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sai-national.org • Fall 2022 21 of a Flower is an example of such. e title, perhaps an ode to a private support group on Yahoo she found when she learned that she was intersex, refers to a flower that exists with as many petals as thorns, and is a singular body. H.E.R. (b. 1997) Gabrielle Sarmiento Wilson (known professionally as H.E.R) is an R&B singer, songwriter, and guitarist from the Bay area of California, born to a Filipina mother and Black father. Considered a child prodigy, she first sang in her dad's cover band as a child before signing a record deal at age14. She has since released three albums, winning two Grammy awards for her compilation album H.E.R. Additionally, Wilson's song I Can't Breathe won the Grammy for song of the year in 2021, while her song Fight for You from the movie Judas and the Black Messiah won the Academy Award for best original song. Committed to empowering other women, she presented weekly livestreams called Girls with Guitars during the COVID-19 lockdowns. She speaks more on her work as an activist in a 2022 article with Billboard Magazine: "It's my responsibility to use what has an impact — my voice — to speak out on some of these things, like the relationship between Black Americans and Asian Americans." Jay Som (b. 1994) Jay Som is the musical project of California-native Melina Mae Cortez Duterte, a singer-songwriter, multi- instrumentalist, producer, and engineer. Since 2016, she has been signed to the indie label Polyvinyl, touring with artists like Paramore and Mitski, while also shaping the indie rock landscape as a part of a wave of queer Asian women. Duterte has released four critically acclaimed albums as Jay Som, which have incorporated aspects of her identity as a queer Filipino woman. Her third album, Anak Ko, was named aer the Filipino phrase oen used by parents to their children (in Tagalog, it translates to "my child.") In an article with them, Duterte says: "A lot of people that I tour with are queer women and nonbinary and trans. It's time for marginalized people to be in this industry and spearhead it." Jay Som's most recent release is Feelings Meeting, a single with Winnipeg-based band Living Hour. Evelyn Mandac (b. 1945) From the Mindanao region of the Philippines, soprano Evelyn Mandac was born to musical parents. ough her parents did not pursue music as a profession, Mandac was inspired and started singing in a choir before honing her vocal skills at the University of the Philippines. She studied with Lourdes Corrales Razon and with Aurelio Estanislao, who taught her kundiman and art song. Aer this, Ms. Mandac moved to the US to study at the Oberlin and Juilliard conservatories through Fulbright and Rockefeller scholarships. Eventually, she performed at many major American opera houses, and became the first Filipina to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House with her performance as Lauretta in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. In the late 1980s, Mandac retired from performing and has kept a voice studio in New York ever since. As she puts in an article on her life by KEXP, she is a forever student: "It continues, the learning and the giving. is is just what life is all about." Notable mentions: Saweetie; One Vo1ce; Vanessa Hudgens; Liza Soberano "About Filipino American History Month." Filipino American National Historical Society. 2020, http://fanhs-national.org/filam/about/ Budiman, Abby and Neil G. Ruiz. "Key facts about Asian Americans, a diverse and growing population." Pew Research Center, 29 Apr. 2021, https://pewrsr.ch/3e3t4nF Cox, Chiara. "La Donna È Mirabile." Positively Filipino: Your Window on the Filipino Diaspora, 23 Mar. 2009. http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/la- donna-mirabile. Accessed 1 Aug. 2022 H.E.R. "H.E.R. ON 'STEPPING INTO WHO I AM' AS AN ACTIVIST ARTIST," Billboard Magazine by Gail Mitchell. 25 Feb. 2022. https://www.billboard. com/music/features/her-impact-honoree- women-in-music-2022-interview-1235035600/ Accessed Aug 2022. Mandac, Evelyn. Interview by Dusty Henry. "e Life and Continued Work of Filipino Opera Star Evelyn Mandac." KEXP, 27 May 2021. https://kexp.org/read/2021/5/27/ life-and-continued-work-filipino-opera-star-evelyn- mandac/ Accessed 31 July 2022 Rodrigo, Olivia. Interview by Gabriella Paiella. "Olivia Rodrigo Was Built 4 is." GQ Magazine. 4 Aug. 2021. https://www.gq.com/story/olivia-rodrigo-profile Roxanne, Ana. Because of a Flower. Bandcamp, Nov. 2020. https://anaroxanne.bandcamp.com/ Roxanne, Ana. Interview by Cat Zhang. "e Radiant Slowness of Ana Roxanne." Pitchfork. 14 Apr. 2021, https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/the-radiant-slowness-of- ana-roxanne/ Salonga, Lea. "Bio: Her Story." https://leasalonga. com/bio. Accessed July 2022. Hannah C. Comia is a Filipino-American pianist and academic based in New Jersey. She was initiated by the eta Kappa Chapter at William Paterson University, where she earned her B.M. in Piano Performance. She is currently a sister of the Northern NJ Alumnae Chapter. Music Histy From top, H.E.R., Jay Som, From top, H.E.R., Jay Som, and Evelyn Mandac and Evelyn Mandac

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