Golden Hour with Charlene Kaye
A podcast that celebrates Asian creativity in music, hosted by musician Charlene Kaye and produced by Dave Yim. New episodes every month!
Episodes
Bohan Phoenix Rapping His Way from New York to China
Season 3 finale! Charlene and Dave talk to the talented, hilarious, and charismatic hip hop artist Bohan Phoenix. Dialing from Chengdu, China, where he now resides, we get into his origins coming to the US when he was 11 years old, his rise in the New York City hip hop scene, and his return to China and being rap artist overseas.Listen to Bohan Phoenix's latest album 你的骄傲 Make You Proud on Spotify
Ashrita Kumar of Pinkshift, a Fully Formed Punk Rock Icon
Today on the pod: Charlene and Dave share their first concert experiences. Then, they talk with Ashrita Kumar, the captivating frontperson of the punk band Pinkshift. Ashrita shares stories from their med school experience, the band’s pandemic-era origins and ascent, and how writing music brought them out of the darkest of days.
Find Pinkshift’s newest EP Suraksha on Spotify. Find them on Instag
Crossing Rain, the Hawaiian Boy Band We Didn't Know We Needed
Hawaii is a special place for Golden Hour. Charlene was born and grew up there, returning often. Dave visited for the first time a few years ago and fell in love. Not the mention the Pacific island has the highest percentage of Asians and mixed race people of any state in the US, and of course it has a rich musical legacy.
And so today on the pod, Charlene brings you the next big thing out of Hawa
FIG and the Joy of Solo Dates
This month on the pod! Charlene has been taking inspiration from Jimmy O. Yang’s comedy special. Dave is celebrating BEEF’s awards wins and has been binging season 3 of Single’s Inferno.
Then! We are joined by the incredible indie pop artist FIG, whose latest single Solo Dates is all about self-love. We talk about her growing up all over Asia, the meticulous recording process she learned from MICH
Sonny Singh's Infinite Optimism Through Spirituality and Music
It's almost 2024! Char and Dave reveal their most played songs of the past year and set their themes for the new one. Then, they are joined by artist and activist Sonny Singh to talk about his album Chardi Kala, the time he worked with Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, and his love/hate with his primary instrument, the trumpet.
Happy New Year to our beautiful Golden Hour community!
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Dorothy & Jisu of Sundial: From Berklee College "Jams" to Their Own Roaring Twenties
This month on the pod, Charlene opened for the icon Madame Ghandi and Dave got a new electronic drum set. Then, we're joined by Dorothy Chan and Jisu Kim (and before you ask, yes, they are a couple) of the pop duo Sundial! The two met at Berklee College of Music, and since 2016 have been putting out their own infectious flavor of indie pop. We talk about the business side of their music, how they
NoSo Is Happy and Proud and Is Ready to Connect With You
On this episode of Golden Hour: Char moved to Brooklyn, Dave finished The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and we give a Golden Goose Award to our favorite hip-hop/punk collective out of South Korea. Then, Char and Dave interview NoSo, aka Baek Hwong, an LA-based indie singer-songwriter. They talk about the making of their latest album Stay Proud of Me, their latest single Kaitlin, the grind
Season 3 Kickoff! - Miss Grit and Following the Cyborg
Char and Dave are back with Season 3 of Golden Hour! They talk about joining the Potluck Podcast Collective, highlights from the 3rd Golden Hour Fest in Brooklyn, and Charlene showers Olivia Rodrigo with praise for her new album GUTS.
Then, Charlene is joined by the incredible indie artist Miss Grit, aka Margaret Sohn. Catching her on tour in UK back in the spring, Charlene and Margaret share thei
No-No Boy - Songs About the Missing Chapters of American History
Today on the pod, host Charlene Kaye talks with with the charming and brilliant songwriter Julian Saporiti, aka No-No Boy. Right from the artist's name, there is hidden history baked in, as the "no-no boys" were Japanese Americans who were questioned during World War 2 about their allegiance to the United States. No-No Boy's most recent album, 1975 (another reference to the year
Connie K. Lim (aka MILCK) - Finding Her Way Through Trauma and Creating a Viral Protest Anthem
In today's episode, host Charlene Kaye invites over Connie K. Lim, AKA MILCK, to come to her home studio in New York. The Chinese American singer-songwriter shares her journey of surviving domestic abuse as a teenager and how she used music to channel her trauma. The two also get into how the singer-songwriter's career changed course after her song Quiet went viral at the Women's March in 2017 (an
Yvette Young of Covet - The Guitar Virtuoso talks Love of Butt Rock, Overcoming Anorexia, and Sticking Up for Herself
Yvette Young plays guitar like no one else. A self-taught virtuoso, Yvette started on classical piano and violin and was subjected to a brutal practice regimen, which ultimately led her to an eating disorder in order regain some control over her life. She ultimately fell in love with music again, and the world is better for it. As the principle songwriter of the band Covet, Yvette has come to defi
Kimmortal - The Filipinx Canadian Talks Community-Driven Hip Hop
Kim Villagante, AKA Kimmortal, is a Vancouver-based, queer, non-binary, Filipinx rapper, singer, actor, activist, visual artist and all-around badass. Today on the show, host Charlene Kaye gets into it with Kim on being a multidisciplinary artist, their fraught relationship with the word "community," and what they said to Thundercat to make him laugh.
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Listen to Kimmortal's most recent tra
Jess Bowen of The Summer Set - Being "the Girl in the Band" and Learning to Take Up Space
On today's episode, Charlene catches up with her former Scottsdale, Arizona schoolmate-turned-rock-star, Jess Bowen. Jess, who is half Filipina, is primarily known as the drummer of the pop punk quartet, The Summer Set, which formed when the members were still in high school. The band broke up in 2017 and reunited just last year, 2022, to release their 5th studio album, Blossom.
Now in her thirtie
Lea Thomas - Finding Spirituality in Nature and Music
Today on the show, Charlene talks with singer-songwriter Lea Thomas. Born on the island of Maui in Hawaii, the half Japanese musician remembers writing her first songs about her childhood banyan tree with her beloved first guitar. Later, she dove into the music industry and city life in New York, only to find herself burnt out, yearning for spiritual power of nature. Now based in the upstate New Y
Telling His "American Bollywood" Story - Sameer Gadhia of Young the Giant
Sameer Gadhia is the powerhouse vocalist of the alternative rock band Young the Giant. For over a decade, the Indian American singer and songwriter has helped lead the seminal group through multiple gold and platinum singles and five full length albums, the latest, American Bollywood, was released in late 2022.
Today on the pod, Charlene gets in deep with Sameer, discussing Young the Giant's
"F*ck Your Opinion" - MICHELLE (Emma Lee and Jamee Lockard)
On this episode, Charlene is joined by Emma Lee and Jamee Lockard of MICHELLE. Emma and Jamee are two of the four lead vocalists in one of the most buzzed about bands to come out of the New York indie pop scene in the last few years. Both are Korean American and New York City natives, who write songs that you can either serve up a Gen Z dance party, or cry alone in your room to, with lyrics touchi
Med School, Battling Depression, and Producing Music All Herself - SuperKnova
Today on the pod, an in-person conversation with Charlene and Ellie Kim, aka SuperKnova. Ellie is a Korean American transgender artist who writes, shreds guitar, produces, mixes, and masters all her own music. Her highly personal music aims to put the queer experience front and center. She also details the experience of her own transition and celebrates the complexity of being many different thing
From Humble Beginnings to Superstardom - Black Eyed Peas' Apl.de.Ap
Apl.de.Ap's journey from a poor farming community in the Philippines to a member of the one of the best-selling musical acts of all time is nothing short of miraculous. To give him better opportunities, his mother sent Apl, whose real name is Allan Pineda, to Los Angeles to live with an adopted family. Homesick, Apl would soon meet another young boy who shared his love for breakdancing. That frien
BONUS EPISODE: Season 1 Recap - How It Started, How It's Going
In this special bonus episode, Charlene and producer Dave Yim close out the first season of Golden Hour by talking about the origin the show and re-visit some of their favorite moments from the past nine episodes. Thank you so much for being a part of our little community, and we'll be back later this year with more conversations celebrating Asian joy, creativity and intersectional solidarity.&nbs
Nobuko Miyamoto - The Birth of the Asian American Movement
For our final guest of Season 1 of Golden Hour, we wanted to take it back to a time when the term "Asian American" was only just being born. In the late 60s and early 70s, a new political consciousness was forming amidst the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. It was out of this time period that a trio of musicians recorded a singular album in 1973 called A Grain of Sand, widely considered
Shanghai Restoration Project - Give Up a Day Job and Collaborating with Your Partner
Shanghai Restoration Project is a band that is as uninhibited and imaginative as their name suggests. In this episode of Golden Hour, the two members of this genre-bending electronic duo, Dave Liang and Sun Yunfan, talk with Charlene all the way from their new home in Barcelona, Spain. They discuss how they each decided to give up a 9-to-5 to pursue a career in the arts, how they first started col
Thao Nguyen - Finding Healing In Music and Becoming Her Truest Self
In this episode Charlene gets into it deep with the magnificent artist Thao Nguyen. She is most well-known as the charismatic frontwoman of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, whose latest album Temple was released in 2020. Charlene and Thao talk about her long and prolific songwriting career, visiting Vietnam for the first time, and why she feels more at peace now than any time in her 14 years of
Ian Chang - The Singular Drummer on His Road to Becoming a Professional Musician
Today on the pod, Charlene catches up with her friend, the brilliant drummer and composer Ian Chang. Ian's style of drumming is utterly singular, and his wildly inventive songs have been praised by everyone from NPR to Modern Drummer. While Ian is perhaps best known as a member of the dark indie band Son Lux, he's also been the man behind the rhythm for records by Moses Sumney, Landlady and more.
ÊMIA (Anh Le) - Storytelling in Songwriting and Singing Karaoke Backup Vocals
In today’s episode, Charlene meets up with fellow New Yorker Anh Le, better known as ÊMIA. The 24-year-old Vietnamese American is a singer-songwriter whose music boasts a mix of powerful pop vocals, clever songwriting, and creative production styles. Charlene and Anh discover they have a lot in common: both had an early love of Avril Lavigne and spent their childhoods moving around. Stay until the
Mike Park - Asian Man Records Founder on a Life in Punk Music
To say that Mike Park is an icon in the world of ska and punk music would be an understatement. Not only is he the frontman of the ska/punk bands The Chinkees, Bruce Lee Band, and Skankin' Pickle, but after starting his own label Asian Man Records in 1996, he's worked with over 100 artists putting out their music, including Alkaline Trio and Less Than Jake. In this episode Charlene and Mike talk a
Kenton Chen - Viral YouTube Covers and Learning Self Love
In today's episode Charlene is joined by the unbelievably talented Kenton Chen. Kenton is known for his jaw-dropping covers on YouTube with Scary Pockets and Postmodern Jukebox. He's sung with artists such as Kesha, Portugal the Man, Demi Lovato, and Jennifer Hudson. Charlene and Kenton talk about their parents reaction to them becoming artists, share what their careers might have been if they did
Stephanie Jae Park - Becoming Eliza Hamilton and Finding Her Voice
Our second guest on the podcast is the incredible Stephanie Jae Park! Stephanie is a Korean American actor, singer and songwriter who currently plays Eliza Hamilton on the national tour of Hamilton and has a long list of Broadway credits that include the King and I, Cinderella and more. During the pandemic, she and her partner Voltaire Wade-Greene, who was the dance captain of the original Hamilto
Darren Criss - Returning to Music and Mixed Race Identity
My first guest on the podcast is one of my oldest friends and musical comrades, Darren Criss. Darren and I met at the University of Michigan at our very first open mic, when I saw him playing "I'll Make a Man out of You" from Mulan on an acoustic guitar (so late 2000s). We became instant friends and played our very first shows together around Ann Arbor and beyond. After college, I moved to New Yor
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