Harmo-Zine Issue #2

We have a playlist! Click the image to listen along!

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

• What Is Mid-Autumn Moon Festival?

• The Story of Hou-Yi & Chang'e

• Hong Kong Mooncakes

• Moon Phasin' (Playlist Intro)

• Quiz: Which Famous Asian Food Are You?

EDITOR'S NOTE

In the previous issue, there were many long nights that Vi and I had spent fixating on every detail, editing our drafts to 80%, 90%, until we were finally happy with it. With the success and learnings of the first launch, we may have been... a bit ambitious with this second one.

There were so many things to be excited about, suggestions from our extended leadership team that we couldn’t wait to add, but between our day-job and personal life responsibilities, it did feel like... a lot, at times.

This issue of Harmo-Zine was originally supposed to be released around Mid-Autumn Moon festival (Q4 2023). Candidly, between Vi and I both traveling out of the country for a few weeks to visit family, the holidays, endof-year deadlines… we’ve had some delays in finalizing this issue. Nonetheless we were able to pivot and redesigned our cover to celebrate Lunar New Year 2024: The Year of the Dragon (still keeping our moon theme for this issue). I want to thank our team for helping us bring this issue to life:

• To Vi Bui (Former Co-Lead) – for pretty much half the content in this issue, for your relentless attention to detail, and for the much-needed brain breaks to share excitements over our Asian music/culture niches. I appreciate you always.

• To Nat Teo (Co-Lead) – for bringing fresh ideas to the table with, the 90s/00s magazine-inspired “Harmorazzi” and the “Which Famous Asian Food Are You” quiz.

• Entertainment Couch

• Movie Spotlight: 38 at the Garden

• Movie & TV Recommendations

• Harmony Happy Hour

• Article: NewJeans Makes Their US Debut at Lollapalooza Chicago

• Campaign Spotlight: Jim Beam X Manner (China)

• Harmorazzi

• Artist Deep Dive (Harmony's Q3 Playlist: Moon Phasin')

• To Molly Rahn (Consumer Connection Subcommittee Co-Lead) – for helping us get connected with some of our Asia markets to find exciting campaigns to highlight.

• To Hera Li – for sharing some of her mooncake expertise with us!

• To Kelly Georgetti (Former Co-Lead)–for helping us wordsmith our Yammer post.

• And finally, to our Harmonies and the Harmony Extended Leadership Team for your patience and continuous support.

Nevertheless (and before we get too sappy here), while we are releasing this article a bit later than planned, I’m happy to present to you: Harmo-Zine: Issue 2.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KATHLEEN OKU

Harmony Operations & Communications Co-Lead

Associate IT Product Manager

Have a recommendation for Harmo-zine?

We'd love to hear your thoughts!

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Happy Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

What is the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival?

Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the lantern or moon festival, takes place annually on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar. To celebrate the holiday, families and friends gather to revel in festivities like feasting on mooncakes, playing with lanterns, and moon gazing.

Although the true origin is not certain, history records show that moon worshipping practices began in the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 B C). The festival only became an official celebration in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) when ancient

Origin Language Name/Pronounciation

China Chinese (Mandarin) Zhong Qiu Jie (中秋节)

Hong Kong Chinese (Cantonese) Zhong Qiu Jie (中秋節)

Korea Korean Chuseok (추석)

Japan Japanese Tsukimi (月見) or Otsukimi (お月見)

Vietnam Vietnamese Tết Trung Thu

emperors would host a feast to make offerings to deities and the moon in celebration of the year’s harvest. After the Tang Dynasty, Mid-Autumn Festival also became a time for the emperor to reward his officials.

Over time, it evolved into a festival of many traditions: to give thanks to the moon, pray for better luck, fortune and fertility, and reunite with the family to celebrate and admire the moon in its full glory. While it is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture, similar festivals are celebrated by other cultures in East and Southeast Asia:

English Translation

Mid-Autumn Festival

Mid-Autumn Festival

Thanksgiving

Moon Viewing

Mid-Autumn Festival (aka Children’s Festival)

Thailand Thai Thaeht sa gaan wai phra jan (เทศกาลไหว้พระจันทร) Mid-Autumn Festival

Cambodia Khmer Bony Sen Preah Khe (បុណ្យសែនព្រះខែ) Moon Festival

Malaysia Malay Perayaan Kuih Bulan or Pesta Tanglung

Indonesia Indonesian Festival Pertengahan Musim Gugur

Moon Cake Festival or Lantern Festival

Mid-Autumn Festival

Affinity Moment

Brought to you by the Cultural Awareness Subcommittee

The Story of Hou Yi & Chang’e

Every holiday or festival has its story or background, and there are many magical legends explaining the origin of the festival. The most popular story of the Mid-Autumn Festival is about the Chinese Moon Goddess - Chang’e.

It is said that in ancient times, ten suns existed in the sky and the extreme heat scorched many crops and people to death. The Emperor of Heaven summoned the famous Lord Archer, Hou Yi, to shoot down nine of the suns. Hou Yi succeeded, and as the weather recovered, he was rewarded with an elixir of immortality. This elixir would help him to ascend immediately to heaven and become a god.

However, the elixir was only enough for one person, and Hou Yi didn’t want to gain immortality without his beloved wife. So, he did not consume it straight away, but let his wife, Chang’e, keep it with her.

One day, when Hou Yi was out hunting, one of his students named Pang Meng broke into their home to steal the elixir. Pang Meng demanded that Chang’e hand it over. In a moment of desperation, to protect the elixir from the villain - she swallowed the elixir and began to ascend. Reluctant to leave her husband behind, she tried her best to fly to the moon, the nearest place to the Earth in heaven.

Hou Yi was heartbroken when he was told what had happened to Chang’e. He shouted to the sky that night and to his surprise, he discovered the moon to be extremely bright. He saw a swaying figure that looked like his wife, and displayed fruits and cakes that Chang’e had enjoyed to convey his love to her.

Moved by their true love, the Mother of the Moon allowed Chang’e to reunite with Hou Yi every year on the full moon of the eighth lunar month. Since then, on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, which has become MidAutumn Festival, people look forward to their reunion (and their own family reunions). Worshipping the moon and eating mooncakes have become traditions of Mid-Autumn Festival.

The jade rabbit is also a widespread character related to the MidAutumn Festival and the moon. The Chinese believe that the jade rabbit is a companion to Chang’e on the moon, so we often see rabbit imagery surrounding the holiday.

This story is just one of many versions out there. Netflix’s “Over the Moon” is a sort of “Disney-fied” depiction of the moon as depicted by folklore surrounding Mid-Autumn Festival. A young girl, Fei Fei, lost her mother at a young age. After her father has announced that he is considering marrying again, Fei Fei decides to explore her mother’s favorite legend about a moon goddess. She builds a rocket and takes off into the stars, getting sucked into a magical world of helpful dragons and bright creatures inspired by the folklore and tradition surrounding Mid-Autumn Festival.

YouTuber Xiran Jay Zhao breaks down some of the cultural details in her hilarious review of “Over the Moon” (linked below).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hong Kong Mooncakes

Mooncakes are a time-honored holiday tradition. These delightful treats not only symbolize unity and resistance, but their design also encourages sharing with friends and family. Common flavor varieties include: lotus seed (with and without salted egg yolk), red bean, green tea, and wu ren (mixed nuts).

Hong Kong is known for producing some of the most popular and highest quality mooncakes on the market. The city has found new expression in the contemporary culinary scene through two standout varieties: Ice Skin mooncakes and Ice Cream mooncakes. These modern twists on a classic treat are redefining the Mid-Autumn Festival’s culinary landscape.

Ice Skin Mooncake

Ice skin mooncakes are a unique type of mooncake that can only be found in Hong Kong. Unlike traditional mooncakes, which have a baked crust, ice skin mooncakes have a soft and chewy outer layer that resembles the texture of mochi. These mooncakes are typically filled with sweet fillings such as red bean paste, green tea paste, durian paste, and more. The name “snowy” or “ice skin” is derived from the fact that the outer layer is kept in the refrigerator or freezer, which gives it a refreshing and cool texture that is perfect for the hot and humid weather in Hong Kong during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Ice Cream Mooncake

Ice cream mooncakes are a modern variation of the traditional mooncake that is gaining popularity in Hong Kong. Unlike the classic baked mooncakes, ice cream mooncakes have a soft and creamy ice cream center that is enveloped in a thin layer of mochi or chocolate. The ice cream filling comes in a variety of flavors, such as vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, green tea, and more, and some ice cream mooncakes even have multiple layers of different flavors. These mooncakes are particularly favored by younger generations who are seeking novel and creative ways to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

ABOUT OUR MOONCAKE ENTHUSIAST

HERA LI

Sales Co-ordinator, Canada

I'm from Hong Kong. I recently moved to Vancouver in 2021 and I've been with Beam Suntory for a year now. I'm a huge fan of traveling and my favorite places to visit are Barcelona and Hokkaido. In my free time, I enjoy playing percussion, watching movies, and listening to music. I'm a total foodie and trying new foods always puts a smile on my face. I'm interested in learning about other cultures and I would like to share more about Hong Kong with you.

Full Moon

new and exciting. It's a party.

1. “Tequila Sunrise” – Jackson Wang, Higher Brothers, AUGUST 08, GoldLink.

2. “LEFT RIGHT” – XG

3. "California" – Rich Brian, NIKI, Warren Hue

4. "THE GIRLS" – BLACKPINK

5. "Naturale" – GMC, RINI

6. "Tell Me" – FIFTY FITY

7. “Her” – Alextbh

8. “Super Shy” – NewJeans

9. "Your Man" – Joji

10. "girls like me don’t cry” –thuy

you’re hearing or saying.

18. “summertime” – cinnamons, evening cinema

19. “Pano” – Zack Tabudlo

20. “Longjai (ลงใจ)” by BOWKYLION

21. "Now I Know” – Kaleb J

22. "Isa Lang” – Arthur Nery

23. “Yours” – Raiden, CHANYEOL, LeeHi, CHANGMO

Moon Phasin'

Q3 2023: Mid-Autumn Madness

The second edition of Harmony’s playlist, “Mid-Autumn Madness,” represents the moon phases and can be viewed as four playlists/phases in one cycle.

First Quarter

Moments of confusion & clarity.

11. "TOUCH” – keshi

12. “lowkey" – NIKI

13. “double take” – dhruv

14. “Ambrosia” – AO Beats, Kiana V, SATICA

15. “Thank You” – JUNNY

16. “trust” – thuy, RINI

17. “Rouge” – TOKiMONSTA

Mood: Night Drive

Last Quarter

more about the playlist?

ARTIST'S DEEP DIVE

24. “IT’S YOU” – keshi, MAX.

25. “For You” – LeeHi, Crush

26. “P.S. I LOVE YOU” – Paul Partohap, Yuna

27. "universe" - thuy, Christian Kuria

28. “It’s You” – Sezairi

29. “By My Side” – Zack Tabudlo, Tiara Andini

30. "Sweet Disposition” – The Temper Trap

CREATED BY: Nat Teo

Harmony Co-Lead Brand Manager, NA Marketing

Quiz: Famous Asian Food Which

Are You?

You have a free Saturday –what are you doing?

A. Calling your friends to organize a fun night out.

B. Not sure. I kind of want to go out, but also want to chill with my cat/dog at home and watch TV.

C. Reorganizing my wardrobe – I need my clothes to be organized by color, even though it’s mostly black, grey or white.

D. Lol. I don’t have “free” Saturdays.

E. Helping my parents grocery shop or helping a friend move house.

F. Hosting a dinner party for friends where dessert is the showstopper.

You’re left in charge to organize your team’s gemba. Where are you taking them?

A. Karaoke. No doubt about it, and everyone needs to perform at least one song.

B. We’re doing a crawl so we can visit multiple accounts, more accounts the better.

C. An upscale bar and likely one that is ranked top 50 in the country (like me).

D. I’d ask everyone to tell me their preferred venue and then I’ll just make a list from there.

E. A casual bar that’s a neighborhood gem – all that matters is we’re together.

F. Somewhere that’s trendy and good vibes only.

Which of these annoy you most?

A. When people leave early and the party is just getting started

B. Conformity

C. Imperfection

D. Unproductive meetings

E. I don’t get annoyed easily

F. When my outfit didn’t work out the way I planned it and now I’m going to be late because I need to rethink what to wear.

What’s your favourite Asian holiday?

A. Holi – who doesn’t love a Festival where you get to throw colored paint at each other?!

B. Lunar New Year – with ALL the traditional dishes please

C. Diwali – Because we know light, will always have victory over darkness

D. Dragon Boat Festival – and I’m participating in the race

E. Mid Autumn Festival – reuniting with family and friends over mooncakes

F. Songkran – Life is about moving forward, fresh beginnings and well wishes

You had a bad day. How do you make yourself feel better?

A. Get a pep talk from a good friend.

B. I’ll need a wine, a long bath, probably some ice cream, a familiar sitcom, whilst petting my cat or dog.

C. No such thing as bad days, only bad moments. I’ve learnt from it and now I won’t make the same mistake.

D. I’ll make a list of what went wrong, I’ll fix it tomorrow.

E. Help someone else with a problem. At least I can make someone else’s day better than mine.

F. I like to meditate and write in my gratitude journal.

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What’s the first thing you look for?

A. Firstly, I wouldn’t be stranded by MYSELF. I’d have a friend to be stranded with.

B. Shelter or maybe food. Water? I don’t know, there’s a lot to look for.

C. Wood to build a fire and signal SOS.

D. Internet.

E. Other survivors

F. Sunscreen and then I’ll look for help. I don’t need to be stranded AND sunburnt.

What’s your ideal date?

A. Somewhere that has music and dancing

B. Exploring the city with a list of local recommendations of things to do

C. A nice dinner. The place was vetted and approved by me ahead of time, of course.

D. Are phone dates a thing? That’s how busy I am.

E. Picnic in the park during Fall (everyone’s most beloved season).

F. Cuddling whilst watching a movie (a romcom preferably) and we’ll share a popcorn.

What’s your favorite Beam Suntory product?

A. Hornitos

B. I can’t choose, I have too many favorites.

C. Yamazaki

D. On the rocks

E. Makers Mark

F. Roku, I mean the bottle is just so pretty.

Mostly A’s

Mostly B’s

Mostly C’s

scoring

Tonkotsu Ramen with ALL the toppings and an extra soft-boiled egg – super social and a little OTT. You’re creative and express yourself through music and dance. You love karaoke so much you have a stage name ready. You light up every room you walk in – you’re the life of the party and you know it.

Korean Fried Chicken – half original, half spicy, or 1/3 original, 1/3 spicy and 1/3 soy garlic – you can’t make up your mind and love options, you always want a bit of everything. You didn’t know what you wanted to be growing up (and still don’t) and rebelled against your parents who wanted you to be one of four professions (doctor, engineer, accountant, lawyer).

Xiao long bao – not just any, but the Din Tai Fung soup dumpling with 18 folds – You’re a high achiever, if it’s not A+ then it’s an F. You were valedictorian (or runner up and still feel salty about it because it was obviously rigged). You like structure and being organized. Dislikes - “going with the flow”.

What subject did you excel at in school?

A. Drama club

B. I never excelled at ONE subject. Let’s just say I was an “average performer” across the board ��

C. All of them, especially the AP ones.

D. Math

E. Is volunteering a subject?

F. Look, all that matters is that all the teachers loved me.

How do you like to sign off an email?

A. My name, contact details, Beam logo, the latest Best Place to Work award and a fun quote.

B. Depends on how I’m feeling – it could be “warmest regards” or “k thx”.

C. With formality and always my full first name.

D. Nothing, you might get an initial if I have an extra second.

E. “Let me know if I can help.”

F. Always about the weekend. “Hope you had/have the best weekend!”, “Almost the weekend!”

Tally up your answers! If you got...

Mostly D’s

Mostly E’s

Mostly F’s

Banh mi – constantly on the go, no time for a sit down meal – on at least 3 devices at once, usually sending mental emails in your sleep (if you even get sleep!). You like your meetings efficient with a clear agenda and there MUST be an aligned outcome with next steps. You’re the first to cap it on small talk.

Naan – humble and modest, you’re the OG. People underestimate you, but you are the true staple in everyone’s lives and your close friends and family know your worth (which is good enough for you)! You’re basically a busyou carry a ton of people and barely ask for anything in return, as the altruist you are.

Mango sticky rice – Charming and adorable, you usually get your way just by giving someone a sweet smile. Your hobbies include following your horoscope on IG and rewatching your favorite rom coms (for the 20th time). You’re a little nostalgic and love a trip down memory lane. Your Spotify playlist is music from the early 00s.

Movie Spotlight

38 at the Garden

Jeremy Lin Documentary on HBO MAX

While the title 38 at the Garden refers to Jeremy Lin scoring 38 points in an epic game against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers at Madison Square Garden, the film’s director Frank Chi –who watched the game in Koreatown in New York City surrounded by fellow Asians going ballistic over Lin’s performance – says: “There’s a way to explain this film without any basketball whatsoever. It’s this: part 1 is about stereotypes. Part 2 is about what happens when someone shatters those stereotypes on the world stage. And part 3 is about today, what happens when those stereotypes have been weaponized … And when they’re weaponized, they turn into anti-Asian violence. That’s a very easy film to understand once you say it out loud.”

Jeremy Lin gave Asians hope and pride during his time particularly with the New York Knicks (2011-2012). Through the phenomenon fanatically called “Linsanity,” he united a diverse group of people who loved his game as he broke many Asian stereotypes that once held him back. He is an incredible advocate for the Asian community: he used his voice to raise awareness about anti-Asian racism during the pandemic; the mission of his foundation, The Jeremy Lin Foundation, is to “love and serve

overlooked AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) and cross-racial youth programs through community empowerment, crossracial solidarity, and narrative change”; and he continues to highlight ways he worked to find his voice as an Asian-American.

Watch this clip about how he built the courage to speak up to Kobe Bryant during their time playing together on the Lakers. Like the film, it’s not so much about the story, but about him educating others on Asian culture. “For me that was a big step because growing up in Asian culture, it’s like ‘Don’t step on the toes of the boss’ … but for me, it got to a point where I was like, ‘Look. This is who I am, and this is what I need to do.’”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

VI BUI

Former Harmony Co-Lead Director, Digital Transformation

Have a recommendation for Harmo-zine?

We'd love to hear your thoughts!

JOY RIDE

Comedy Film debuted on July 7th, 2023

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE Action-Comedy Series on Disney+

NEVER HAVE I EVER (3 Seasons) on Netflix

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY (2 Seasons) on Amazon Prime Video

XO, KITTY Spin-off from "To All the Boys" on Netflix

Harmony Happy Hour

Asian-Inspired Cocktails

Matcha Highball

2 oz Sencha Matcha Infused Japanese Whiskey

½ oz Honey

½ oz Lemon Juice

Fill Soda Water

Garnish: Lemon

Instructions: Shake and strain over ice into a Highball glass

Notes: Any Japanese Whisky will do, something heavier than Suntory Toki is advised. Pour Whiskey over 1 Pyramid Matcha Tea bag. 1 tea bag per 750ml bottle of Whisky, Matcha is better for infusing.

ABOUT THE CURATOR

LAURA RICE

Harmony Happy Hour Curator

Single Barrel Team Lead

Before Beam Suntory, I came from working in the bar/restaurant side of things for 15+ years, spending a lot of that time opening Sushi and other Asian restaurants. Some favorite activities and hobbies are creating cocktails, finding new speakeasies to try, art with floral and spray paint, and going to heavy metal shows. A goal of mine is to visit Wineries in Italy and Spain.

WRITTEN BY KATHLEEN OKU

NewJeans Makes Their US

Debut at Lollapalooza Chicago

While they are considered a rookie girl group, people haven’t stopped talking about them since they came onto the K-pop scene in July 2022. Comprising of members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein, the group’s name is a double entendre. It alludes to the idea that jeans are a timeless fashion item and the group’s intention to carve a timeless image for themselves. The name is also a word play on the phrase “new genes”, referring to the group ushering a new generation of pop music.

In the span of a year, NewJeans has reached levels many groups could only dream of. This past January, NewJeans’s single OMG gained widespread popularity, becoming the longestrunning #1 song on South Korea’s

Circle Digital Chart and the group’s first entry on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.

On August 3rd, 2023 the 5-piece group from Ador made their US live debut at Lollapalooza, becoming the first female K-pop act to appear at the Chicago festival.

Despite releasing their EP ‘Get Up’ just over a week prior to the performance, their fans (known as “bunnies”) sang along to every word. That same weekend the girls made both their first No. 1 and first entry on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The EP’s lead single “Super Shy” became the group’s highest charting single on the Billboard Global 200 (number two), the US Billboard Hot 100, and the UK Singles Chart.

Needless to say, being in a crowd of 70,000 in Chicago’s Grant Park that weekend, felt like witnessing a historic moment.

NewJeans has also received rookie awards and were featured in listicles such as Time’s Next Generation Leaders and Forbes’s Korea Power Celebrity 40. Aside from music, NewJeans has sponsored and collaborated with several brands and personalities, including:

• Coca-Cola, releasing their songs ‘Zero’ (as well as a remix featuring rapper J.I.D) and ‘Be Who You Are (Real Magic)’ alongside Jon Batiste, J.I.D and Camilo

• Aussie-born member, Danielle Marsh was the voice of “Ariel” in the Korean dub of ‘The Little Mermaid’

• The Powerpuff Girls, for their album visuals for ‘Get Up’ and ‘NewJeans’ MV

• South Korean actress/model Hoyeon (Squid Game) and Hong Kong actor Tony Leung (Red Cliff, In the Mood for Love, Shang-Chi, etc.)

• Apple Inc, where the group filmed their entire music video for ‘ETA’ on an iPhone

• League of Legends, releasing their song ‘Gods’

To say that netizens have taken a liking to the K-Pop group is an understatement. NewJeans is unlike most girl groups I’ve seen before, not only can all the members speak English (helping to increase their reach to a global audience) ... Between their refreshing vocals, intense (yet fun) choreography, consistency in delivering innovative concepts, and well thoughtout storytelling in their videos, the group has truly set themselves apart from the rest.

If this is what a rookie girl group can do within a year, we can only imagine how they’re going to dominate in the years to come.

Stage Name: Hanni

Birthday: October

Age: 19 years old

Background: Vietnamese tralian Zodiac Sign: Libra MBTI: INFP Training Time: ADOR. Passed the Audition in October was part of Australian cover group AEMINA.

Stage Name: Danielle

Stage Name: Minji

Birthday: May 7, 2004

Hanni October 6, 2004

old Vietnamese -AusLibra Time: 2.5 years with the Big Hit Global October 2019 when she Australian K-pop dance AEMINA.

Birthday: April 11, 2005

Age: 18 years old

Background: Korean & Australian

Zodiac Sign: Aries

MBTI: ENFP/J

Age: 19 years old

Background: Korean

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

MBTI: ESTJ

Training Time: 2.5 years with ADOR, 2 years with Source Music.

Stage Name: Hyein

Birthday: April 21, 2008

Age: 15 years old

Background: Korean

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

MBTI: INFP

Training Time: 2.5 years with ADOR. Was also a child model and South Korean TV Personality (2010-2012).

Stage Name: Haerin

Birthday: May 15, 2006

Age: 17 years old

Background: Korean

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

MBTI: INTJ

Training Time: 2 years with ADOR (unconfirmed). Passed the Big Hit Global Audition in October 2019, officially started training in early 2020.

Training Time: 1.5 years with ADOR (unconfirmed). Child model (2016). Former member of junior K-pop group U.SSO Girl (20172018). Former member of PocketTV and Play With Me Club (2019-2021).

Highball Day And Night

In this issue of Harmo-zine, we wanted to highight an international campaign targeting Asian consumers. In China, there is a trend of ‘morning C evening A’, as white collar workers need C (coffee) to wake up and A (alcohol) for indulging and escaping. Thus, Jim Beam and Manner Coffee have collaborated to create: Highball Day and Night.

What is Anti-PUA? In China...

A strong anti-PUA trend is rising among youngsters

Originally PUA stands for ‘pick-up artists,’ which means a person purposefully confuses someone by giving them false information in order to create doubt in their own memory. PUA can also be used as a verb, with the meaning of gaslighting or manipulate. Anti-PUA means individuals trying to get rid of those situations, in both personal life and workplace. Since Anti-PUA has become popular among Gen-Z consumers, the messaging in the campaign is aligned to reflect these beliefs.

The Concept

Leveraging the Chinese double meaning of highball = good, Jim Beam and Manner are showing support to youngsters to express their attitude by telling them “how good you are.”

In September, the brands launched the campaign in 1000 stores nationwide. Cup sleeves on the drinks have been designed with social expressions and compliments leveraging the double meaning of highball/good, Customers received a special highball glass when buying 2 of our themed drinks. We also offered free highball

trials at 7 theme stores for anyone who brings their glass. Members of the Manner reward program were also able to exchange credits for GWPs (Gift with Purchase).

When we released our first Harmo-zine, Natasha Teo excitedly should do … ‘Spotted! by Harmony Paparazzi’” where Harmonies and location for us to include in Harmozine. Nat wanted to since it’s hard to know members

Vi dubbed this concept: “Harmorazzi.” For this edition – because lot of pictures of Nat and Vi(!) with

excitedly emailed Kathleen Oku and Vi Bui about an idea: “We Harmonies would take pictures together and send with names connect and portray Harmony members IRL (“in real life”) members only via Teams profile pics.

because only Nat, Vi, and Kathleen knew about it – there are a with each other and fellow Harmonies.

Mid-Autumn Madness 2023

Harmony's Q3 Playlist: Moon Phasin'

About the Artists & Songs

If you’re a person who grew up in the era of CDs or vinyls and read every album from cover to cover to read the lyrics, see who artists thank, who wrote each song, etc. – or go down rabbit holes doing moreor-less the same thing virtually – we’re here for you. There is an incredible amount of Asian artists with various backgrounds which we aimed to showcase throughout this playlist: Asian artists born in the U.S., artists who moved from their home country to pursue their dreams internationally (usually to the U.S.), artists who are rocking the scene locally in Asia and gaining international attention as a result, artists who social media tore down boundaries for regardless of location and language, and of course, our K-Pop powerhouses. We’ve gathered a diverse set of songs and artists, and hope you enjoy learning more about them and/or discovering a new song, artist, or genre to love.

CREATED BY:

VI BUI

Former Harmony Co-Lead Director, Digital Transformation

New Moon

Everything is new and exciting. It's a party.

Mood: Day Drive

Playback (for optimal listening & viewing)

Playback setting suggestions

• Settings and privacy > Playback

• Crossfade: 1 second, Gapless Playback, Automix

• Canvas: ON! See the artists song by song.

Tequila Sunrise

Jackson Wang, Higher Brothers, AUGUST 08, GoldLink. 1

Jackson Wang is a rapper, singer, songwriter, dancer and fashion designer from Hong Kong. He was also part of the South Korean boy band GOT7 formed by JYP Entertainment. He is talented and hilarious. If you’re about to get into a debate you don’t have time for, cue this song to :09 and dance!

3

California

2

LEFT RIGHT XG

XG is a Japanese girl group based in South Korea under the management group XGALSX. XG stands for Xtraordinary Girls. There are seven band members: Jurin, Chisa, Cocona, Hinata, Maya, Juria, and Harvey.They’ve been training since 2017 and debuted

on March 18th, 2022. Their musical style is considered X-Pop, which represents global music transcending borders. Their fandom name is ALPHAZ.

4

THE GIRLS BLACKPINK

Rich Brian is an Indonesian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He and NIKI (also Indonesian & also on this track) are part of the Asian artist collective 88rising. Both moved to Los Angeles to pursue their musical dreams – a common theme in many of their songs including this one. // The name of our playlist “Mid-Autumn Madness” was inspired by another 88rising song called “Midsummer Madness” which was on our first Harmony playlist.

BLACKPINK is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The name BLACKPINK is meant to convey the juxtaposition between black and pink – and more specifically, that their talent is more than “pretty,” it’s powerful. BLACKPINK has four members: Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa. After 5+ years of training, they debuted on August 8th, 2016. They’ve broken many musical records collectively and individually. We did a feature on them in our inaugural Harmozine newsletter. They are a big deal. Their fandom name is BLINK.

Rich Brian, NIKI, Warren Hue

Naturale

Tell Me

FIFTY FIFTY 5 6

GMC, RINI

RINI is a Filipino singer, songwriter, producer, and guitarist from Southeast Melbourne Australia who currently resides in Los Angeles. He has fond childhood memories of his dad blasting music for their neighbors in the Philippines. He has collaborations with two fellow Asian artists on our playlist: GMC and thuy.

Super Shy

NewJeans

8 culture. Per Min Hee Jin, the CEO of ADOR who is also responsible for creating popular music groups like EXO: “Pop music, like clothing, is a part of culture that is inseparable from our everyday lives.” Their name is also a play on words for “new genes” conveying the same concept. Fittingly, their popularity skyrocketed quickly after their debut. On February 2nd, 2023, their single “Ditto” achieved the most “Perfect All-Kill”s in K-Pop history, surpassing IU’s “Celebrity” and BTS’s “Dynamite.” In K-Pop, a “Perfect All-Kill” is being #1 in daily, real-time, and weekly charts. As of August 2023, their songs have over 1 billion Spotify streams – making them the fastest K-Pop group to reach this milestone. In August 2023, they became the first K-Pop female band to perform at Lollapalooza in Chicago and Summer Sonic in Japan. Our article covering K-Pop bands in Harmozine, Edition #2 covers NewJeans. Their fandom name is Bunnies or Tokki.

9

NewJeans is the first Korean girl group to debut under ADOR, an independent label. They have five members: Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein. Their name conveys the timelessness of jeans and that every generation has a style of jeans representative of them. As such, NewJeans represents a new generation in pop

Your Joji

Joji is a Japanese/Australian his dad is Australian) currently resides in popularity – which, a YouTube character for creating the viral Though unclear if the the video for “Your captivating, free flowing,

FIFTY FIFTY is a South Korean girl group. They have four members: Sio, Keena, Saena, and Aran. The name FIFTY FIFTY is meant to convey the concept of a 50-50 probability. They debuted on November 18th, 2022 and gained massive attention and popularity with the viral hit “Cupid” which was on our first playlist. “Cupid” is the longest charting song by a K-Pop girl group on the Billboard Hot 100, which broke a record previously set by BLACKPINK. Their fandom name is HUNNIES.

Man

Japanese/Australian artist (his mom is Japanese and Australian) who was born in Osaka, Japan and the U.S. Fun Fact: Before his music gained his music, is very popular – he created character named “Filthy Frank” who is credited viral dance sensation, the “Harlem Shake.” the dancer is Joji, check out the moves in Man.” Both dances have similar vibes: flowing, and weird in the best way.

Her Alextbh 7

Alextbh is a Malaysian musician who has championed the LGBTQ+ community in Malaysia despite the social climate being dangerous for the LGBTQ+ community. He sees himself being a representative of the Malaysian community (few Malaysian artists have gained international recognition) and the LGBTQ+ community. He reaches out to his LGBTQ+ fans directly from time to time to check in on them. This song is thematically reminiscent of Calum Scott’s version of “Dancing on My Own.”

girls like me don't cry thuy 10

thuy (pronounced “twee”) is a Vietnamese musician who hails from the Bay Area (Northern California) and now lives in Los Angeles. She is proud of her rich Vietnamese heritage and being a representative of Asians in the R&B/pop scene. The remix of “girls like me don’t cry” featuring thuy’s favorite Vietnamese artist MIN debuted in Vietnam in March 2023 and entered the Billboard Vietnam Hot 100, peaking at #9 – showing the community’s mutual love for her and what she represents. Check out thuy’s caption for the video discussing how special it was to work with MIN, especially as they ran around Singapore filming the video together.

TOUCH keshi 11

First Quarter

Moments of confusion and clarity

Mood: Night Drive

keshi is a Vietnamese singer-songwriter born in Houston, TX. He learned guitar using his grandfather’s Vietnamese music book. His stage name comes from his childhood friend/ fiancé’s parents calling him “keshi” which sounds like his name Casey. A common occurrence with Asian elders and their pronunciation of American names!

AO Beats (AO stands for Andrew Okamura) is a Japanese-American artist and producer who became popular on SoundCloud by infusing his classical music training with hiphop.

Kiana V is a Filipino singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of Filipino entertainment icon Gary Valenciano. She wrote all the songs on her first album See Me which was released in 2019.

SATICA is a Cambodian singer-songwriter from Long Beach, CA. She grew up singing Khmer (Cambodian) karaoke. Several fellow Asian artists who heard her music helped launch and support her career, including the Far East Movement and K-Pop label SM Entertainment.

Ambrosia AO Beats, Kiana V, SATICA

lowkey

NIKI is an Indonesian singer, songwriter, and record producer who moved to Los Angeles to pursue her musical dreams. Her musical influences include Malaysian singer Yuna, Filipino-English singer beabadoobee, and Singaporean singer Sam Rui. “lowkey” (along with many of her other songs) is an Asian community favorite and can be heard in many TikTok clips. It’s wildly popular due to "shipping" culture – if you don’t know what that means, look it up! You will know why this song is frequently used in videos conveying “shipped” couples.

Thank You

JUNNY is a Korean singer, songwriter, producer who was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to Vancouver when he was 4 years old. In his adulthood, he moved back to South Korea to pursue his musical career. He has produced and collaborated on many songs with fellow Korean artists such as IU, NCT, and Gaeko. His musical style infuses R&B + rap and Korean + English.

double take dhruv 13

dhruv (pronounced “the-rhuv” rhymes with love) is a London-born Indian Singaporean LGBTQ+ musician. Yes, all of that. His family moved to Singapore when he was two. When he was 18, he moved to America to study data science and statistics at Yale but took a break to create music. “double take,” which was released in 2019, gained massive popularity on TikTok both in general and specifically after being used as the song for the viral trend: Photo Crop Challenge. It went to No. 1 in the Philippines and Thailand and was in the top five in the streaming charts in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore in 2021. The TikTok videos featuring “double take” have more than 285 million views, and on Spotify alone, the song has more than 212 million streams. His song “airplane thoughts” is a favorite of Hanni from NewJeans who was recommended the song by a fan. It is also a favorite of fellow Viet and Harmony co-lead, Vi, who also recommends “vulnerable,” “moonlight,” and “grateful” from dhruv’s debut album rapunzel.

Rouge TOKiMONSTA

Already featured in our playlist with separate songs Vietnamese artist thuy and Filipino artist RINI join forces on the track and video for “trust.” thuy’s parents are featured in the video. She speaks to her mom in Vietnamese leading into the video – a subtle yet heart-melting detail for the keen Vietnamese ear. Her and her mom also wear the traditional Vietnamese dress, áo dài, in the video. It’s an overall lovely video which features various couples and their love stories including her parents (at the end).

TOKiMONSTA is a Korean producer and DJ born and raised in Los Angeles. Her album Lune Rouge, which “Rouge” is on, was nominated for a Grammy in 2019 for “Best Dance/Electronic Album.” She was the first Asian-American producer to receive a nomination in this category. Amazingly, she worked on Lune Rouge following a diagnosis of Moyamoya disease where she underwent two brain surgeries and briefly lost language and comprehension skills –so Lune Rouge was a meaningful album for her on many levels.

Full Moon

You don't understand what you're hearing or saying. But you feel things.

Mood: Foreign Feelings

Language: Japanese

19

Broad translation of song title: most directly “Your Prisoner” but meant to capture the essence of being captivated, crazy in love, or enamored with someone. cinnamons is a post J-Pop duo and evening cinema is a J-Pop quartet – both based in Tokyo, Japan. With this collaboration, both bands became incredibly popular due to this track going viral on TikTok. It is often referred to as “Kimi No Toriko.” In 2020, the song was ranked #7 in Spotify’s “Most Played Japanese Songs Oversees” and several versions & remixes have been released and used in social media. For the purposes of this playlist, we stayed with the original versions of songs to capture the essence of the artists. Also, pretty cool that on cinnamon’s Spotify bio, it states the female vocalist is “active while raising children."

Longjai ( )

Language: Thai

Pano

Zack Tabudlo

Language: Tagalog/Filipino

Broad translation of song title: “How.” Zack Tabudlo is a Filipino singer, songwriter, and producer. In 2022, “Pano” was the longest running #1 track on the Top 50 Philippines Chart. It made history for OPM (Original Pinoy Music) by entering several Spotify Top 200 Charts across Asia in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Vietnam. You can see many famous Asian and international artists/singers/actors (trying to) belt this song on their social media accounts. Tabludlo’s song “Binibini” was the most streamed song on Spotify Philippines in 2021 and earned him a billboard placement in Times Square in New York City.

for “Pano” with English translation here (turn on captions)

Broad translation of song title: “My Heart is Set.” BOWKYLION is a Thai artist who released her debut album “Lionheart” in 2020 which had several top-charting singles. She is one of, and by many measures, the most-well known female Thai artist at the moment. She was Spotify’s “Best of EQUAL” and “Top Thai Solo Artist 2022.” In 2022, she also won “Best Female Artist of the Year” at the Guitar Mag Awards. In 2023, she won the “Popular Female Artist Award” at the KAZZ Awards (Thai Entertainment Magazine). The whole Lionheart album and pretty much all her music is worth a listen. Her success, like Zach Tabludlo, earned her a spot on a billboard in Times Square in New York City.

Video

Video for “Longjai” with English translation here.

21

Now I Know

Kaleb

J

Language: Indonesian

Kaleb J is an Indonesian singer-songwriter. He was a semi-finalist on the “The Voice Indonesia” (Season 4; 2019). In 2021, he was the first Indonesian artist to enter Spotify’s Viral Global playlist simultaneously with his song “It’s Only Me” at #1 and this song “Now I Know” at #4. In 2022, he re-released “It’s Only Me” in collaboration with Singaporean/Malaysian singer Sezairi who is also on this playlist.

Video for “Now I Know” with English translation here.

Yours

Raiden, CHANYEOL, LeeHi, CHANGMO

Language: Korean

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Isa Lang

Arthur Nery

Language: Tagalog/Filipino

Broad translation of song title: “Only One.” Arthur Nery is a Filipino singer-songwriter. In 2021, he shot to fame with his single “Pagsamo” hitting #1 on the Top 50 Philippines Chart. That same year, he continued his momentum with this track “Isa Lang.” He has several hit singles and is one of the top artists in the Philippines right now. He held a concert in July 2023 at The Grand Theatre in Anaheim, CA.

Video for “Isa Lang” with English translation here (turn on captions).

Raiden is a South Korean DJ and producer.

CHANYEOL is a South Korean singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, actor, and model. He is a solo artist and also one of the nine members of the popular South Korean-Chinese group EXO.

LeeHi is a South Korean singersongwriter, who gained popularity after being the runner-up on the popular show “K-POP STAR” (Season 1; 2011).

CHANGMO is a South Korean rapper and producer. He was accepted into Berklee College of Music twice but didn’t attend due to not receiving a scholarship.

Video for “Yours” with translation here (turn on captions).

Last Quarter

You're done. Your heart. Has Burst.

Mood: LOVE.

Sunday-morning-dancing-in-the-kitchen vibes.

IT'S YOU

keshi, MAX 24

For You

LeeHi, Crush 25

keshi teams up with MAX for this track. MAX has also collaborated with Asian artists such as Hayley Kiyoko and SUGA of BTS. The video for this song is the embodiment of what Vi looked like creating this playlist.

LeeHi flows into this track with another collaboration – this time with Crush.

Crush is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and producer known for infusing jazz and funk with R&B. He has collaborated with many artists such as Gaeko, Taeyeon from Girls’ Generation’s, and most recently J-Hope from BTS.

P.S. I LOVE YOU

Paul Partohap, Yuna

Paul Partohap is an Indonesian singer-songwriter based in Germany. This single was released in 2022 and quickly gained popularity. For its one-year release anniversary in 2023, Partohop released an EP that included four versions of the song: the original, this collaboration with Yuna, a live version with a choir, and a sped-up version (which is popular for TikTok Shorts).

Yuna is a Malaysian singer who is widely known as one of the first modern Malaysian singers to gain international popularity. Fellow Malaysian artist on this playlist Alextbh refers to her as someone many Malaysian pop singers aspire to be and feel the pressure to become. She gained popularity in the early 2010’s via MySpace and had a popular collaboration with Usher (“Crush”) which hit #3 on the U.S. Billboard Adult R&B chart. Her first single “Live Your Life” was produced by Pharrell. In Malaysia, she is the 2nd most popular female singer after Siti Nurhaliza.

By My Side

Sweet

Filipino singer Zack Tabudlo teams up with Indonesian singer Tiara Andini on this song that closes out the “full moon: love era” portion of our playlist. If you’re still paying attention, Tiara and Zack are Vi’s 2nd and 3rd voice crushes on the playlist (LeeHi is the 1st).

Zack Tabuido, Tiara Andini

universe

thuy, Christian Kuria

Perfectly complementing “P.S. I I LOVE YOU” where the chorus lyrics are “I love you in every universe” comes “universe” which thuy re-released featuring Christian Kuria on the deluxe version of her album “I HOPE YOU SEE THIS.”

Disposition

It's You Sezairi 28

Sezairi is a Singaporean and Malaysian singersongwriter. He rose to fame in 2009 when he won “Singapore Idol.”

In 2022, “It’s You” (which was originally released in 2018) garnered over 100 million streams which made it a

six-time digitally streamed platinum record in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and gold in Taiwan. It was the first time a Singaporean achieved platinum-certification across three countries. In 2022, him and Indonesian artist Kaleb J joined forces to record a live session of each of their respective top songs – this song “It’s You” by Sezairi and “It’s Only Me” by Kaleb J. If you’re getting married, are in love, or simply love love songs, this song is for you.

The final song for the final quarter of the moon phases is “Sweet Disposition” by The Temper Trap –led by Indonesian-born Australian Dougy Mandagi. (Hopefully it’s been long enough since the release of this song that new listeners love it and those familiar with it find it nostalgic … it was wildly popular in 2009). Dougy Mandagi is the lead singer and guitarist for The Temper Trap. He is considered a rock icon in Indonesia and the Philippines (where many believe he is Filipino). In 2013, The Temper Trap headlined The Wanderland Arts & Music Festival in Manila where many fans screamed at him in Tagalog, and he had no idea what they were saying. While this song closes this playlist, it opens our “That One Asian Rocker” playlist where we cover bands that – you guessed it – had one Asian band member. Enjoy!

Mid-Autumn Madness

Playlist by Vi Bui

Harmony wishes you a

Happy Lunar New Year!

Designed By: Kathleen Oku