Michelle Zauner | Asian American Women Who Conquered Hollywood
AAPI Heritage Month: Miyoshi Umeki first Asian Oscar, Michelle Zauner trailblazers. Celebrating influential AAPI women in entertainment history
Michelle Zauner | Asian American Women Who Conquered Hollywood
Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month: Trailblazing Women in Entertainment
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, honoring the contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders throughout U.S. history. We're spotlighting influential AAPI women like Miyoshi Umeki and Ming-Na Wen who've shattered barriers in Hollywood.
✨ From Lucy Liu to Ming Na Wen, these AAPI heritage trailblazers have made significant contributions to the entertainment industry and the AAPI community. Join us in celebrating their accomplishments!
AAPI Heritage Month is held every May to reflect on and celebrate the work and impact of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders throughout history.
Celebrate AAPI Month with us as we highlight the achievements of influential women in entertainment! From Miyoshi Umeki's historic Oscar win to Lucy Liu's impact on pop culture, we're recognizing the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by spotlighting these amazing women and Ming Na Wen.
Michelle Zauner
Musician and author Michelle Zauner was named one of Time100's "Most Influential People of 2022."
Michelle Chongmi Zauner (born March 29, 1989) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author, known as the lead vocalist of the indie pop band Japanese Breakfast. Her 2021 memoir, Crying in H Mart, spent 60 weeks on The New York Times hardcover non-fiction bestseller list. In 2022, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world under the category Innovators on their annual list.
Zauner was raised in Eugene, Oregon, and began playing music and hosting public performances when she was 15. In 2011, after graduating from Bryn Mawr College, Zauner and three other musicians formed Little Big League, a Philadelphia-based emo band that released two albums, These Are Good People (2013) and Tropical Jinx (2014).
Zauner, who in 2013 began to release music under the name Japanese Breakfast, left Little Big League in 2014 when she returned to Eugene to care for her ailing mother. In 2016, she released Japanese Breakfast's debut album, Psychopomp, which cantered on grief and her mother's death. A follow-up album, Soft Sounds from Another Planet, was released in 2017.
A third, Jubilee, was released in 2021 and became the band's first album to chart on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 56; it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. She also wrote the soundtrack for the 2021 video game Sable.
Zauner's essays have been published in Glamour, The New Yorker, and Harper's Bazaar. She released her first book, Crying in H Mart: A Memoir, via Alfred A. Knopf in 2021 to critical acclaim. It is to be adapted into a feature film by Orion Pictures, with Zauner providing the soundtrack. She has directed most of Japanese Breakfast's music videos; she has also directed videos for American singer Jay Som and power pop band Charly Bliss.
