Forget Gorillaz, The Archies, or any other act that's crossed over from the cartoon world to the charts. The first, most prolific, and certainly the squeakiest two-dimensional hitmakers remain Alvin and the Chipmunks. 

The cutesy critters have released a remarkable 38 studio albums since creator Ross Bagdasarian realized that manipulating a tape recorder to play at various speeds can produce novelty music magic. More than a dozen have made the Billboard 200, four of which went top 10.  

While Alvin, Simon, and Theodore are now more renowned for giving the pop hits of the day the helium-like treatment, their crowning glory is, in fact, an original composition, and one which celebrates its 65th anniversary this December: "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)." 

From GRAMMY wins and chart records to Hollywood soundtracks and contemporary cover versions, here's a look why "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" remains one of the most beloved festive singalongs.

It Spawned The Entire Chipmunks Franchise 

Following the chart-topping success of his 1958 novelty hit "Witch Doctor" — which featured the then-uncredited Chipmunks on its memorable "ooh-ee-ooh-ah-ah" hook — Bagdasarian was asked by Liberty Records for a follow-up. Instead of continuing to use the rather mundane pseudonym of David Seville, the songwriter decided that not one but three cartoon chipmunks should take the credit. 

Mischievously named after label execs Al Bennett, Si Waronker, and Ted Keep, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore were first depicted on the artwork for "The Chipmunk Song." And within three years, they were gracing their own comic book, animated TV series and numerous full-length LPs. 

The lovable rodents experienced a resurgence in popularity thanks to NBC's 1980s revival, and then again in the 2000s with the series of live-action movies. And their holiday tune has never been too far from their chubby cheeks.   

It's A Multiple GRAMMY Winner 

When guessing which act dominated the inaugural GRAMMYs of 1958, you'd probably plump for Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, or any number of swing, jazz, and blues legends that emerged during the post-war era. But you'd be wrong: the biggest winners on the night were three squeaky-voiced members of the Sciuridae family. 

Yes, "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" picked up three awards — Best Recording for Children, Best Comedy Performance, and Best Engineered Record, Non-Classical — at the prestigious event. And Alvin and the Chipmunks also joined Ol' Blue Eyes in the Record Of The Year category, although both lost out to Dominico Modugno's Eurovision entry "Volare."  

It Held A Chart Record For 61 Years 

"The Chipmunk Song" became the first-ever Christmas tune to top the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, enjoying a four-week stint there across the 1958 holiday season. Remarkably, everything from Wham's "Last Christmas" and the Ronettes' "Sleigh Ride" to Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock" and Andy Williams' "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" failed to repeat this feat over the next 61 years. 

It was only when Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" finally hit the No. 1 spot in 2019, a full quarter-century after its release, that The Chipmunks got some company in this exclusive club. Carey has, of course, since made a habit of reaching pole position every Christmas, meaning she's surpassed the rodents' total by eight weeks (and counting). And 65 years after, Brenda Lee released her own holiday classic, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" has now broken all kinds of chart records to join the list, too.  

It's Had A Remarkable Shelf Life 

"The Chipmunk Song" could never be described as a passing fad. It returned to the Hot 100 throughout the early 1960s before becoming a staple of Billboard's Christmas Records chart (which has since become the Holiday 100, where the song peaked at No. 26 in 2015). And in December 2007, it enjoyed a revival thanks to the box office success of Alvin and the Chipmunks' first live-action adventure. Indeed, a new remix produced specially for the movie entered the Hot 100 (though it only peaked at No. 66). 

It's A Hollywood Favorite 

Along with chart success and its inevitable inclusion in Alvin and the Chipmunks' 2007 big-screen debut, "The Chipmunk Song" has received several onscreen shouts in both movies and television. 

The holiday hit has appeared in films as diverse as, 1993 family comedy Look Who's Talking, 1997 gangster thriller Donnie Brasco, and 2017 high-octane actioner The Fate of the Furious, but was perhaps most memorably used in the sun-kissed opening credits of Cameron Crowe's 2000 semi-autobiographical Almost Famous. It's also regularly graced the small screen including a 1998 festive "The King of Queens" episode which centered around leading man Doug's love of the song, and his father-in-law's pure hatred of it. 

It Was A Sales Juggernaut 

The teenage audience on American Bandstand might not have been a fan — "The Chipmunk Song" holds the unfortunate distinction of being the lowest-scored track in Rate-A-Record history — yet it seems like the rest of America couldn't get their hands on a copy quick enough. The novelty hit sold an astonishing 4.5 million copies in its first seven weeks, which remained a record until The Beatles' "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" sold five million within the same time frame six years later. 

It's also done big numbers in the digital age, amassing more than 665,000 paid downloads and over 112 million U.S. streams to date. In fact, according to Billboard, the two-minute ditty accumulates $300,000 every year for its publisher. It therefore sits comfortably inside the Top 20 best-selling Christmas songs of all time, but has some way to go to surpass the reported 50 million physical sales and more than 1.8 billion streams achieved by Bing Crosby's "White Christmas." 

It Boasts An Impressive Musical Pedigree 

Hailed as the vocal answer to session musician collective The Wrecking Crew, The Ron Hicklin Singers provided backup for artists as esteemed as Sammy Davis Jr., Johnny Cash, and Frank Sinatra. But did you know their frontman also lent his tones, albeit in unrecognizable form, to a trio of fictional chipmunks? 

Yes, although he wasn't credited on "Christmas Don't Be Late," Hicklin and several other "ghost singers" worked painstakingly on the track, as he later told The Hollywood Reporter: "We'd sing in slow motion for everything. It was one of the hardest things we had to do. What was a four-bar phrase for The Beatles became an eight-bar phrase. You'd run out of breath. The sheer work of doing it was remarkable." 

It Even Impressed The Beatles 

In 1964, The Chipmunks capitalized on the rise of Beatlemania with a tribute album covering the likes of "Love Me Do," "Please Please Me," and "I Want To Hold Your Hand." You might think the Fab Four would take umbrage at hearing their perfectly crafted pop songs performed by a bunch of high-pitched cartoon rodents — but actually, The Chipmunks Sings The Beatles Hits had the full blessing of Liverpool's finest. According to Ross Bagdasarian Jr., John Lennon and co. were so impressed by his father's GRAMMY-winning engineering on "The Chipmunk Song" they gave him the freedom to do what he liked with their early hits.  

It Saved Liberty Records 

In a roundabout way, the likes of Bobby Vee, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, and Willie Nelson all have "The Chipmunk Song" to thank for their early careers. Indeed, even with the success of "Witch Doctor," Liberty Records was in danger of going bankrupt as 1958 drew to a close. 

However, thanks to the multi-million sales of "Christmas Don't Be Late," the company was given a financial reprieve. They went on to give several chart-topping acts their big break and remained a thriving label until they were bought out by United Artists in 1971. And all this from a song that Liberty boss Al Bennett reportedly initially turned down! 

It's Now A Festive Standard 

Smooth saxophonist Kenny G and Latin pop vocalist Jaci Valesquez have both added their own touches to "Christmas Don't Be Late" on duets with the high-pitched trio. But the track has also been covered by artists without any specific chipmunk affiliation. 

Norah Jones served up a typically classy jazz rendition on her 2021 LP I Dream of Christmas. Bryson Tiller and Pentatonix gave it a vocal workout on the former's A Different Christmas album that same year, while on 2016's A Very Kacey Christmas, Kacey Musgraves turned the novelty tune into a charming country waltz. Tegan and Sara, Goo Goo Dolls, and Tamar Braxton are just a handful of other contemporary artists who have put their spin on "The Chipmunk Song" — a further testament to its acclaim as one of the all-time Christmas classics.   

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Every awards show has to start somewhere and Music's Biggest Night is no different.

More than a decade before the annual GRAMMY Awards telecast debuted on CBS in 1973 for everyone to see, the GRAMMY Awards got off to a swingin' start back in 1959. Though no television cameras were present, there was plenty of awards, black-tie formal wear and star power to go around.

Take a journey back to where it all began and learn about seven things that happened at the 1st GRAMMY Awards.

1. 1st GRAMMYs, Two Locations

The inaugural GRAMMY Awards was a bicoastal affair. On May 4, 1959, a black-tie dinner and awards presentation was held at the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Hosted by comedian Mort Sahl, among the music elite in attendance were Rat Packers Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin, singing cowboy Gene Autry, singer Peggy Lee, Tin Pan Alley alum Johnny Mercer, composer Henry Mancini, and pianist/conductor André Previn. At the same time, Recording Academy members convened for a simultaneous function at the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York City.

Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. at the 1st GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles
Photo: William Claxton/Courtesy Denmont Photo Management

2. The Chairman's First GRAMMY Win

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Sinatra was at the top of his acting and music game in the late '50s, so it's no surprise he emerged as the top nominee at the 1st GRAMMY Awards. His six nominations included two nods for Album Of The Year for Come Fly With Me and Only The Lonely, Record Of The Year for "Witchcraft," and two nominations for Best Vocal Performance, Male. Though the Chairman of the Board didn't win any of these categories, he did pick up his first win for Best Album Cover for Only The Lonely.

3. Count Basie To Ella Fitzgerald: Double The GRAMMY Pleasure

Who were the big winners at the first show? A total of six artists shared that distinction with two wins each. Mancini, jazz bandleader Count Basie, singer Ella Fitzgerald, conductor Felix Slatkin, Italian singer/songwriter Domenico Modugno, and Alvin And The Chipmunks music group creator Ross Bagdasarian Sr. (aka David Seville) picked up two GRAMMYs.

4. Mancini's Album Of The Year Mark

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As the composer of "The Pink Panther Theme," "Days Of Wine And Roses" and "Moon River," Mancini's ability to create memorable film and TV music was unrivaled. When the composer won Album Of The Year for The Music From Peter Gunn, he accomplished something that has yet to be duplicated in GRAMMY history. The Music From Peter Gunn, the music complement for the TV series that aired from 1958–1961, remains the lone television soundtrack to win the prestigious award. Three film soundtracks have been so recognized. Do you know which ones they are? (If you guessed Saturday Night Fever, The Bodyguard and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, you're right on the money.)

5. Winners Recognized In 28 Categories

Speaking of winners, the 1st GRAMMY Awards crowned them in 28 categories. (By comparison, there are now 84 GRAMMY categories.) Six of the categories, representing nearly 25 percent of the entire field, were of the classical variety. In addition to Slatkin, the first GRAMMY classical winners included the Hollywood String Quartet, pianist Van Cliburn, guitarists Laurindo Almeida and Andrés Segovia, choir director Roger Wagner, and soprano Renata Tebaldi.

6. A Children's Song Gets A Record Of The Year Nod

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"The Chipmunks Song," the cuddly brainchild of Bagdasarian, was among the nominees for Record Of The Year. Though it ended up not capturing the award, it holds the distinction of being the lone children's recording to be nominated in the category. (As mentioned earlier, the holiday song did net Bagdasarian two awards. It also earned Best Engineered Record — Non-Classical honors.)

7. Modugno's Foreign GRAMMY Record

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The Italian singer/songwriter Modugno's "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" ("In The Blue That Is Painted Blue") was a huge hit worldwide, landing at No. 1 in the United States. The smooth ballad earned both Song and Record Of The Year honors at the inaugural GRAMMYs. To date, it is the only foreign-language recording to win either of those categories. Can "Despacito" match the mark? The Luis Fonsi/Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber smash is up for both categories for the 60th GRAMMY Awards.

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Plenty of music festivals have a benevolent component, from direct environmentalist actions or a well-intended, but vaguely-worded community initiative. Sound Mind Live, the concert branch of the nonprofit organization devoted to bolstering awareness around mental health and providing resources through music, puts doing good at the top of the marquee.

The 2024 iteration of Sound Mind will be held on May 18 in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood. The day-long event will feature performances by Kevin Morby, Misterwives, SHAED, and Bailen, as well as an afterparty featuring Lady Gaga collaborator DJ White Shadow. There will also be an array of mental health-centric panels and workshops. Tickets can be reserved for free with a "Donate what you can" option, though there are some VIP perks for those who give more than $150. Proceeds will support the opening of a music and wellness center.

"A lot of the artists we work with are [participating] intentionality around creating impact beyond just performing at an event," says Chris Bullard, Sound Mind’s Executive Director and a former touring musician. "It’s [not] like a benefit concert gala, which sometimes for artists or musicians can feel a little stuffy. It’s a music festival vibe, but then it still has that intentionality built around it."

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The festival falls during Mental Health Awareness Month and highlights that, while there are folks working to improve awareness and access, there's still a way to go. Although there have been significant strides in recognizing the frequency with which artists face mental health issues (Sound Mind’s puts this figure at 73 percent of musicians), the industry can be inherently detrimental to people prone to mental health issues. Grueling tour schedules, economic uncertainty, and more can lead to stress, depression, and anxiety — all of which make working in music far from a dream.

Sound Mind’s namesake festival began in 2019, bringing Langhorne Slim, Torres, Rage Almighty, and comedians Aparna Nancherla and Gary Gulman to Brooklyn’s since-relocated Rough Trade venue. The org's "artist ambassadors" — which include My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, Julien Baker, Alessia Cara, Serpentwithfeet, and Open Mike Eagle — span genres and experience, lending the credulity to an important cause. 

Bullard and the team kept their infant festival going during the COVID-19 pandemic, hosting a Los Angeles event in 2021 that featured All Time Low, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Ian Sweet playing intimate sets at a drive-in. In the years since Sound Mind has returned to Brooklyn;  artists such as Iron & Wine, Pom Pom Squad, Big Boi, Cold War Kids, and Allison Russell have all taken the stage. 

Of course, booking talent for a mission-driven event is different from more traditional talent buying. Bullard says Sound Mind wants to work with artists who, ideally, want to be involved with the organization in the long term.

"There's this other layer that we always take of who are the advocates for mental health, who really want to speak out, who are artists who have lived experience around this," he says. "Kevin Morby played one of our first events, and since we've stayed in touch with him and his team and just, he's been like, ‘Let me know when there's an opening where I can use my voice again and contribute to this.'"

That 2019 performance at Music Hall of Williamsburg made an impact on Morby, who says he was impressed with the group’s mission. He also felt that their efforts were sorely needed. "That was the first time I've heard of them," the singer/songwriter recalls. "I was really sort of excited to see an organization that was having this crossover of mental health and music, because I felt like that was something that was sort of a long-time coming." 

Morby has lived a dozen lives in the music industry. He began his career as part of indie darling Woods in the late 2000s, and became a critical favorite in recent years as a solo artist. In 2022, he performed at the GRAMMY Museum and discussed his most recent album,This Is A Photograph.

Speaking to GRAMMY.com, Morby discussed how grueling touring can be, especially because touring has become an ever-larger portion of many artist’s income."People hit the road three times as hard as they used to," he says. The taxing nature of life on the road can make musicians uniquely susceptible to issues like substance abuse, depression, and anxiety.

"[Music has] been so romanticized and glamorized throughout the years. All of these things are the tropes of just being a rock and roller and heavy drinker and doing drugs," Morby says.

These are all topics that Sound Mind seeks to tackle at the festival and in its ongoing programming. Beyond what’s on the main stage, Sound Mind Live will offer attendees restorative sound session experiences, panels including "Mental Health in the LGBTQ+ Community" and "Mental Health in the Music Industry," several of which feature the festival acts. Bullard notes that both SHAED and Bailen have been involved with Sound Mind previously, the former as part of a video series about the anxiety COVID-19 brought to the music industry, and the latter as guests on Sound Mind’s Untangling the Chords podcast.

"So many people listen to music as a way to cope with mental health struggles. Sound Mind amplifies this by highlighting musicians’ own journeys," SHAED writes. Adds Bailen, "Mental health is such an important topic to us, and a lot of our music focuses on it. We think it’s so important to connect with fans and listeners honestly about the subject, and we’re lucky to be able to do it at this amazing festival alongside these other incredible artists we look up to." Bailen adds.

Once the festival has concluded, Sound Mind wants to further its positive impact on artists, industry folks, and fans through the establishment of the Sound Mind Center, which is scheduled to open in October.

"A goal for us is using the festival as this hopefully celebratory moment around our humanity, our shared humanity. I think that's a lot of what mental health and vulnerability is all about," Bullard says. "The fact that we are all perfect in imperfection, whatever that is."

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A century after its heyday in the United States, the klezmer community continues to thrive as a small but deeply passionate group of fans and performers. 

But unlike klezmer classics "Hava Nagila" or the soundtrack to "Fiddler on the Roof," contemporary klezmer practitioners don’t see this music as solely for special occasions or a vestige of Ashkenazi Jewry of days past. For them, klezmer is a continually growing artform for which they feel a responsibility to bring to audiences.

A combination of the Hebrew words for instrument (kley) and song (zemer), klezmer defined the sound of Ashkenazi Judaism pre-World War II. Klezmer blends the instrumentation of Eastern European folk dance, the rhythmic patterns and intricate cadences of traditional Jewish choral music, and minor key improvisation. The genre lost prominence in the 1950s when Jews began to Americanize en masse, teaching their children Hebrew instead of Yiddish, and embracing music and dance from the Mizrahi community — Jews who descend from the Middle East and North Africa. 

Over the past few years, there has been a renewed interest in Yiddish culture and klezmer music by Ashkenazi Jews who want to engage with elements of their heritage that were lost to assimilation. While many klezmer musicians have stuck to traditional styles and pieces, others  blend klezmer with mainstream genres and perform their music in unconventional locations. 

Among these fusion contributors is composer and trumpeter Frank London, who won a GRAMMY with the Klezmatics for their album of unreleased Woody Guthrie songs "Wonder Wheel" in 2007. In December 2023, London delivered a new Hanukkah klezmer album, Chronika, that provides new interpretations of Festival of Lights staples such as "TOPZ (Sevivon)." 

London, a pioneer in the klezmer revivalist movement, was tired of compartmentalizing the genres he both performs and enjoys as a working musician. He believed that Yiddish music could be brought to the club space, and set out to do so with Chronika. The album fused klezmer with a variety of secular genres, including techno, reggae-dub, soca and folk-inspired club music. 

"The inspiration for ‘Chronika’ was just to put klezmer music in the context of all these other world musics that were going on," London tells GRAMMY.com. "The idea was just to make really fun danceable music that is totally rooted in tradition."

London also used this fusion to call for a moment of unity between the Orthodox and the Caribbean communities in Crown Heights, Brooklyn with "UNITY: Carnival in Crown Heights," which combines raucous big band klezmer and West Indian Carnival sounds. (Despite being largely divided by Eastern Parkway, tensions between the Black and Jewish communities in the neighborhood have been fraught for decades, reaching a fever pitch during the 1991 Crown Heights riots.) 

"One tiny part of that lineage": Kleztronica and community

Chronika is the product of an early 2010s trend that blended Balkan and Romani music with techno beats, and its  basic tracks were recorded 15 years ago. Since then, a new generation of klezmer musicians have continued to put their spin on electronic Yiddish music.  

DJ and singer Kaia Berman-Peters has been involved in the klezmer community since high school and performs with Yiddish band Levyosn, but first began blending electronica with klezmer songs, poems and speeches while studying at the New England Conservatory. "There's a tradition in electronic music of sampling your ancestors. I knew that when I made electronic music, it would be up to me to sample my ancestors," says Berman-Peters, who performs as Chaia. 

Academic work guides Berman-Peters' tracks. Inspired by the Jewish Talmudic (Rabbinical commentary) tradition of deciphering a text and its subsequent analyses, the 22-year-old uses music as an opportunity to study Yiddish texts. Her songs then become a conversation with listeners about her own takes on the source material.

"It's really important for me that my own take is in there, my history," Berman-Peters says, adding that she often looks through Kaballistic, or Jewish mysticism, lens when making her modifications to music.

Berman-Peters’ own history and lived experience led her to develop a series of Yiddish "Kleztronica" raves across New York City in December 2022. Held every few weeks, the raves have provided a space for thousands to see the diversity of the contemporary klezmer scene. Berman-Peters saw dramatic similarities between the community-centric rave scenes in New York and Boston, and the atmosphere of her synagogue on the Upper West Side. She felt that the political tradition that accompanied the house and techno scenes in Chicago and Detroit is mirrored by Yiddish activism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 

Kleztronica performances are a combination of traditional klezmer, kleztronica performances, and Yiddish drag performers. These drag performances include biblical tableaus, dance and even a Yiddish clarinetist drag king — all to honor the longstanding queer tradition in Yiddish theater and rave. 

"I live in a queer klezmer community that's guided and shaped by the queer people who practice it. I'm just holding that one holding one tiny part of that lineage," she adds.

The small-but-mighty kleztronica scene continues to come out to the shows Berman-Peters arranges, much to the delight of London who is excited by the prospect of the next generation of klezmer stars experimenting with their craft. 

"Even though it took me a while to finish 'Chronika' it's got a Zeitgeist moment now with these [kleztronica] musicians in their 20s and 30s, who are starting to have the same kind of fun of mixing the traditional roots klezmer with dance beats," London remarked.

Bringing updated Old World charm to social media

Other contemporary klezmer performers are choosing to keep Yiddish music alive through more traditional styles. 

The Shvesters, composed of childhood friends Polina Fradkin and Chava Levi, sing Yiddish jazz to their 90,000 fans across Instagram and TikTok. 

Fradkin, who was born in Russia, grew up with Yiddish music like the Barry Sisters always playing in her home. She and Levi had always enjoyed singing together, but truly felt in sync when they tried out Yiddish music. "Something just clicked in us where we looked at each other and we said ‘this is different. This is special,’" Levi recalls.  

Shortly after, the Tel Aviv-based duo began posting videos of their tight harmony duets of Yiddish classics like "Tumbalalaika" and "Mein Yiddishe Momma" to positive reception. 

The style of the Shvesters (Yiddish for "The Sisters") more closely resembles klezmer performed by the more Americanized Jewish community in the 1920s and 1930s. But without many jazz duet arrangements of this music, especially for two women, Fradkin and Levi had to tailor the tunes themselves. They attempted to evoke the thoughtful same feelings that might come from looking at a modernist Marc Chagall painting, or the otherworldly sensation of studying Kaballah’s divine powers and occult knowledge. As a result, some videos can take over four hours to record what becomes a 30 second clip. 

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Despite the legacy of Yiddish being a suppressed language in Israeli culture as the nation looked to encourage people to speak Hebrew, Israeli Jews of Ashkenazi descent are now looking to explore Yiddish and connect with the Old World. Music, Fradkin believes, is the easiest way to enjoy the culture of her ancestors since, even centuries later, many songs still resonate with the Jewish experience. "Speaking Yiddish was a major faux pas in Israel for many years. A page has turned in history, and now here we are," Fradkin notes.

"We really can sing in any language and sing any songs, but the difference is that these songs are ours. People yearn to come back to their roots and this immortalizes our culture," she says. 

Recently, the Shvesters have begun playing live shows with a jazz guitarist and have booked a few festivals. Their first show sold out within hours. Now, their thousands of fans await their first singles "Ain Kik Auf Dir" and "Shein Vi Di Levone."

"It is just so fulfilling to be able to sing music that I personally connect with, that many generations of Jews connected with, and to see in person someone's real-time reaction to a song that's over 100 years old that we are lucky enough to bring back to people," Levi says. 

Sspreading klezmer with Borscht Beat

Inspired by his grandfather’s love of klezmer music and desire to engage with his own Ashkenazi heritage, 30-year-old Aaron Bendich wants to share Jewish music with the masses. "It's the closest I can get to actually having music that feels like it is inherently mine," he says.

Bendich founded Jewish music label Borscht Beat and a radio show of the same name on Vassar College’s station. The show led him to a few paid speaking engagements, for which he decided to put his earnings back into the Jewish music community. The product of labor became his label, which has released nine klezmer albums since 2022 and three on the way this year.

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Bendich has balanced working with more established klezmer stars like London on Chronika and Yiddish Psychedelic Rock band Forshpil with newcomers like Berman-Peters’ Levyosn. 

Klezmer, like many smaller genres with religious or cultural affiliations, struggles with commerciality. While major record labels competed for Jewish music until the 1960s, today the market for Yiddish music is extremely niche. Add to that  the increasingly small profits from albums in the streaming age, and there is an existential crisis to how klezmer performers sustain its cultural practice. 

For this reason, Bendich believes projects like Borscht Beat that uplift klezmer are integral to the Jewish community. Klezmer not only preserves Yiddish music and language, but it provides an opportunity for skilled musicians to explore their heritage.

"Today, we have very few avenues for commercial opportunities for Jewish music. There's a really high degree of talent in the klezmer scene," Bendich says. "To be a good Yiddish singer, let alone a songwriter, you need to basically be an expert in a language that most often these folks did not grow up speaking."  

Making culturally rich music for modern audiences

Klezmer musicians aim to reclaim a sense of Ashkenazi pride that was lost through assimilation by returning to their musical roots (and often iterating on those traditions). They hope that others are able to see themselves reflected in  these modern takes on Yiddish music.  

While the Shvesters’ klezmer releases adhere to strict jazz conventions, they want their music to feel fresh and relatable to the modern Jew. They hope their performances dispel misconceptions that klezmer has to be schmaltzy, but instead can feel elevated and artistic without compromising its history.  

"We're not making music for people's great-grandparents. We're making music for the next generation to want to listen to and for this to be something that we would want to listen to," Fradkin says. "It's not cool anymore to put away your roots or hide your identity. Being who you are, knowing where you come from, your family, your history. It's a beautiful thing."

London believes that a musical tradition must continue to evolve and meet modern times. He believes the klezmer tradition will fade away if it’s not built upon either by practitioners following traditional styles or fusion artists. 

"If these traditions are alive, they have to evolve because that's what that's what culture does. That's what language does. That's what everything does. What doesn't grow is dead and klezmer is not dead," he emphasizes. 

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Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have made strides in the music industry for many years. Every year, more AAPIs enter executive roles in the industry, increasing their visibility and impact.

Artists in the Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora — including Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak), Olivia Rodrigo, and H.E.R. — have graced the stage and won golden gramophones at Music's Biggest Night. During 2024 GRAMMY Week, the Recording Academy collaborated with Gold House and Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation to create the Gold Music Alliance, a program designed to foster meaningful connections and elevate the impact of Pan-Asian members and allies within the Academy and wider music industry. 

Yet, AAPI groups are significantly underrepresented in the music industry. Pacific Islanders are often forgotten when it comes to lists and industry due to their smaller percentage in the population.

Despite the lack of representation, social media and streaming platforms have introduced fans to new and rising artists such as Chinese American pop singer Amber Liu, Japanese American singer/songwriter Mitski, and Hawaiian native Iam Tongi. Others are showcasing their sound on the festival circuit, as San Francisco-based indie rocker Tanukichan and Korean American guitarist NoSo did at last year's Outside Lands festival. With AAPI-led music festivals, such as 88 Rising’s Head in the Clouds and Pacific Feats Festival, artists in this community are given opportunities to exhibit their talent and, often, their heritage. 

For many emerging artists, a like, reshare, or subscribe can help them gain the attention of mainstream studios and bolster tour attendance. So, in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, check out these 10 up-and-coming AAPI artists performing everything from pop to soulful R&B and EDM. 

Alex Aiono

Maori-Samoan American singer Alex Aiono moved to Los Angeles from Phoenix at 14 to pursue a music career. After going viral for his mashup of Drake's "One Dance" and Nicky Jam’s "Hasta el Amanecer," Aiono now has over 5.73 million YouTube subscribers. He was then cast in several popular films and television series, including Netflix’s Finding Ohana, Disney Channel’s "Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.," and "Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin."

But, for the 28-year-old R&B/pop singer, music has always been his calling. Aiono released several singles and, in 2020, a full-length album, The Gospel at 23. Inspired by his experience in Hollywood and his relationship with his religion (as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), The Gospel at 23 plays on the simplicity of a piano, drums, tambourine, and a choir, beautifully fusing modern soul with the old-fashioned gospel. Since then, the artist has released tender medleys – with his most recent heartbreaking single "Best of Me."

"I view this as a very, very lucky life that I get to express myself and that's my job," he told AZ Central. "My quote-unquote job."

Alex Ritchie

L.A.-based singer/songwriter Alex Ritchie has been honest about her journey as a queer mixed-Asian woman in the industry. The Filipino-Japanese-Spanish artist said she was constantly overlooked or told she wouldn’t be commercial enough in the American music industry.

"I’m the only musician in my family, and I came from a family of humble means; so even though I had conviction in what I wanted from a young age, it wasn’t realistic," Ritchie told GRAMMY.com in 2019. said. "Pursuing something like entertainment was so risky. I couldn’t afford to fail. We couldn’t afford to dream like that. BUT I had unrealistic dreams anyway, and after my first gig at the Whisky I knew that was it."

Ritchie has been thriving in the industry, becoming the youngest sitting committee member in the history of the Recording Academy’s Los Angeles Chapter, advocating for LGBTQ+ and Asian American representation in music. After her experience with GRAMMYU in 2019, the alternative rock singer released 404 EP and several sultry singles, including a melodious and fervent love song, "Blueprint," released this January. Ritchie plans on releasing more music and on her terms. 

"Time and people have finally caught up with the vision that I always had for myself, even if they didn’t see it before," Ritchie tells the Recording Academy. "One of the things I’m most proudest of is that I never really changed. I’ve stayed exactly who I am to the core. I think when you do that and when you realize there’s no one else like you, you become the most powerful person in the room."

Audrey English

**You may not have heard of Audrey English, but you have heard her music on "America’s Got Talent," "American Idol," and Netflix’s "Love Is Blind." Her songs are featured on the shows during the most prominent moments of the contestants’ lives on screen: In "AGT" and "American Idol," English’s rendition of "Lean On Me" played during golden buzzer moments and emotional arcs; er song "Mama Said" went viral after being played during Ad and Clay’s wedding scene in season 6 of "Love Is  Blind."

Inspired by Etta James, Nina Simone, and Amy Winehouse, the Samoan American artist swoons audiences with her soulful, powerful tone with songs that focus on relationships, empowerment, and love. English also showcases her culture in her videos; in the music video for her harrowing ballad "Happy," English featured the beauty of Samoa alongside a Samoan romantic love interest. She hopes one day to write a Samoan song. 

In her latest single "Unapologetic," released on April 25, English wrote the song as an anthem for others to live without shame. "In a world where we are so influenced by others, social media, and being our own worst critics - sometimes we need to take a step back to realize it all doesn’t really matter," English wrote on Instagram. "Regardless of your beliefs, background, and passions, this is a call to be authentically you, however, you define that!"

Brooke Alexx

**Brooke Alexx’s bubblegum pop personality is infectious, and her catchy hooks, including her latest pop-rock single, "Hot Like You," are fit for everyone’s summer playlist.

Alexx has never shied away from revealing intimate parts of her life. The Japanese American artist writes her music from her experiences as the oldest child, being best friends with her exes’ moms, and her connection to her Asian roots. 

In her 2022 gentle ballad, "I’m Sorry, Tokyo," Alexx reveals the shame she once felt for not wanting to learn about her Japanese heritage, as well as the guilt she feels for never learning the language and culture. "There’s so much about the culture that I don’t know and missed out on that would be so cool to be a part of my life now," Alexx told Mixed Asian Media. "So, I’m trying to return to those roots a little bit these days."

She is now making up for lost time. Alexx embraces her Japanese heritage and will visit the country in August with a select group of fans. 

Curtis Waters

Curtis Waters doesn’t care for commercial success. Despite going viral on TikTok in 2020 for his raunchy, satirical, catchy song "Stunnin," the Nepalese Canadian-American alt-pop artist was unhappy with his career trajectory.

"I made some songs that I don’t fully love, hoping they would catch the same success as 'Stunnin’," Waters told Atwood Magazine. "But doing that made me depressed, so I had to stop and remind myself why I started making music in the first place."

Water's new album, Bad Son, was released on March 27. His press release says it is "a true immigrant story, a reflection on a young, brown creative being thrown into the mainstream overnight while navigating deep issues of self-doubt and cultural identity along the way."  

Waters didn’t intend to share his immigrant story but struck inspiration as a way to cope emotionally and be honest with himself. Filled with high-energy beats, elements of indie rock, and experimental hip-hop, Waters reveals an ardent part of himself through his breathy vocals and introspective tracks.

Emily Vu 

Vietnamese American pop singer Emily Vu has accomplished much in her 22 years: She amassed over 1.2 million followers on TikTok, her song "Changes" was featured in the 2023 Netflix film A Tourist’s Guide to Love, and is part of the Mastercard Artist Accelerator program. Her catchy pop tunes, including the recently released single "Heartsick," are inspired by personal moments in her life.

Vu has always been open and sure about her identity as a queer Asian woman. She came out in her 2020 music video for "Just Wait," which featured numerous women symbolizing her previous relationships. "The music video reflects how my past relationships are still burdens to me and how I still carry those experiences with me wherever I am," Vu told Stanford Daily, "I see myself being really happy with my life in a few years. I want to be happy with all that I’ve been doing and all the people I’m around."

Four years later, Vu still releases music and captivating fans on TikTok with her earthy vocals and angelic covers. Vu tells her followers on TikTok, "I just want to let you all know that I’m back. I’m going to be annoying you all every single day until I get bored."

Etu

Fijian American artist Etu is ready for the new era of the island industry, which is expanding far beyond island reggae and into different genres. "We got artists who do pop, R&B, and country. We’re going to embrace the things we bring into this," the island pop singer told Island Mongul.

Inspired by artists like Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, and Fiji, etu's hypnotic and haunting vocals fuse beautifully with traditional island music. The dreamy track "Au Domoni Iko" ("I love you" in Fijian), from his 2022 EP Spring Break, lays smooth harmonies over Fijian beats. The EP itself is filled with memorable melodies, upbeat pop styles, and uplifting lyrics. 

Etu has released singles for the past two years, including island renditions of Cyndi Lauper’s "True Colors" and Rihanna’s "Lift Me Up" in February. He’s set to release his debut album, SZN I,this summer. 

Etu believes Pacific Islanders are on the cusp of greatness in the music industry. "This is our moment right now," he continued to Island Mogul. "We’re moving into this era, in this season, where we get to make history… Come join this part of history or they're gonna tell it for us."

Myra Molloy

Thai American singer and actress Myra Molloy was merely 13 years old when she won "Thailand's Got Talent." She continued working in Thailand on Broadway productions and landed in the Top 6 of ABC’s Rising Star. As she pursued a music degree from Berklee College of Music, she found her love for music production and songwriting.

In 2021, Molloy dropped the sweet acoustic "stay." During the pandemic, she decided to apply the skills she acquired from college to her EP, unrequited. Released in November 2023, the album blends Molloy's soulful vocals with organic and electronic dance beats. It also marks her producing debut. 

"The hardest part for me was overcoming this impostor syndrome that I couldn’t be a producer (who was taken seriously, haha)," Molloy told Melodic Magazine. "Or that I wasn’t good enough to put out music I self-produced. I always give myself a hard time. But I feel like once I got into this "flow state," things just kind of came to me very quickly and naturally, and I would come out of a producing trance. Top ten best feelings."

As an AAPI advocate, Molloy has long called for more inclusion in television, film, and music. "I just want to see more. We are coming along slowly, but I want that to be faster. It should be more. I just want to see people taking more initiative." 

Shreea Kaul 

R&B singer Shreea Kaul embraces her Indian heritage by fusing her silky falsetto and soulful pitch with South Asian and Bollywood sounds. Her "Tere Bina" and its accompanying music video are heavily influenced by her cultural upbringing.

Kaul wanted to be a crossover artist for Western and Indian audiences but found the lack of foundation for South Asian music challenging. 

"There's so much power in community, especially in the South Asian community. We stick together. We support one another. The talent is undeniable. It's only a matter of time before people are going to catch on," she said on the "DOST" podcast. "What a lot of platforms are doing right now by bringing South Asian talent to the map is exactly what we need. So I've been trying to get myself into these spaces or just be around the community more because that's what it's going to take."

On her 2021 single "Ladke" (Hindi for "boys"), Kaul contacted fellow South Asian singer REHMA to collaborate on the song. The harmonious R&B track smoothly fuses Western elements with South Asian languages. Kaul received an overwhelmingly positive response for the song, which motivated her to keep going.

"There’s a spot in the market for artists like myself—for South Asian artists, in general," says Kaul. "Whatever degree of South Asian you want to be and incorporate into your music, there’s space for it."

ZHU

Chinese American experimental EDM music producer ZHU recorded his fourth studio album inside the historic Grace Cathedral. Released in March and fittingly titled Grace, it blends trap, gospel, dance, rock, and pop with synths, organs, and strings to create a sinister, sensual tone that perfectly complements his signature sultry vocals.

Grace pays homage to the legacy of the Bay Area and its impact on his life. "The recording of this project, as well as the whole purpose and design and visuals, has a lot of tribute to [San Francisco] thematically. I think a lot of people don’t even know that I grew up there," ZHU told EDM Identity.  

At the end of the recording, ZHU and his team donned black cloaks and held a concert in the cathedral, sharing the new album with thousands of lucky fans who could attend. Like the symbolism of the cathedral, ZHU’s album represented the themes of religion and his connection to home.

"I’ve never really shared a part of the city, but I think it’s time to pay some tribute to some of the great influences that have come through the area," says ZHU. 

Leap Into AAPI Month 2024 With A Playlist Featuring Laufey, Diljit Dosanjh, & Peggy Gou