, Larren Wong & Nievera alongside DJ sets by DJ KZA & Nico Blitz.
The event started at 3P sharp andwas co-hosted by Nico Blitz and Jackie Ramirez of the popular MEXIPINO podcast. Entrance to NEXTFEST was included in your weekend day or season pass into the LA County Fair. Dane Amar did a surprise song during DJ Nico Blitz' DJ set.
Make sure to tag #NEXTFESTLA #MYXtape while you are enjoying the concert and LIVE DJs.
NEXTFEST MYXtape at the LA County Fair 5/7
LOCATION: Pomona Fairplex: 1101 W. MCKINLEY AVE. POMONA, CA 91768
The Lagoon Stage inside the LA County Fair highlight videos below of the various performers. The event was co-hosted by Nico Blitz and Jackie Ramirez of the popular MEXIPINO podcast. Watch Watch MYX APAHM Featured Artist Nieman's full performance here and see more NEXTFEST MYXtape performances coming soon to: www.myx.global/nextfestmyxtape.
The performances were shot by Brian Gomez and Riley Lattanza, edited by Brian Gomez.
ABOUT AJ RAFAEL:
AJ Rafael is a popular singer/songwriter & content creator with over 1M subscribers on YouTube, and over 600,000 followers on TikTok. AJ was recognized as aFil-Am Game Changer by the City of Los Angeles in 2017. His debut album, Red Roses, charted on Billboard and at #4 on the Pop iTunes Charts. AJ is also active in the theatre world, working with renowned companies such as East West Players and American Repertory Theatre.
ABOUT NIEMAN:
NIEMAN is an R&B/Pop singer/songwriter based out of Los Angeles County. With millions of streams on Spotify, Nieman’s music captures his unique blend of classic RnB storytelling with an Alt-Pop sound. His single “Why Do I Still?,” from his second E.P. , “Palette,” was featured on the top 10 on Spotify U.S. Viral 50 Charts, making an appearance on Billboard.com.
ABOUT LARREN WONG:
LARRENWONG is a self-taught vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter from Union City, CA. The child of a Filipino immigrant mother and African-American father, Larren has a diverse, rich ethnic history. His grandfather, a big band jazz leader and flautist in the New York Philharmonic was an early musical role model for Larren, despite being hard to impress.
ABOUT NIEVERA:
Nievera is a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter/producer/musician originally from the Philippines. He moved to California to work with other artists and to share his music with a new, international audience. Watch the live performance of "Home" above and the music video below:
ABOUT NICO BLITZ:
Virally known on TikTok and Twitch, Nico Blitz is a sought after DJ, host, & events producer. Nico is the founder of the "Yee The Party" series and the "Nico Blitz" Podcast, airing weekly on YouTube & MYX, interviewing artists like Rich Brian, MBNel, Phil Tayag (Swagpitt), SoSuperSam, P-Lo & more. He also co-hosts the popular MEXIPINO podcast, breaking Boundaries in the Mexican and Filipino American cultures with co-host Jackie Ramirez. In his spare time, he is the radio producer for the nationally syndicated radio show The Bootleg Kev, and is the Co-Founder of the SARI NOT SARI campaign, that helped raised money for victims of the recent typhoons in the Philippines.
ABOUT DJ KZA:
DJ KZA is an open format DJ and multimedia artist from San Diego, CA that is known for his popular Twitch livestream shows. He has DJ'd in venues across the West Coast like Arena K-Town in Los Angeles/San Francisco, Rebfest in Las Vegas and Beachhouse in San Diego.
MYX celebrated Filipino American History Month at the largest US night market and open-air night bazaar of Asia with good food, unique vendors & great music with LIVE performances by AJ Rafael, Albert Posis, DJ Seduza & Nico Blitz. 626 Night Market is inspired by the famous open-air nighttime bazaars of Asia, where people come together to eat, drink, socialize, and be entertained. Established in 2012, the large-scale market is named after the 626 area code region of San Gabriel Valley, northeast of Los Angeles. The iconic Californian festival featured 250+ food, merchandise, crafts, artists, games, live concerts, and entertainment attractions in an epic event that appeals to all ages with up to 100,000 attendees per 3-day weekend. Among the 626 Night Market OC vendors were several that were Filipino owned like the OG White Rabbit food truck & Ubenabon.
To stay up to date on future MYXtape concerts in your area, visit: www.myx.global/myxtape.
AJ Rafael and Nico Blitz closed out the fun weekend, watch the highlights below:
ABOUT AJ RAFAEL:
Arthur Joseph Rafael, known professionally as AJ Rafael, is a Filipino-American singer-songwriter, YouTuber, and TikToker. Born in Moreno Valley, California, he graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 2010.
ABOUT NICO BLITZ:
Nico Blitz is a sought after DJ, host, & events producer. He is a radio producer, formerly for the nationally syndicated radio show Radio Bassment and Bootleg Kev & DJ Hed on Real 92.3 LA. Nico is the Co-Founder of the SARI NOT SARI campaign, helping raised money for victims of the recent typhoons in the Philippines. Nico is also the founder of the "Yee The Party" series, he hosts "The Lunch Table" airing weekly on YouTube & MYX, interviewing artists like Rich Brian, MBNel, Phil Tayag (Swagpitt), SoSuperSam, P-Lo & more.
Albert Posis & DJ Seduza LIVE at 626 MYXtape Presented by MYX at Orange County Fairgrounds on Day 1, watch the highlight video here:
ABOUT ALBERT POSIS:
Albert Posis is a Filipino-American singer, songwriter, and musician from San Diego, California. With millions of views on his YouTube Channel, Albert has been able to harness the platform to launch his musical career. In 2012, Albert released, “Higher,” a ten song project co-produced by Jesse Barrera. Returning from a few years hiatus, Albert teamed up with Maskerade and reemerged with four original songs, including “When We Were Us” featuring Mark Mejia. Reuniting in 2018, Albert Posis and Jesse Barrera have ushered in a new collaborative chapter on Albert’s singles “Ricochet,” “Stoplight,” “Everlasting,” “Truth,” and now “Enough.” Albert’s breadth of knowledge on music as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist has shaped his approach and ability to create songs that can captivate all types of listeners by crossing genres through his classically modern twist.
ABOUT DJ SEDUZA:
DJ Seduza is a MYX All Star DJ from Southern California native whose staple cat ears and playful aura are sure to satisfy your listening pleasure from Hip Hop and R&B to a wide range of EDM, Future Bass, Trap, Jersey Club, and House music. Her credits include opening up for names like Laidback Luke, YG, Kim Lee, Valentino Khan, and 4B and performances at the hottest clubs in LA/OC, including starting her own event Isoulation. Catch her vibe as she continues to spread the feel-good vibes to all who encounter her.
Celebrate Filipino American History Month at the largest US night market and open-air night bazaar of Asia with good food, unique vendors & great music. 626 Night Market is inspired by the famous open-air nighttime bazaars of Asia, where people come together to eat, drink, socialize, and be entertained. Established in 2012, the large-scale market is named after the 626 area code region of San Gabriel Valley, northeast of Los Angeles. The iconic Californian festival features 250+ food, merchandise, crafts, artists, games, live concerts, and entertainment attractions in an epic event that appeals to all ages with up to 100,000 attendees per 3-day weekend. Among the vendors you'll find several that are Filipino owned like the OG White Rabbit food truck & Ubenabon, see a full list of vendors here. Get your tickets NOW before they sell out here on 626nightmarket.com.
Filipino Fusion Food with a mix of your go to dishes burritos, tacos, quesadilla and rice bowl paired up with your favorite childhood food chicken adobo, beefsteak, pork sisig & pork tocino.
Unique & innovative fusion Cinnamon rolls. Specializing in Ube and Pandan upholding the importance of taste, intricacy and traditional flavors.
You'll see the eateries on a new episode of our MYX original series, MYX Eats: Merienda (626 Night Market Special). See the premiere episode featuring @BeFatBeHappy below at Cafe 86 aka "Ube heaven."
On the main stage at 7P on each weekend night, you'll be treated with a LIVE performance by Albert Posis with opening DJ Seduza on 10/23 and AJ Rafael with opening DJ Nico Blitz (MYX host of The Lunch Table).
The 626 Night Market chose “Coming Home” as the theme for 2021 because “home” is a place of familiarity and nostalgia where you see all your friends and family again after a long time like a family reunion. They all severely missed their thousands of attendees, vendors, artists, performers and staff last year when Covid put a pause on 2020. If this is your first time attending one of our events, then we hope that 626 Night Market will become your home too.
The flagship event is held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia. Two additional events were added to meet popular demand: OC Night Market at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa in 2014 and NorCal Night Market at Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton in 2018. In early 2020, all events were renamed to 626 Night Market, with OC Night Market now referred to as 626 Night Market - OC and NorCal Night Market as 626 Night Market - Bay Area.
626 Night Market aims to unite and empower the community by serving as a platform for showcasing local talent including performers, chefs, and entrepreneurs. Join us at the 626 Night Market Orange County for a memorable experience.
Not in LA? You'll catch the performances and highlights of the event on our MYX original series, MYXtape soon!
History will be made with this all star line-up at an international celebration!
WHAT: The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, ABS-CBN TFC and MYX are preparing a musical extravaganza to honor the 123rd Anniversary of Philippine Independence and the 75th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Philippines and the United States.
Beyond honoring the milestones, the concert highlights the partnership between and among peoples, including the Filipino American communities, as well as government and private entities, which make for positive contributions amid current challenges.
WHEN & WHERE: On June 26, 2021 at 6 PM Pacific Time, the exciting presentation dubbed, “Kalayaan 2021: Celebrating Partnership and Humanity,” featuring talented Filipino and American artists and timely messages of Philippine and U.S. officials, will premiere on the Consulate’s Facebook account facebook.com/PHinSF. On June 27, the concert will air on iWantTFC, TFC on IPTV, as well as TFC and MYX on July 11, on cable and satellite globally. You can also view on the MYX website under “LIVE TV.”
WHY: “We have seen that the spirit of bayanihan continues to be alive and well, in partnerships between governments and private organizations, among communities, between those who are able to help and those who need help, between and among peoples. Here in the United States, we have seen the power of both partnership and humanity -- which is the theme of our concert,” said Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer of the Philippine Consulate of San Francisco.
WHEN & WHERE: On June 26, 2021 at 6 PM Pacific Time, the exciting presentation dubbed, “Kalayaan 2021: Celebrating Partnership and Humanity,” featuring talented Filipino and American artists and timely messages of Philippine and U.S. officials, will premiere on the Consulate’s Facebook account facebook.com/PHinSF. On June 27, the concert will air on iWantTFC, TFC on IPTV, as well as TFC and MYX on July 11, on cable and satellite globally. You can also view on the MYX website under “LIVE TV.”
WHO: For this special occasion, ABS-CBN TFC, MYX, the Philippine Consulate General and Sentro Rizal San Francisco, with the support of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Philippine Center Management Board, are proud to present talented performing artists who will showcase Philippine culture and heritage:
• Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Girls Chorus - is San Francisco’s premier girls' choral group. They have a newly commissioned choral opera titled, “Tomorrow’s Memories, A Little Manila Diary,” which is based on the diary of a young Filipina immigrant who matured and chronicled the lives of her Filipino compatriots from the plantations of Oahu in Hawaii to the Central Valley in California.
• SB19 - is a five-member Pinoy Pop (P-Pop) Group and the first Filipino group in Billboard’s Next Big Sound Chart as well as the first Southeast Asian Act to enter the top 10 of Billboard Social 50 Weekly and Year-End Charts.
• AJ Rafael - is a Filipino American singer-songwriter who has a huge following on YouTube and TikTok for his live musical performances. He graduated in 2010 from the Berklee College of Music with a degree in songwriting.
• BGYO - is a P-Pop group that debuted this year with their single “The Light.” They are one of the first Filipino artists to appear on the weekly Billboard Next Big Sound chart.
• Jessica Sanchez - is a Filipino American singer-songwriter and a runner-up on popular talent search American Idol.
• Markus Paterson and Moophs - is a Filipino-British actor & singer, most recently seen in the film, “Hello Stranger, The Movie.” Moophs (Chris Lopez) is an award-winning producer/guitarist & founder of Tarsier Records. Both have garnered millions of streams on Spotify with their latest releases.
• Soleil Tropicales - Soleil is the Tourism Attaché of the Philippine Department of Tourism in San Francisco, which has jurisdiction over Northwest and Midwest USA and West Canada. She enjoys singing and performing for kababayans.
• Beatriz Abella - Filipino American Beatriz was born and raised in Alaska and is now based in Oregon. She studied Music and Business Administration and has performed classical and musical theatre repertoire in San Francisco, Seattle, Germany, Mexico, the Czech Republic, and at a variety of venues including the Oregon Cabaret Theatre and New York City’s Carnegie Hall.
• Fatima David - Filipino Pakistani American Fatima is the Global Philanthropy Chair for Aspacforce at Salesforce, supporting and inspiring her Asian and Filipino colleagues in the company to make a positive contribution to their communities.
• Little Manila Dance Collective - is a Stockton-based dance group working to promote
and preserve Philippine culture and heritage through their performing arts.
Consul Dominic Imperial and Henni Espinosa of TFC News North America will host the online event.
For more information, please visit https://pcgsanfrancisco.org/
This week's MYX Hot List:
For more, visit www.myx.global/myxnews.
Just as we start Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, AJ Rafael recently released the song, Our Friend, Larry Itliong. Larry Itliong had a huge impact Delano Grape strike of 1965. Unfortunately, it didn't make the history books. AJ Rafael helps tells Manong Larry's story of an aspiring lawyer, who became a storied Filipino-American labor leader and organizer. Check it out here!
According to NBC News, "Itliong was 16 when he arrived in the U.S. from the Philippines with a 6th grade education. He went on to lead the farm worker movement that many believed changed the world." He's considered the heart and soul of the strike wile Cesar Chavez may be the face we all recognized.
Cover Photo Credit: AJ Rafael Twitter
The Los Angeles-based East West Players, the nation’s first professional Asian American theatre organization, is teaming up with musician AJ Rafael and production company iStage Entertainment for Crazy Talented Asians, JR Edition. The event is proudly sponsored by WB Pictures. You can watch the show 5/2 at 6:30P PDT streaming LIVE at facebook.com/eastwestplayers.
CTA JR. will kick off Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and will feature young performers Ella Jay Basco (Birds of Prey), Nayah Damasen (Grey’s Anatomy), Lucian Perez (WW84), Delphine Huang (Mulan 2020), Leela Ladnier (Mira, Royal Detective) and more.
This will be the 10th edition of Crazy Talented Asians, which Rafael started after being inspired by the box office hit Crazy Rich Asians. The live show started at the Rockwell Table & Stage before partnering with East West Players to bring it to The David Henry Hwang Theatre. With the pandemic stopping all live shows the past year, the event has moved virtually via Facebook and YouTube.
"When I first had the idea of this show back in 2018, I was thinking about the young people specifically young Asian Americans watching the show, and what it would mean to them to see a lineup full of people who looked like them," Rafael says. "To now have those young people performing and representing for the next generation on this very stage, even virtually, means a lot to bring to the world, especially right now."
Crazy Talented Asians JR. will be live on East West Players’ Facebook page on Sunday, May 2nd at 6:30 PM Pacific. It will be hosted by Justine Rafael, and will also include performances by Baby Bares (children of Broadway veterans Mama Bares, Deedee Magno Hall, Jennifer Paz, Joan Almedilla, Ai Cheung) Harmonie He (Shang Chi), Araceli Prasarttongosoth, Alicia Clark, Bowen Yu, Isla Renee (daughter of YouTuber/influencer Cathy Nguyen), a special dance number choreographed by Jasmine Rafael, and a special award recognition to Fresh Off The Boat cast members Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler, and Ian Chen. The show will raise funds for Stop AAPI Hate efforts and programs via East West Players.
During his recent interview about his show Crazy Talented Asians and new song, AJ Rafael shared who were his "Frontliners of the Day." Prior to his interview, he chose his personal frontline healthcare workers of the day as a sign of appreciation for their hard work as apart of the MYX & TFC "Salamat Meals" program.
AJ chose his friend/artist Ramiele and his mom based in Riverside,Ca. Each frontliner was awarded 5 McDonald's arch cards to be redeemed for a "Thank You" meal for themselves and their family.
Watch the full interview below:
For more info visit: https://myx.global/frontliners/
AJ Rafael stopped by myx to talk about his 9th Crazy Talented Asian show that will feature premiere Asian talent that are not only singers but actors and musicians as well. He broke down how and why he created the event while also diving into his new song he created with Xoom, a Paypal service and spoke to DJ Marlino in detail about his Disney duets working from home with his girlfriend Alyssa that have gone viral and have made it on to Good Morning America.
Inspired by the unique and creative ways families have figured out how to share their love during the holiday season, Xoom, a PayPal service, reached out to both AJ Rafael to spread a little extra joy through music. Xoom asked the songwriter: If you were to write a love letter to your family you won’t be able to travel to this holiday season what would it sound like?
AJ jumped at the idea and wore his heart on his sleeve to write a beautiful, holiday-inspired song. AJ wrote “Miles Apart, Still Together” – a song about sending love to our families while we stay safely apart. AJ dedicated to his family here in the United States as well as his loved ones abroad in the Philippines. He was happy that the colab sparked him into additional songwriting as he plans his 10 year anniversary of "Red Roses" next year. He's hoping to colab with artists like Shawn Wasabi next year around the special event. Listen to the song below:
Xoom is also supporter of Crazy Talented Asians and AJ will be sharing his song, “Miles Apart, Still Together” during the event.
Via Deadline, "The Los Angeles-based East West Players, the nation’s first professional Asian American theatre organization, is teaming with musician AJ Rafael again for the holiday edition of Crazy Talented Asians, the ninth edition of the live show celebrating represenation of Asians in the arts. This year will feature performers Isa Briones (Picard, Hamilton), Josh Dela Cruz (Blues Clues), Dante Basco (Hook, Avatar The Last Airbender), Deedee Magno Hall (Steven Universe, Mickey Mouse Club), among others. The event is set to take place virtually on December 13 starting at 5:30pm PT via Rafael & East West Players’ Facebook Page & East West Players YouTube channel.
The full line-up has been released below:
Hosted by AJ Rafael (Singer/Songwriter/Music Director) & Alyssa Navarro (Diversity & Inclusion Walt Disney Studios)
Deedee Magno Hall (Steven Universe, Miss Saigon, Wicked National Tour)
Dante Basco (Avatar The Last Airbender, Hook, Fabulous Filipino Bros)
Isa Briones (Star Trek: Picard, Hamilton National Tour)
Cathy Ang (Over The Moon)
Josh Dela Cruz (Blue’s Clues)
Melissa Polinar, Jeremy Passion, Gabe Bondoc - MPG (Singer/Songwriters)
Jasmine Rafael (Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, The Prom)
Justine Rafael (UCI BFA Musical Theatre Program)
Asian Boss Girl Podcast (Melody Cheng, Helen Wu, and Janet Wang)
Jules Aurora (Singer/Actress Young & the Restless)
Daniel Ho (Ukulele Virtuoso, Multi-Grammy Award Winner)
Albert Chang (Violinist, Magician, Twitch Streamer)
Kevin Chung (SInger/Songwriter/TikTok Musician)
GALVN (Pianist/Songwriter)
Yvette Lu (Hamilton National Tour)
Leo Matsuyama (Culture Shock LA)
Sponsored by Karat, Xoom, with media partners myx & Tremendous Communications
Highlights from the show can be viewed on myx soon as well as donations to the ABS-CBN Foundation to help recent typhoon victims will be mentioned during the show. Tag @ajrafael, @myglobal #crazytalentedasians while watching the program.
AJ Rafael & his girlfriend/co-host, Alyssa Navarro were recently featured on Good Morning America for their viral videos of singing Disney songs while working from home:
No need to wait for Halloween, Anime cosplay queen Drew, @candylion.cos, does this year round. Trese comic series by @budjette will get a Netflix anime. We've got musical treats from @nadine, @hermusicofficial @ajrafael and election day is here, so if you're in Maplewood, MN, you might want to check out the inspiring story of @neighborsfornikki. Congrats to the @dodgers Tom Nook aka @austincastro closes out #FAHM with this week's Hot List!
For the weekly hot list, follow @tayo_news on all social media. Main feature photo courtesy of H.E.R. Instagram.
