APASA's Got Talent 2023 😎
APASA’s annual Got Talent, as told from the perspective of James Wu and Sea Gira, our APASA interns.
Interns Kendal Win and James Wu take the stage as APASA Got Talent’s emcees!
APASA’s Got Talent of 2023 was another huge success by our Programming Director Yusuf Rahman with the help of our Executive Director Emma Hsu. An amazing showcase of talents from members of USC’s APIDA community, APASA’s Got Talent was a night of music, magic, and so much more!
We were honored to have five student performers this year and three talented APIDA professionals to judge their wonderful showcases.
Grateful for their attendance, the three judges were Gina Su, Kevin Wu, and Raquel Olsson.
Gina Su is a brilliant film actress, producer, and founder of Pretty Magic Productions. Her voice is recognized for dubbing many series of regular characters on Netflix's Top 10 television shows like Hometown Cha Cha Cha and The Glory, and she is quickly rising in the industry as an Asian-American actor.
Kevin Wu, also known as KevJumba, first rose to fame in the late 2000s for his comedy YouTube videos that discussed his life as an East Asian American. Kevin has also expanded into the music industry, putting out music after time away from the internet.
Raquel Olsson is a social media influencer and former news anchor based in Los Angeles. Her TikTok videos have received millions of views, where she creates content about psychic influencing and general life advice with comedy. She has over 200k followers on Instagram and continues to grow her platform as she gains popularity in the entertainment industry.
During the night, we were graced by the musical expertise of Tae Young Kim, Evan Llafet, Syante, and Kyle Voong; accompanied by a ✨magical✨ experience by the Sensations which consists of John Hemmer, Jeffrey Lee, and Nelson Lee. The performances were accompanied by cream puffs from the lovely Beard Papa’s and boba from Cup O’ Joy! For this year’s winners of APASA’s Got Talent, Kyle Voong won first place AND was the audience favorite for his original remix of Teriyaki Boyz’ “Tokyo Drift '' in 7 different languages. Evan Llafet came in second place, blessing our eardrums with his cover of Joji’s “Glimpse of Us,” and Tae Young Kim’s incredible rendition of the Ray Charles banger “Unchain my Heart” and the classic “Hit the Road Jack” in third.
Later that night, our lovely judges performed their own acts and shared their personal experiences navigating the professional world as APIDA individuals.
First up we have Gina Su, she prepared a stunning video of some of her amazing work as an actress from emotionally moving dramas to jaw-dropping action scenes. Gina was able to discuss her experiences in breaking stereotypes within the entertainment industry. At the same time, gaining recognition and prestige in the industry means she has to take such roles. Next up, Raquel Olsson dropped some valuable wisdom on self-confidence and romantic relationships, spicy. And last but certainly not least, Kevin Wu surprised us with a beautiful performance of Nice Guys! Whatttttt!!! Aside from the nostalgic performance, KevJumba gave some motivational advice and his memories of being an Asian American internet sensation.
The night was a magnificent success! Again, much thanks to the hard work of Yusuf Rahman and Emma Hsu. Congratulations to all the talented APIDA performers, and what wonderful appearance from the celebrity judges! APASA Got Talent of 2023 was definitely a memorable one.
Signing out,
James Wu and Sea Gira
