For over a decade, Kollaboration has endeavored to empower talented Asian and Pacific Islander (API) artists to pursue their creative dreams and now, with production teams all across the US and Canada consisting of API professional and student volunteers, Kollaboration has grown into one of the largest grassroots movements within the API community.
Kollaboration DC will present a lineup of some of the best in emerging talents from greater Washington DC’s API community. The competitors for Kollaboration DC, in no particular order, are: LascaJacaKhan, Christopher L. Santa Ana, Robert Park, GU Jawani, Robyn Kim, Jin Shin, Rocka, George Yamazawa, Jr., Mighty Morphing Boogie Rangers, and Jonathan C. Chen. The show will also feature special guest performances by electronic duo Atoms Apart, hip-hop group SNRG, rapper/MC Manifest along with singer Amanda Lee, singer-songwriter Lumi Bustamante, and headliner/Japanese pop icon SALIA.
COMPETITOR BIOS
Christopher Santa Ana
His name is Christopher Santa Ana and is a musician. Born and raised in Virginia his whole life with nothing but music to drive him to where he is today. He sings along with the accompaniment of his guitar. A Kollaboration DC 2010 alum and now competing in the Kollaboration DC 2012 competition. He sings with the styles of R&B, pop, funk, jazz and blues and is heavily influenced by Boyz II Men, Brian McKnight, John Legend, Craig David, Musiq Soulchild and many other great artists.
George Yamazawa Jr.
At only 21 years old, G Yamazawa is widely considered one of the top young spoken word artists in the country. Born in Durham, NC and raised in a Buddhist household, G is a two-time Southern Fried Champion, National Poetry Slam Finalist, and ranked 5th in the nation at the 2010 International World Poetry Slam. He has featured in venues across the nation, including the Sundance Film Festival, Bonnaroo Music Festival, and the historic Nuyoricans Poets’ Cafe. His favorite food is fried chicken and he hates sushi.
GU Jawani
GU Jawani is Georgetown University's premier South Asian dance troupe, made up entirely of undergraduate students. Our fundatmental mission is to perform modern and traditional bhangra, and spread Punjabi and South Asian culture in the DC Metro area. GU Jawani performs at some of DC's most prestigious venues and events, including recent performances at the Embassy of India and the Embassy of Pakistan as well as campus events and intercollegiate competitions. We are very excited to be a part of Kollaboration DC and hope everyone enjoys a piece of our culture and passion for dance.
Jin Shin
Jin Shin is a Korean-American singer and musician. Born in Korea, she moved to the States at the age of seven and was exposed to R&B, Soul, and Pop music. At a young age, she began to sing and entering local competitions. Jin was only 15 when she entered the Korean reality show/competition called “Superstar Survival” (Korean version of “X-Factor”). Out of 8,000 contestants, Jin successfully placed Top 5. She has traveled and performed in many different cities in Korea, Thailand, and at local events in DC. She also plays the piano, violin, clarinet, and the guitar. Her musical influences are: Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill, and Keyshia Cole
Jonathan C. Chen
Jonathan C. Chen started playing violin in second grade, and hasn't put the instrument down since. When he realized that he could play most of the songs he heard on the radio by ear, he started doing cover songs. The first recording he ever made was during the summer of 2010, when Taio Cruz released Dynamite. Having grown up listening to oldies like Rod Stewart's rendition of Have I Told You Lately, delving into different genre's like hip hop to electronica is fun, but usually in the end, he stays with the tried and true love songs of singers like Taylor Swift and Michael Bublé.
LacsaJacaKhan
Vincent Lacsamana is a Filipino-American singer/songwriter that was born in DC’s very own Howard University Hospital. Tim Jaca is a Filipino multiinstrumentalist from Dubai. At only 9 years old he went up to the drum set of a church band and displayed his inclination for music in front of everyone. Anik “K-Prime” Khan is from Bangladesh and was raised in Queens, New York. He’s a musicians’ musician, growing up listening to jazz, soul, oldies, blues, and hip hop. So what do you get when you mix 3 individuals with 3 different ethnic and musical backgrounds? LacsaJacaKhan - when adobo meets curry and brings you culture.
Mighty Morphing Boogie Rangers
Made up of members from DC’s Culture Shock movement, the Mighty Morphing Boogie Rangers was formed in order to keep peace and balance in the world. Each Ranger was called from all over the DMV (DC, MD, VA) area because of their unique love and views of dance. Through their diverse styles and unique humor, they dance to keep mankind out of the clutches of evil. The Mighty Morphing Boogie Rangers are: Perry Fabi Jr., AJ Magalong, Matee Kowl, Trung Luu, Putra Surya, and Brandon Tenggara.
Robert Park
Robert Park was born and raised in PGC, MD, but currently residing in NOVA. Coming from a broken home, writing quickly became the vehicle of release, expression, and escape. He was 12 years old when he first started writing, and back then, he thought he wanted to be a rapper. But he quickly discovered that what he had to say could not be squeezed into consistent rhythm and beats. He started rapping a cappella, which then shaped and molded his own style of delivery, rhyme scheme, and rhythm. Robert has been writing and performing Spoken Word poetry ever since.
Robyn Kim
Born in Queens, NY, 26 year old Robyn Kim is currently a server at an upscale restaurant in Northern Virginia, but her true passion in life is singing. Robyn fell
in love with music at a very young age after hearing a song being played on a piano at church. The song moved and inspired her to want to become a singer. To Robyn, music is what connects her to the world, it challenges defines all the moments in her life, good and bad. Kollaboration DC 3 will mark the first time Robyn will be performing on a major stage and she is excited for her debut.
Rocka
Rocka was born in the Island of Trinidad and Tobago, the origins of Steel Pan and Calypso music, and moved to America to pursue his dreams and a better life. He considers his style of music “RockaLypso”- a fusion of Pop, Reggae and Soca, which is drawn from his varied musical influences. Rocka has performed at the Apollo Theater in New York, the National Cherry Blossom Festival in DC, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Florida.