We're celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by honoring the legacy and history-making influence of our Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community.

With creativity as their compass, our visionary AANHPI creators continue to make waves across industries and inspire generational change. Today, we're kicking off our AANHPI Heritage Month celebration with the debut of our 2024 AANHPI Visionary Voices list and in-app programming initiatives that will feature our first #ShopAPI program, #APIMusic playlists, and the inspiring stories of AANHPI-owned businesses and creators on TikTok.


Meet Our 2024 AANHPI Visionary Voices

Photo Credit: TikTok

Our 2024 TikTok AANHPI Visionary Voices list recognizes 15 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander business owners and innovators who are visionaries in their fields and making a positive impact on and beyond TikTok. This year's honorees are forging incredible career paths in entertainment, fashion, wellness, food, music, film and more. Read more about our AANHPI visionaries below.


Creators

@jetbentlee (Toronto, Canada) - Chef Susur Lee and his son, Jet Bent-Lee, are making waves on TikTok by turning everyday foods like frozen waffles into gourmet delights using high-end techniques and ingredients found in home kitchens. The pair combine their cooking skills and content creation expertise to entertain their 6.2 million followers on TikTok.

@tisha_alyn (Los Angeles, CA) - Tisha Alyn is a renowned former pro golfer, golf media host, content creator, and talented trick-shot artist. Since 2015, she’s made waves in golf through social media, sharing her behind-the-scenes journey, and fitness partnerships. Her influence extends beyond the golf course, as she travels the world to host tournaments and brand initiatives, while advocating for the LGBTQ+ community and girls' youth programming as a queer icon.

@wtongi (Federal Way, WA) - Iam Tongi made history as the first person from Hawaii and Pacific Islander to win American Idol. Known for his soulful voice and skillful performances on the ukulele, piano, and guitar, Iam has released hit singles "I'll Be Seeing You" and “Why Kiki”, along with steady acoustic releases and performances at sold-out shows across the US.

@omgadrian (Los Angeles, CA) - Adrian Per is one of the most in-demand directors-turned-creators who has built a devoted and engaged community of half a million followers with his distinctive storytelling and visual flair. He is the co-founder of the full-service video and post-production company Lumpia Watermelon, where he has worked with notable artists such as Lil Nas X, Megan Thee Stallion, Kehlani, and more. His brand resume includes companies like Adobe, Mercedes-Benz, AT&T, HBO, and more.

@yourrichbff (Miami, FL) - Vivian Tu is a former Wall Street trader turned personal finance expert, NYT bestselling author, and host. With humor and relatable anecdotes, she’s turned finance into FUN-ance, simplifying personal finance topics for her millions of Rich BFFs, making conversations about money less taboo. Her debut book “Rich AF” became an instant NYT bestseller, she hosts a top-ranked business podcast “Networth and Chill,” and was featured on Forbes' 30 under 30 and Top Creators lists.


Industry Disruptors

@thuymusic (Los Angeles, CA) - Thuy is a Pop R&B singer-songwriter from the San Francisco Bay Area, known for her celestial vocals and modern R&B style. Her song 'girls like me don’t cry' made TikTok's Top 10 Global Songs in 2023. Named People Magazine's #1 Emerging Artist to Watch in 2022 and Vevo DSCVR Artist to Watch in 2023. Thuy made history as the first Vietnamese-American artist billed on the Coachella music festival lineup.

@laufey (Los Angeles, CA) Laufey (pronounced lāy-vāy) is a composer, singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist whose goal is to bring jazz and classical music to her generation through a more accessible road. The Los Angeles-based, Icelandic-Chinese artist is best known for her second album, Bewitched, which has been wildly successful around the world, winning the GRAMMY Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, setting a record for the biggest debut week by a Jazz album on Spotify, and reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Jazz charts.

@zariaparvez (Pittsburgh, PA) - Zaria Parvez is Duolingo’s senior global social media manager, known for growing Duolingo’s TikTok account from 50K followers in September 2021 to 11M followers today. Zaria is a role model for a new, diverse class of Gen-Z social media talent and has proven what's possible when given creative freedom and trust. Zaria has been named AdAge’s Social Marketer of the Year 2021, and featured on Adweek’s Creative 100 and Forbes 30 under 30 lists.

@thepsychdoctormd (Los Angeles, CA) - Dr. Sasha Hamdani is a physician and creator who uses her platform to amplify medically sound and relatable information about mental health in a digestible judgment-free way. Her videos help spread awareness about common health conditions and tips for everyday wellness.

@colewalliser (Los Angeles, CA) - Cole Walliser is a Canadian filmmaker, host and content creator known for his epic slow-motion video portraits on the red carpet with E!’s GlamBOT. Cole started out as a short-form director for artists and brands such as Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, CoverGirl, and more.


Small Business Owners

@celineglow (Toronto, Canada)- Celine is the founder of Sunday Glow, the world’s first personalized skincare subscription box that combines Korean beauty & Traditional Chinese Medicine wisdom. She was able to turn $200 into a fast-growing 7-figure business within 2.5 years, thanks to TikTok. Celine empowers women globally to embrace confidence through glowing, healthy skin. Beyond skincare, she advocates for women's empowerment, inspiring thousands to chase their dreams and embrace their inner beauty.

@lindatongplanners (Des Moines, IA) - Linda Tong is a small business owner from Des Moines, Iowa who began her journey by hand-drawing planners for friends. By weaving colorful illustrations with functional elements, her planner designs engaged users and sparked joy in their daily planning. Through the support of her TikTok community, she has grown her brand to encompass all types of illustrated stationery and organization products.

@sundae.school (New York, NY) - Dae Lim is the creative director of Sundae School, a lifestyle brand exploring the intersection of Korean heritage and youth counterculture. Born and raised in Seoul, Korea he immigrated to the United States alone with a suitcase at the age of 12. Through Sundae School, Dae explores his journey to solidify and expand upon the Asian American and LGBTQ+ identity through fashion, community, and storytelling.

@ranavat (Los Angeles, CA) - Michelle Ranavat combined her expertise in the pharmaceutical industry and her background in engineering to create a line of beautiful skin and hair treatments that honor her South Asian heritage. Founded in 2017, RANAVAT launched into Sephora to become the first Ayurvedic skincare brand to launch at the iconic retailer. The brand proudly donates 1% of proceeds to Desai Foundation, a non-profit organization in India that empowers women and children through community programs to elevate health and livelihood in India and the U.S.

@loveandpebble (Atlanta, GA) - Lynda Truong and Paul Tran are a married couple who founded the innovative skincare brand Love & Pebble. Promoting self-care through skin care with their revolutionary Beauty Pops, the first ever frozen facial that melts into a skin-loving face mask.


AANHPI Heritage Month in-app Hub

Starting today and throughout May, we're spotlighting inspiring, diverse AANHPI creators and brands who are using TikTok to celebrate AANHPI heritage and uniquely grow their businesses. Our in-app programming will also include a special #ShopAPI TikTok Shop hashtag challenge, featuring AANHPI entrepreneurs.


#NowPlaying: #APIMusic and Global Sounds

During May and beyond, we're showcasing AANHPI music artists who continue to make waves through their artistry and music. Our sounds page will feature an #APIMusic AANHPI Heritage Month playlist highlighting music from Visionary Voices @thuymusic, @laufey and more.


Spotlighting TikTok's Internal AANHPI Community with ARISE

Our internal employee resource group (ERG), ARISE, remains dedicated to acknowledging and honoring the global impact of TikTok's diverse internal AANHPI community, year-round. TikTok's AANHPI employees are celebrating AANHPI Heritage Month by hosting a series of internal events and programs to recognize the transformative contributions of our AANHPI employees and creators.

Join us in recognizing and celebrating the rich history and cultural impact of our Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander community on TikTok.