Lafayette artist part of first-ever Asian American Artists Pop-up

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — There was a time when Melvin Earl, a musician studying at Purdue University, shied away from his Asian roots, drawn more to the Los Angeles hip-hop scene.

This Sunday, July 24, Earl will perform at the first-ever Asian American Artists Pop-up in Indianapolis, an event which aims to offer a spotlight to Asian artists in Indiana.

Initially scheduled for July 17, the event was canceled due to unexpected rain in the area.

The event will be held at Monon Plant Company, on 6258 Cornell Avenue in Indianapolis, and is set to start at 5:00 p.m. and end around 10 p.m.

The idea for this event came about after Danicka Refugio, a recent Indiana University graduate, noticed a lack of representation and support for Asian American artists located in Indiana.

After noting this disparity, she decided to create and host an event that would create a “safe space for these artists to express themselves around a supportive community”.

Refugio began to reach out to Hoosier artists to gauge their interest in this event.

Earl was one of four musical artists she contacted, in hopes of including him in her event. When he heard about the pop-up, he knew he had to be involved.

Earl, a Filipino American hip hop and R&B artist, takes strong influence from Southern California '90s hip-hop and funk music.

Initially from Los Angeles, Earl found his way to Indiana after pursuing a Ph.D. in American studies at Purdue University.

“My music is a homage, a throwback to a particular era of Southern California (music). Specifically, like low-rider culture, hip-hop, and funk, because that was the era I grew up in,” said Earl.

“And I grew up amidst the backdrop of a pre-internet Los Angeles, right? I remember the first computer we had in the house was '98, it had Windows 95 on it. The reason why it's relative is, the way people communicated back then was through car culture and dance culture.

“My brother was a DJ and he used to pop & lock. We used to pull up at the park and there would be people spinning records, people checking out cars and dancing, you know? So, my music in a lot of ways is a homage to L.A. funk in general.”

When Earl heard about the Indianapolis event, and its purpose of giving Asian American artists a safe place to express themselves and connect with their culture, it struck a chord with him.

Growing up, Earl wasn’t that connected to his Filipino culture; instead, he connected with the Los Angeles Latino and African American cultures.

“Growing up I wasn’t always proud to identify as Asian,” he said.

“I grew up in Los Angles and the particular part of L.A. was more, I would say, Latino and African American. I say that to say, being Asian wasn’t always cool.

“It wasn’t until I became an adult within the last three to five years that I started leaning into my Asianness. And that obviously came in regard to the anti-Asian violence that erupted during the cover pandemic and obviously George Floyd.”

The Asian American Artists Pop-up marked the first time that Earl performed with a focus on highlighting his and other Asian cultures.

“I think it’s super important because even though growing up it wasn’t cool to be Asian, you know. Within my household the language that my parents speak and the country that they immigrated from, which is the Philippines. Leaning into my Asianness and really being a part of this is a big deal. It’s a way to honor my ancestors and a way to honor my parents' sacrifice by giving up their homeland and adopting a new nation.”

For Refugio, these were the types of stories that she was hoping to hear from Asian American artists. The stories may not have had a place to be heard or showcased before.

But beyond that, Refugio wanted to give her fellow Americans an opportunity to praise their artistic talents, even if it may not be appreciated by everyone.

“I wanted to create this event because growing up with two immigrant parents, I felt like there was a lot of pressure for my future to include a professional job so I could be rich and provide for my family. Art was never seen as something one could do professionally and it was seen more as a hobby,” said Refugio.

“I believe this is a common theme in Asian households and I want to inspire the Asian American youth to break the pressure/stigma of the older generation to pursue a 9-5 job and to focus on their passion.”

“As someone who was born and raised in Indiana, I feel as if there are not enough Asian American artists in the Indiana art/music scene spotlight.

“For these reasons, I decided to create the first Asian American Artists Pop-up to support Asian American artists, encourage art professions in Asian households, create Asian representation in the art world and provide free advertisement for these arts.”

The event is set to begin at 5 pm with Earl starting off the night by performing a brand new single.

For anyone interested in attending the event, there will also be three other performances and seven different art vendors present at the event.

Musician info:

• Melvin Earl - R&B/Hip-hop at 5 pm.

• A'ishah Tandoc - R&B jam band at 6 pm.

• Marrialle Sellars - Guitar solo act at 7 pm.

• Jay Saac - Guitar solo act at 8 pm.

Artists:

• Arielle Ordas - Graphic Designer

• Kathleen Ho - Oil painter & Ceramics

• Ajamu - Street-style Painter

• Diego Manansala - Primitive style with contemporary and street approach

• Kristyn Lukjan - Photographer

• Lean - Ceramics

• Becky Entrican – Painter & Jewelry

Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter at 1NoePadilla.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette artist part of first-ever Asian American Artists Pop-up