Alex Salazar, the Internet Idol

By Christine Chen

On March 18th in the Performing Arts Center in Cerritos, CA, Alex Salazar sat in the green room accompanied by his drummer, Vincent Wang. Both 18 years old, the two friends were the youngest ones among the rest of the 20-somethings in the room, but in no way did they look as if they didn't belong. They chatted casually with the other occupants waiting in the green room, their various instruments lying haphazardly on the floor. Names and business cards were exchanged, and soon the green room was filled with the sound of voices, guitars, and light drumming as the occupants played together in an impromptu jam session. While Vincent Wang tapped a beat, Alex Salazar strung the tabs of the Temptations' "My Girl" on his guitar. Everyone else sang along, their voices layering in harmony. Everyone in the room was a musician, ready to perform for Cerritos High School's second annual benefit concert.

Outside of the green room, an auditorium full of giddy high schoolers squirmed in their seats as they anticipated the beginning of the show. They had all heard of these artists before, but this would be their first time seeing them: in the flesh, that is. Many of the performers they were about to see were YouTube artists—singers who showcase their talents online and gain popularity by posting videos on YouTube and gaining subscribers. Another thing—almost all of the performers were Asian-American. Alex Salazar is Filipino, and Vincent Wang is Taiwanese. Both were born in California, and are prime examples of the new type of Asian-American: the internet idol.

Asian-Americans have constantly been limited to a stereotypical identity in mainstream media— from the strict Tiger Moms at home to the Whiz Kids in schools. They are portrayed as the awkward, anti-social ones with aptitudes for math, watching quietly from the sidelines as their peers fight for the spotlight. They are also a rare find in mainstream musical entertainment: an industry that seems to be dominated by every ethnicity but Asians. There are Asian-Americans in sports, movies and on TV, and though they have slowly trickled into classical music, Asian-Americans have still failed to make it as pop stars. Asian-Americans are so obviously foreign looking, that they seem to clash with the established American image required to make it into mainstream music. Paul Kim, a Korean-American contestant on American Idol in 2007, was told by countless label execs that if it hadn't been for him being Asian, he would have been signed immediately.

Despite this disappointing setback, as the Internet has become a community all on its own, Asian-Americans are beginning to create a name for themselves in mainstream music through the use of YouTube. Just this January, Billboard created a new chart specifically for emerging, unsigned artists in social media titled "Uncharted". At the top of it is Traphik, a Thai American rapper and comedian, and the remainder is littered with other Asian-American artists. Many of these "Uncharted" Asian-American artists— such as Traphik, AJ Rafael, and Joseph Vincent— gained fame through posting videos online on YouTube.

When it was their turn to perform, Salazar and Wang stepped onstage amidst wistful sighs and giggles from the mainly female audience. The auditorium became hushed as Salazar adjusted his guitar and said, "Hey, Cerritos High School. I'm Alex Salazar, and this is Vincent Wang, and we're here to play some songs for you." With that, the pair launched into their set, starting with a cover of Jackson 5's "I Want You Back". Salazar's sweet, smoky voice filled the room as he sang and played guitar, while Wang accompanied him on the drums. The girls in the audience bounced excitedly in their seats as they clapped to the beat, occasionally holding whispered discussions with their friends about which boy they thought was cuter.

Just two years ago, Alex Salazar was just another teenager with a guitar, a webcam, and a dream to make it as a musician. 18 videos and more than two thousand subscribers later, Salazar has played at venues for thousands of people and has been invited to perform on America's Got Talent. "I can't think of any other way that would have helped get me where I am today," says Salazar. "With YouTube, you can get a bunch of people to listen to you without having to go anywhere. Anyone can post a video—you don't have to wait for someone to discover you and sign you; you can get your stuff out on your own." With a large fan following online, Salazar and Wang have YouTube subscribers that live all around the nation, and even the world. Salazar often gets comments from other Asian-Americans saying how inspired they are to see a fellow Filipino doing what he does. Many of them have encouraged him to audition for American Idol and America's Got Talent, but Salazar tries to stay away from TV talent competitions. "I don't want to be remembered as 'that guy who was on American Idol but didn't win'," says Salazar. "I don't want to be associated only through that." But Salazar doesn't need Simon Cowell to become an idol—the internet has already done that for him.

Salazar is being managed by Luna Co., an agency that manages mostly Asian-American artists such as AJ Rafael and previously, Gabe Bondoc— both YouTube artists who are on Billboard's "Uncharted". Christina Luna, president of Luna Co., discovered Salazar and Wang last year when they claimed first place at Kollaboration SF, a series of one of the largest Asian-American entertainment competitions in the nation, which has close ties to the Asian-American YouTube community. As one of the judges, Luna was impressed by the modest duo's sound and presentation. "They were the underdogs, I guess you could say," laughs Luna. "They were the youngest ones, but they were great. You could tell that this was something they wanted." A month later, Salazar and Wang were signed onto Luna Co., and they joined the growing ranks of Luna Co.'s Asian-American artists. Since then, they have played all over California at shows, festivals, high schools, colleges, and even weddings. Though both are currently attending colleges in LA, they still find time to work in the studio to record their first album.

Constantly wearing a shy smile, a soft-spoken Alex still seems blown away by how far he's come in the past two years. Among the artists in the green room, he was the youngest performer, but the one with the most impressive track record. At Cerritos, he was given the coveted second-to-last spot on the set list, meaning he played right before Andrew Garcia, who was 9th place on American Idol this year. Garcia is also a YouTube artist, and has had a constant presence in the YouTube community since 2008, with 124,000 subscribers.

But the road to fame isn't an easy one. "Sometimes it gets frustrating," says Salazar. "It's definitely a lot of work, and sometimes things get kind of slow. But when I look at people like David Choi and Legaci and where they are now, it definitely motivates me to not give up on my dreams." David Choi and Legaci are arguably the most successful Asian-American YouTube artists to date. David Choi, a Korean-American pop singer, is the sixth most subscribed musician on YouTube—just one spot behind Taylor Swift and twelve ahead of Beyoncé— and one of the original internet idols. Recently, Legaci, an Asian-American quartet on YouTube, posted a cover of Justin Bieber's song "Baby" online. Just one day after posting the video, they received a call from Justin Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, asking them to be Bieber's back-up singers on his My World Tour.

"I absolutely loved what I saw," said Braun in a phone interview with The New York Times. "I really wanted someone to be in the band who was from YouTube, so that Justin could give something back to the community that gave so much to him." It just so happened that Legaci was a big name among Asian-American YouTubers, and it became another triumph for the community. Legaci is now working with Braun on a record deal. "It's very rare to hear an Asian-American on the radio," Dominic Manuel of Legaci said in an interview with The New York Times. "YouTube levels the playing field. It was our chance to have our voices heard."

"We're all in the same boat," explains Wang. "We all realize that there's this wall between being Asian-American and making it in the music industry. When one of us has an amazing breakthrough, it's a win for all of us." Vincent Wang previously drummed for April Chase, an Asian-American band based in San Francisco. Last year, they performed at Warped Tour, one of the biggest touring music shows in the Nation. A few years ago, I was watching bands play at Warped Tour," remembers Wang. "Last year, I got to play onstage. It's amazing what posting a few videos online can do." This year, April Chase is working on their next album with Jesse Barrera, another Asian-American YouTube artist who had previously been part of alternative-rock band My American Heart. "What's great about this Asian-American YouTube community," says Salazar, "is that we're all one big family. Everyone knows each other—a lot of them are friends, and they often collaborate on songs and videos. Everyone's met or heard about each other one way or another."

However, being part of such a close, single-minded community has its downsides. "I always worry about not standing out," says Salazar. "Everyone has the same goal: to make it as a successful musician, while still being proud of our culture and staying true to who we are. But there are so many other Asian guys who have decent voices and can play guitar. What makes me special?"

Even if he doesn't know what it is, the girls of Cerritos High obviously seemed to. After their set of five songs, Salazar and Wang headed offstage while a number of girls filed excitedly towards the green room, hoping to get a photo or an autograph. As Andrew Garcia prepared to take the stage, Salazar and Wang were in the back, signing various articles of clothing and posing for photos with groups of high schoolers. One girl shyly asked Wang if she could have one of his drumsticks. As she skipped away smitten, with a stick in her hands, Wang joked, "There goes three dollars."

Despite all the attention Salazar and Wang receive and all the autographs they sign, they know they are far from where they one day hope to be. "I wouldn't even say that we're famous," laughs Salazar. "I've gotten recognized a few times as 'that Filipino kid on YouTube', and once I saw this girl in the library on my YouTube channel, but that was probably the extent of it."

"Who knows," laughs Wang. "Maybe someone will find us on YouTube like they did Justin Bieber. We'll be the next Biebers… just Asian, and more awesome."