Hapa Mag's Top 3 Hapa Singer/Songwriters for Summer 2018

By Melissa Slaughter

Left (Chasing Lovely), Top Right (Mitski), Bottom Right (Japanese Breakfast)

Here at Hapa Mag, we love to highlight Hapas wherever we can. As summer winds down, we wanted to put some fresh new Hapas on your radar. You probably already have Hailee Steinfeld, Hayley Kiyoko, and Bruno Mars on your Spotify playlist, but maybe it’s time to change things up and add some new jams to your rotation. Check out the artists below!

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Chasing Lovely

"Speak Out" 

Chasing Lovely has been been a constant on my Spotify since they were featured in our second issue. Their brand of down home folk and and Atlanta pop/soul is what I need when I want something deep and heartfelt. Their latest single, “Speak Out”, encapsulates the summer of 2018. It’s about standing up and speaking truth to power.

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Mitski

Be the Cowboy

Mitski has a song on NPR’s 200 Greatest Songs by 21st century Women+. According to her Wikipedia page, “Mitski reflects her cross-cultural identity as ‘half Japanese, half American but not fully either’, a feeling that is often reflected in her music, which occasionally discusses issues of belonging.” Her fifth album, Be The Cowboy, is out now and we can't get enough.

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Japanese Breakfast

Soft Sounds From Another Planet

Hapa Mag alum Naomi Shepherd is the one who introduced me to Japanese Breakfast when she added them to our Hapa Favorite Music list. Since then, her brand of ambient indie chill, has been a lovely soundtrack to traveling around New York City Streets during long commutes. Japanese Breakfast (aka Michelle Zauner) released her album Soft Sounds from Another Planet and is currently on tour. Check her out if she’s in your city!

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Is your favorite Hapa artist missing? Comment below or tweet us @TheHapaMag.

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Melissa has lived in all four time zones in the contiguous United States. A former actor in Seattle, WA, Melissa now resides in NYC as a content creator. She is the producer of the We're Not All Ninjas podcast, which she also hosts with fellow Hapa Mag writer, Alex Chester. Melissa also writes for online blogs Nerdophiles and The Nerds of Color. Find her @NotAllNinjasPod.