As Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month comes to a close, The Kaleidoscope is taking the time to celebrate some of our picks for our favorite Asian and Pacific Islander entertainers, music artists, nonprofits and local Birmingham businesses. Today, we are sharing just a few music artists that our staff singled out as worthy of praise. In the coming days, we’ll be sharing even more.

Japanese Breakfast

Michelle Zauner is a 32-year-old Korean American indie musician who performs and records under the name Japanese Breakfast and was raised in Eugene, Ore. She also released a memoir in April of this year, Crying in H Mart, where she talks about being the only Asian American kid at her school, losing her mother and forming her own identity. It’s gotten a lot of great reviews.

Elizabeth Guffin, Copy Editor

Jay Som

Jay Som is a Filipino American indie musician. She plays every instrument for her music as well as produces it, making for a unique sound even among similar artists. If you’re into fuzzy dream pop that makes every car ride feel like a music video check her out.

Hannah Richey, Editor-in-Chief

Mitski

Mitski is a Japanese American singer-songwriter dominating the indie rock genre. Her music deals with her personal identity as Japanese American, love and heartbreak. Her songwriting has led to some of the best indie music of the 2010s and hopefully more in the future.

Hannah Richey, Editor-in-Chief

Lil Mariko

Her first viral hit “Where’s My Juul” was an underground NSFW hyper-pop-screamo collaboration with her boyfriend Full Tac that drew comparisons to Kelly’s “Shoes”. Lil Mariko is not a comedian, though. Her almost-always NSFW music exudes a level of confidence that few artists can match.

Recommended Songs: “Where’s My Juul” and “Shiny”

Caleb Wood, Managing Editor

Sam Kim

Sam Kim is a 23 year-old Korean- American singer/songwriter and guitarist born in Federal Way, Wash. Kim rose to fame after competing in the third season of Korean competition show, “K-pop Star” at the age of fifteen where he was given the second place title. He continued his career in Korea where he regularly releases music that is sung mostly in his native tongue, but occasionally he publishes songs in English as well.

Recommended songs: “It’s You” and “Where’s My Money”

Kamiyah Burks

Audrey Nuna

The 22 year-old Korean-American singer/rapper was born Audrey Chu in Manalapan, N.J. Nuna is known for her wide range of styles ranging from R&B, pop and rap. She expressed that she was raised on Korean music, but found inspiration from American artists such as Destiny’s Child, Kanye West and Shaday.

Recommended songs: “Comic Sans” and “Space”

Kamiyah Burks