Every May, we celebrate AAPI Heritage month and our Asian American voiceover talent. According to The Pew Research Center, as of 2023 a record 25 million people in America trace their roots to more than 20 countries in Asia. That’s 7% of the population – a number that continues to grow. This includes East and Southeastern Asian countries like China, Korea, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and others. The most common languages spoken are Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, and Hindi.
However, when it comes to Asian American and Pacific Islander voiceover representation in the media, there has been a historical misrepresentation of characters with AAPI heritage. For example, Caucasian actors have been cast to represent Asian characters from Bojack Horseman to Ghost in the Shell. More recognizable, Hank Azaria, a white actor and voice actor for many years was the voice of Apu, an Indian-American character on Fox’s hit animated show The Simpsons.
AAPI Voiceover Artists
At Blue Wave Voiceover we don’t just celebrate AAPI voice over actors during May, we’re focused on elevating their authentic voices all year. Our Asian American and South Asian talent give voice to characters, issues and platforms that are uniquely theirs.
AAPI Representation Improves But There’s More Work To Be Done
We’ve started to see better representation in the media landscape as it pertains to stories about and starring Asian-American and Indian-American performers. In 2018, Crazy Rich Asians, a major Hollywood feature film was directed by Jon M. Chu. It highlighted a full cast of Asian American lead performers. In the past several years, we’ve also seen television shows breaking through like Nora From Queens starring Awkwafina, Beef starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, Kim’s Convenience, and Fresh Off The Boat which highlight a uniquely Asian American experience. Plus, films like Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings featured Simu Liu as a Marvel superhero of Asian descent. Legendary Korean actress, Youn Yuh-Jung, won an Oscar for Minari which also featured Steven Yeun telling the story of a unique take on the American Dream.
Additionally, Everything Everywhere All At Once made waves in the industry with a cast of mostly Asian actors including Michelle Yeoh. In a history-making moment, Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian actress to win an Academy Award for Best Actress, symbolizing the growing significance of AAPI representation and recognition in the film industry at large. Standout performances from Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu contributed to winning seven Academy Awards awards out of a total of eleven nominations. The massive success of Everything Everywhere All At Once has led to additional films and television shows featuring a majority Asian cast including Joy Ride, American Born Chinese, and Quiz Lady.
Just because representation is improving, it doesn’t mean that we aren’t still experiencing and struggling with stereotypes. For many years, many Americans could only identify Jackie Chan as an Asian performer. Part of the problem is that white actors like Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and Emma Stone have been hired to portray characters with an Asian heritage – leaving the general American audience without the knowledge and access to the talented performers in the AAPI community.
Blue Wave Voiceover is proud to highlight our AAPI community
Throughout the pandemic in 2020 and beyond, there was a disturbing increase of hate crimes and events targeting the AAPI community, particularly elders. The racists perpetuating violence and false narratives blamed AAPI people for the spread of the virus.
We are proud to highlight professional voiceover performers from the AAPI community at Blue Wave Voiceover and are thrilled to have such talented voice actors on our roster. With so much at stake under the current ultraconservative administration, casting AAPI voice talent is a political choice that elevates representation.
This election cycle, resist the pressure to dilute. Defy intimidation. Challenge narratives that exclude.
In the 2024 election, 57% of Asians voted for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris while 40% voted for the other candidate.
If you are looking for an Asian-American or Indian-American voice actors to authentically represent their community in your creative, look no further than:
Trecia Lovering – Compassionate and Warm Asian American Voiceover Talent for corporate narration, E-Learning, and commercials.
Sura Siu – Authentic and Confident Asian American Voiceover Talent for Disney, Capital One, and Pfizer, among others.
Mark Lee – Warm and youthful Asian American Voiceover Talent for commercial, narration, or animation.
Cherie B. Tay – A trustworthy and passionate Asian American Voiceover Talent for IHeartRadio, jingles, and E-Learning among others.
Hire AAPI Voiceover Talent to Challenge Narratives
You’ve probably heard on more than one occasion that Asian and South Asian cultures predate American culture by millennia. As Americans, it’s important for us to highlight, promote, recognize and give credence to their cultures without appropriating or generalizing their stories and narratives.
If you want to hire an AAPI voiceover talent for your project that represents authentic Asian or South Asian heritage, see our talent listed above. You can explore other professional voice talent at our roster and listen to our voice actors’ demos. You’ll almost certainly discover one with the tone you’re searching for.
Cast professional, diverse voice over talent to amplify truth – not just in May, but year-round.
If you have any questions or would like casting assistance with your project, please contact us at casting@bluewavevoiceover.com . It will be our pleasure to provide you with all the information and voiceover samples that you need.