Voices of AAPI Concert Brings Together an Array of Must-See Denver Musicians

Showcasing the diverse artists across the Denver music scene is one of Cleo Mirza’s favorite aspects of working with artists. The former Westword contributor initially discovered what the city had to offer as a freelance journalist before teaming up with musicians on bios and press releases.

“I fell in love with the local music scene here while I was working for Westword and ended up developing a lot of real, genuine friendships with a lot of the artists that I had met,” she explains. “I’ve just been trying to find ways to stay connected to the music industry, as someone who loves music but has no musical talent at all.”

She laughs, but seeing the music biz from the other side gave her the idea of booking a show for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month this May. Her friend Devin Nyshawn Arnold, the local rapper who performs as DNA Picasso and oversees his own record label, Picasso Gvng, gave her the opportunity to do just that.

“I mentioned to DNA Picasso that I might be interested in curating some shows, and he was super encouraging and supportive and basically said, ‘Bring me a show concept and let’s make it happen,’” she recalls. “I was thinking about what would make sense to me and what would be meaningful to me. My South Asian heritage isn’t something that I get the chance to celebrate very often, so I figured why not create the chance?"

Finding artists to fill the bill would be easy, as she could think of many who would be interested before even getting the greenlight to organize such an event. “I already had several artists in mind that all fell under the AAPI umbrella," Mirza says, "so I knew that putting together a really solid show lineup was not going to be an issue."

Now, for the first time, Voices of AAPI Month is a reality. The show, which will be at Your Mom’s House on Sunday, May 26, features Denver hip-hop and indie acts A$cension, Sam Bhara, Rev. da IV, ego n friends, Chris Opher and Teresa Suydam.

“There were a couple of artists that I knew I really wanted to have on there that do make similar music. But we have some pop. We have some R&B. We have some hip-hop and rap, and some more indie acts,” Mirza shares.

“It’s definitely going to be a variety of sounds. Each person I’ve left really open-ended to run their set however they want, so I’m not telling them anything,” she adds. “I want them to do whatever they want to do, because that’s their experience.”

One question she has consistently been asked by people, and fans, who aren’t familiar with the AAPI community is: What type of music do these artists make? The showcase isn’t necessarily focused on highlighting one particular AAPI genre, but more about representation in general. “The AAPI community specifically is pretty underrepresented in music, especially mainstream music,” Mirza says, adding that Mitski and Japanese Breakfast may be the best examples of recent success, but “calling them mainstream would be a little bit of a stretch.”

“There's K-Pop and J-Pop, but that’s not Asian American," she notes. "Asian American as an identity is something that’s just not represented in mainstream music."

AAPI Month celebrations typically tend to focus on other aspects of Asian culture, including food and arts such as literature and film, as Mirza sees it. “It's funny, because when I started floating this idea around, I had several people who are not part of the AAPI community ask me what kind of music there would be at an AAPI showcase. They’re expecting throat-singing and sitars and things like that. No, no, no,” she recalls with a laugh.

“There are tons of talented AAPI musicians who are making every kind of music you can imagine. It’s not just one sound. It’s not just one ethnicity. It’s not just one identity,” Mirza adds, while pointing out that it includes South Asians, East Asians and Pacific Islanders.

Just like there’s no one AAPI identity, there is no universal AAPI sound, meaning you can find AAPI artists playing virtually everything. “No matter what kind of music you listen to, I guarantee there is someone doing it,” Mirza says. “And those are important forms of art, too. In terms of things that can be relatable to others and have this mainstream appeal, I think there’s so much potential for that that I don’t think people are aware of.”

Aditya Kamath, who goes by ego n friends, or ego for short, is constantly collaborating with other local artists, as his sound has morphed from hip-hop to more indie pop recently. He’s excited to team up with the artists at the AAPI showcase and expects to be a part of impromptu jams, at least during his set. “This show allows me to bring that energy and community into my set while highlighting an important side of my life, which is being raised first-generation by Indian parents,” he says.

“What I love about the community out here in Denver, especially when it comes to indie, hip-hop and R&B, is how diverse the community is," he adds. "I think Denver is seen as a very white city, and it’s nice to feel represented.”

Growing up in San Jose, Kamath developed his chops in an “incredibly diverse” local music scene and was somewhat surprised to find a similar vibe here in Denver. AAPI artists are proof of that, he says. “I wasn’t aware of what a cool blessing that is. The music community allows me to feel that. That’s just automatically really special,” he explains. “The AAPI lineup is so indicative of the people who I really respect in the community.”

The AAPI show caps off a busy month for Kamath, who is preparing to release ego n friends' debut album, are u alone?, on June 11. He’s already shared a couple of singles — “none of your business” and “TMJ (That’s My Jam)” — and plans to drop one more, “GARDEN,” on May 27. While ego n friends has been considered genre-less, Kamath feels that are u alone? took a more indie-pop direction than his previous work.

“I think what I’m really excited about with this project is I’m transitioning into a more indie side of myself,” he says. “I’ve always kind of been, but because of all of my friends being pulled into hip-hop I very quickly got into hip-hop, and I feel like I excelled there. Now I just want to naturally return to who I am. I feel like this album really shows that.”

Kamath pauses. “Cleo, how’d I do?” he asks of the album plug.

Mirza gives him kudos. She's been helping ego n friends with PR, aside from being busy putting together the Voices of AAPI Month event.

May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, which is why Mirza wanted to partner with the Aurora Mental Health & Recovery’s Asian Pacific Clinic (previously known as the Asian Pacific Development Center), as well. The clinic offers a variety of mental health services for immigrants and refugees, including behavioral health care in their native languages.

“They provide resources specifically tailored to immigrants and refugees who are some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” Mirza explains. “Being able to provide mental health care in someone’s native language is a huge deal.”

A portion of ticket sales will be donated directly to the center, while more information will be available at the event, as well. Purchasing tickets directly from any of the artists on the bill is the best way to support the cause, according to Mirza.

“Being a part of a community means that you should do what you can to help that community thrive, even if it’s something small,” she says. “I knew I wanted to involved a nonprofit. When I started looking into local nonprofits that serve the AAPI community here, the Aurora Mental Health & Recovery’s Asian Pacific Clinic stuck out to me because mental health care is something that I’m personally very invested in, too.”

Plus, the artists decided to make the show an island party, Kamath shares.

“Yeah, we’re leaning heavily into island vibes,” Mirza says, adding that it’s a more laid-back “dress like you’re on vacation” type of theme than anything.

But similar to her past work, it all centers around bringing visibility to a local community that may otherwise go uncelebrated.

Voices of AAPI Month, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 26, Your Mom's House, 608 East 13th Avenue. Tickets are $15-$20.