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Cleveland Asian Festival this year is Chinese and will sing in English and Cantonese

Cleveland, OH Attendees of the 2018 Cleveland Asian Festival (CAF) will have two national stars to enjoy: Award-winning singer and songwriter Larissa Lam and socially conscious Hip-Hop artist Only Won.
Growing up in California as the only daughter of Chinese immigrants, Lam thought she would become a doctor like her father. For someone who hated practicing piano, Lam never imagined a career in music.    Classically trained in voice and piano, Lam gravitated more towards jazz and R&B. Instead of listening to Bach and Beethoven, Lam preferred Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys. Her musical path began to take shape when she wrote her first song at age 13. Larissa Lam is now an award-winning singer and songwriter. Named by Singer Universe as one of the Best Vocalists, Larissa has captivated audiences across the U.S. at venues such as Staples Center, Lincoln Center and the Grammy Museum. Struggling to reconcile her Chinese heritage and American upbringing propels Lam to help others also struggling with identity issues.

   Baldwin Chiu aka Only Won is a socially conscious Hip-Hop artist who raps about unconventional subjects like dim sum & thermodynamics. He has millions of views on YouTube with clever video parodies like I Wanna Be an Engineer and Cantonese Boy and 12 Days of DIM SUM. His music has been featured in films like Dead Man Down starring Colin Farrell and in the hit video game, Sleeping Dogs. He blended his background as a mechanical engineer with hip-hop to become a valuable spokesperson for the Intel engineering campaign Stay With It. Recently, he produced an award-winning documentary, Finding Cleveland, about discovering the lost history of his grandfather and the early Chinese immigrants in Mississippi during segregation and the Chinese Exclusion Act.
   Noting the deep cultural heritage aspects of the headliners, CAF Executive Committee member Lisa Wong said, “The festival is an important showcase of the diversity in the community that we hope brings people of all backgrounds to enjoy.”
   Both national acts, like all of the Cleveland Asian Festival, are free. Look for them live on the Lantern Stage Saturday, May 19, 3:30-4:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 20, 2:30-3:00 p.m.
Larissa Lam and Only Won said, “We’re excited to help Cleveland celebrate Asian heritage in America and hope people will be entertained, inspired and empowered during our performance.”
More:
   Here's a link to photos and video from the last time there were in Cleveland in 2016 for OCA Greater Cleveland when we screened their short documentary "Finding Cleveland" They are currently making it a full feature film. https://photos.app.goo. gl/IWcPvUTIKua96rcM2
FROM the CAF website:
Their information is posted online at http://clevelandasianfestival.org/2018/atractions/larissalamonlywon/
Bios:

  Larissa Lam is an award-winning singer and songwriter. Named by Singer Universe as one of the “Best Vocalists,” Larissa has captivated audiences across the U.S. at venues such as Staples Center, Lincoln Center and the Grammy Museum. She began her career as one the lead singers of the EDM praise and worship group, Nitro Praise. Her song "I Feel Alive" won the Hollywood Music in Media Award and Akademia Music Award for Best Dance Song and was the theme song for a national suicide prevention campaign. Her songs provide inspiring and empowering anthems for people of all backgrounds. She is not only an accomplished singer but also a composer for TV, film and video games including The Oprah Winfrey Show, Days of Our Lives, and Dance Dance Revolution. Larissa also composed music and directed the award-winning documentary, Finding Cleveland, about the early Chinese immigrants in Mississippi. She is currently on tour promoting her 4th solo album “Love & Discovery,” which was produced by Billboard charting producers, produced David Longoria and Robert Eibach. You can also listen to Larissa every week as a host on Utalk Radio, a new advice talk show for young adults. For more info: larissalam.com
   Baldwin Chiu aka: Only Won is a socially conscious Hip-Hop artist who raps about unconventional subjects like dim sum & thermodynamics. He has millions of views on YouTube with clever video parodies like “I Wanna Be an Engineer” and “Cantonese Boy” and “12 Days of DIM SUM”. His music has been featured in films like “Dead Man Down” starring Colin Farrell and in the hit video game, “Sleeping Dogs”. By blending his background as a mechanical engineer with hip-hop, he becomes a valuable spokesperson for the Intel engineering campaign “Stay With It.” Recently, he produced an award-winning documentary, Finding Cleveland, about discovering the lost history of his grandfather and the early Chinese immigrants in Mississippi during segregation and the Chinese Exclusion Act. For more info onlywon.com

Lisa Wong
216-264-6750
President
OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates, Greater Cleveland Chapter
Co-Founder
Executive Committee
Vendor Committee Chair
Cleveland Asian Festival
2999 Payne Avenue, #206, Cleveland, Ohio 44114