Crazy Broke Asians

Kiss the Tiger connects the Asian American music community in the Twin Cities.

WORDS BY Tiffany Lukk

When Crazy Rich Asians was released in 2018, it made history, breaking records across the box office, and was the first major rom-com movie featuring a predominantly Asian cast in decades. So when Kiss the Tiger played their residency at the 331 Club after, they titled it Crazy Broke Asians.

“It was a very monumental moment for Asian Americans in film,” says Kiss the Tiger frontperson Meghan Kreidler. “It was to riff off that name and have the importance of … being able to see yourself represented.”

The residency happened again the following year at the 331, then took a two-year hiatus. This year, it’s back, but this time at the Cedar Cultural Center.  

“They host a lot of global and eclectic artists,” Kreidler says of the venue. “Part of their mission is to bring that world music to their stage. And for us to be hosting an event that is celebrating Asian American artists in our community, that’s the type of programming that the Cedar is already uplifting and interested in having on their stage.”

This year’s lineup includes hip-hop artist and singer/songwriter Diane, R&B pop singer Mayda, the genre-transcendent D’Lourdes, progressive rockers Vulgar Tongue, and electronic musician Tekk Nikk who will DJ between sets. Kiss the Tiger will headline, but Kreidler says it’s about the collective power, not individual importance.

“I feel like every act is going to be celebrated, like the spirit of that is a part of what this event is,” she says. “It’s less about going to see your favorite band perform. It’s like, ‘I’m going to go see this collection of artists do their thing—really well.’”

Kreidler hopes Crazy Broke Asians will provide a space for Asian American musicians and fans to find community, however that looks and feels to the group.  “Resource sharing, or just being able to connect and talk with those people about industry-related things, or even just that feeling of camaraderie and community that maybe doesn’t have any sort of tangible benefit,” she says. “It’s a nice feeling—a feeling of connectedness that doesn’t really have any strings attached other than just like knowing that these other people exist.”

WHEN YOU GO
Crazy Broke Asians, Oct. 21, 7:30 PM
The Cedar Cultural Center
416 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis
thecedar.org