VietNamNet Bridge – The second annual ASEAN Pride music festival will be held in Hanoi in June by the US Embassy and CAMA Vietnam to raise awareness about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues.

Huong Giang Idol, Vietnam’s first transsexual star will participate in the festival.

“Celebrating family” will top the agenda at this year’s festival. Many artists from the United States, Vietnam, and around the region will take the stage at the American Club, 19-20 Hai Ba Trung Street, Hanoi on June 20, from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

The performers will include US indie rock band Thao Nguyen & The Get Down Stay Down, Malaysia’s O.J. Law, Thai girl rockers Yellow Fang, Vietnamese transgender pop sensation Huong Giang Idol, Ho Chi Minh City’s COCC, To Lam and his high-heel dance troupe, DJ Lotus Disco, and more.

With community booths, arts and crafts, plenty of food and drink, and a special tent geared to President Obama’s Young South East Asian Leaders Initiative, ASEAN Pride 2015 will showcase the quality and diversity of American and South East Asian musicians, create a safe space to celebrate the vibrancy of the LGBT community in Vietnam and the region, and celebrate family.

Over 4,000 people joined the first ASEAN Pride in 2014.  This year’s event is shaping up to be even bigger and better.

For more information on ASEAN Pride 2015 and tickets, go to the U.S. Embassy’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/usembassyhanoi where a limited number of free tickets are available for Vietnam’s youth.  To buy tickets, visit www.aseanpride.com.   

Artist overview

Thao & The Get Down Stay Down

Thao Nguyen is fast becoming one of the most popular American indie rock artists today.  Thao is a Vietnamese-American immigrant success story. Teaching herself to play guitar between long hours studying and working at her mother's laundromat, Thao has built a devoted following across the United States and around the world with her signature accessible, upbeat folk-pop. A perennial festival favourite and tireless touring artist, Thao's breakthrough fifth album with her band The Get Down Stay Down was released to critical acclaim in 2013, followed by a slew of TV appearances and performances across the US and Europe.

A fluent Vietnamese speaker, Thao is excited about having the chance to introduce her music to Vietnamese audiences at ASEAN Pride 2015.

OJ Law (Malaysia)

OJ Law’s catchy melodies and arrangements have won him much critical acclaim and an ever-increasing fan base falling for the charms of his music. Singlehandedly writing, recording and producing his songs, the multi-talented singer/songwriter/producer has released three albums to date.

His breakout 2011 album, “Yesterday is a Distant Dream”, a soulful indie rock/electronica album was awarded Timeout KL’s Malaysian Album of 2012.

OJ returned in 2014 with “Tongue-Tied”, a slice of disco house tinged with crunchy guitars and filled with swooning strings, infectious guitar licks and unforgettable vocal hooks that gained rave reviews and airplay across Asia.

Celebrating the launch of his latest synth-pop masterpiece, 2015’s “Let’s Be Adult”, OJ Law and his band are set to bring Vietnam a true taste of the modern urban sounds of Southeast Asia.

Yellow Fang (Thailand)

Yellow Fang are Bangkok’s rising stars of shoegaze alt-rock: Queens of dreamy vocals, washed out guitars and pop rhythms.  

With over six years of playing together, these girls have some solid hit-record pop songs and an irresistible stage presence. Confidently representing Thailand’s burgeoning indie music scene, Yellow Fang have been riding high on the release of their debut album “The Greatest” and come to Vietnam fresh from their lauded 2015 Japanese tour.

COCC

One of the true leaders of the new generation of Vietnamese rock, COCC is a Saigon-based

indie/psych-rock trio whose debut album “6 Giờ has brought them widespread acclaim and cult status among Vietnamese rock fans. From mellow and melodic to loud and raw, COCC are always sincere and unmistakably and proudly Vietnamese.

Lotus Disco

Born and raised in Saigon, 22-year-old Nguyen Bong, aka Lotus Disco, is one of Vietnam’s top emerging DJ talents. Amid the buzz scene of electronic, pop songs, and rock, Bong chose Disco as his signature sound as a DJ – a choice that has seen him building a devoted following on Vietnamese dance floors, as well as around the region with tours across Thailand, Singapore, and China. Bong has recently secured himself a deal with ISM Records.

Huong Giang Idol

Vietnam’s first transsexual star, Huong Giang Idol shot to stardom in 2012 when she was  placed in the top four on Vietnam Idol. Winning hearts around the nation not only for her powerful voice and stunning dance routines, but also for her inspirational story of courage and change, she has since gone on to become a true Vietnamese pop idol.

Now, with chart-busting singles and music videos, her own album (Thuy Ngan on Mercury Records), and numerous TV and film appearances behind her, Huong Giang has proved she is here to stay.  Huong Giang comes to the ASEAN Pride stage fresh from her tour of Australia and ready to inspire many more Vietnamese to embrace their own story of change.

To Lam & The Mix

To Lam, a choreographer, dancer, actor, singer, fashion designer and model, shot to fame as the pioneer of male high-heeled dancing performances in Vietnam. Breaking into the Top 50 in 2012’s Vietnam’s Got Talent, he went on to win the runner-up award in the following year’s Got To Dance.

To Lam has choreographed for some of the biggest divas of the Vietnamese music scene such as Ho Ngoc Ha, Thu Minh, Dam Vinh Hung and Phuong Thanh, as well as working as a choreographer for leading reality shows such as Vietnam Idol, X-Factor, Dancing With The Stars and The Voice. An energetic and dynamic performer on stage, To Lam and his dance group, “The Mix”, lit up the stage at the inaugural ASEAN Pride event last year and are set to burn twice as bright at ASEAN Pride in 2015.

American Rose & Akiu Kiu

San Diego-born drag performer American Rose and Hanoi’s own Akiu Kiu (Ruby Fashion Show) describe their flamboyant stage show as “a gift from America to Vietnam”. What to do but unwrap it?

Queer Disco DJs

Vietnam’s first monthly LGBT dance party, CAMA ATK’s Queer Disco, is celebrating its first anniversary this June. Discover the love and join the Queer Disco DJs as they break out their fan favourites to keep you moving in between acts at ASEAN Pride 2015.

T. Van