The classic 1990s Taiwan song, “Free” was played for the second time at the party. But the whole crowd was still moving their bodies, shaking their heads off, singing and shouting out loud with the music.
Taiwanese Pop Night took place at Peking Tavern, a small Chinese restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, on September 15. One by one, Taiwanese individuals from different parts of Los Angeles joined the party.
As they entered the venue, guests were greeted by the warm, familiar rhythms of 1990s Taiwan, accompanied by laughter and the distant murmur of Mandarin conversations. For the attendees of Taiwanese Pop Night, it sounds just like home.
Other than “Free,” over 40 classic Taiwanese songs filled the room for four consecutive hours. Jolin Tsai, Jay Chou and F.I.R’s upbeat music took the audience back to the golden era of 1980 -1990s Taiwan.
“Every song brings my childhood memories back,” Stanley Zhao, a student at Santa Monica College, said.
The event was packed to the brim with guests spilling out onto the balcony and outside areas. DJ Mish, also known as Michelle Tsai, the host of the very first Taiwanese Pop Night, said, “I thought that there may be roughly 80 people who showed up at the party…In the end, over 200 Taiwanese people signed up.”
Distinct Paths, United by Nostalgia
Los Angeles is one of the largest centers for Taiwanese people in the United States. There are 200,000 Taiwanese Americans in Los Angeles,over a third of the Taiwanese American population in the U.S., according to the Taiwanese American Conference.
For many Taiwanese individuals, Los Angeles is where their American dreams come true.
After finishing her studies in New York, Ann Blue got a job as a pharmaceutical engineer in Los Angeles.
Although Blue secured a promising job, she still found herself failing to get rid of homesickness. She missed handshakes and braised Hundred Paged Tofu in her hometown. She started to miss boba pearls, even though when she was in Taiwan she wasn’t a fan of pearls at all.
“Every day I think about home…I check the price of flight tickets every day,” Blue said.
Jenn Tseng, a marketing manager working for a food brand, described Los Angeles as “creative.”
“[In L.A.] you are free to be as creative as you want, and to be who you want to be – nobody will stop you,” Tseng said.
Tseng moved to the United States in 2015. She initially relocated to Santa Barbara to attend the University of California, Santa Barbara, and moved to L.A. after graduation.
After all these years, Tseng said that whenever Chinese New Year arrives, she still misses home badly.
“I missed the time when I could get red envelopes and a reunion dinner…Festivals like the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year are the times when I feel the most homesick.” Tseng said.
Be Proud of Being Taiwanese: A Feature, Not a Foreigner
After the event finished, numerous audience members stayed to thank DJ Mish for hosting the party.
One of the guests even waited 15 minutes after the party ended, saying, “Thank you so much for holding the pop night…I just feel that it’s very difficult to find Taiwanese friends, thank you for providing such a unique opportunity.”
Hosting a party catered to the Taiwanese community is not a new concept for DJ Mish. As a Taiwanese DJ in Los Angeles, she has experience in playing traditional music toTaiwanese crowds in the U.S. However, there was little to no reaction, since the audiences were not familiar with any of the Taiwanese songs she played.
DJ Mish was was initially frustrated. “With so many Taiwanese people moving to California after growing up in Taiwan, how come there was never a gathering for us to sing Taiwanese songs and connect with each other?” she said.
Growing up in Taiwan, DJ Mish sought greater opportunities for her career and relocated to Los Angeles six years ago. She noted that the career path for DJs in Taiwan is more narrow and most DJs are not treated professionally or with respect.
“People in Los Angeles treat DJs more seriously,” Tsai said.
However, leaving home was not easy. “I will be treated as a princess in my family in Taiwan…I never thought I’d have to worry so much about finding a house, buying a car, and learning to cook after moving here. I was all alone,” Tsai said.
Experiencing loneliness, DJ Mish soon made up her mind and started to socialize. She never refused a single opportunity to play music. Her effort quickly paid off. In her first year in Los Angeles, she played music on 52 different occasions.
That was only a starting point. With her astute music selection, she had DJed at the Coachella Music Festival and Electric Daisy Carnival. She was also invited to play music for clients such as Disney, Vogue, Universal Studios Hollywood and Fitbit.
Being a Taiwanese DJ in Los Angeles was tough, especially when DJ Mish compared herself to other local DJs who grew up in Los Angeles. “They had many friends, and they knew what the crowd’s taste was,” Tsai said.
Initially, she struggled with feelings of being a foreigner. “It wasn’t just about not knowing the crowd. Even getting basic things, like applying for jobs, felt difficult,” Tsai said.
For years, she tried to assimilate, constantly observing and mimicking local DJs, trying to blend in.
Her perspective shifted in recent years.
“I realized the more I tried to fit in, the more I lost what made me unique. I became just another DJ, no different from everyone else. And then it hit me—what makes me unique is my Taiwanese identity,” DJ Mish said. “I realized that I wanted to be known as a Taiwanese DJ.”
The party was a part of her plan to rebuild her brand as a DJ for the Taiwanese community. DJ Mish laughed and said, “Everyone who came to the event today now knows me. If they’re planning a wedding, or they need someone to play music for Taiwanese people, I will be the one they reach out to.”
Now, DJ Mish is planning to hold more Taiwanese Pop Nights in Las Vegas, New York, Houston and Seattle. The next Taiwanese Pop Night will take place in Baba’s House, a restaurant in the Bay area, on October 18.
Wherever Taiwanese people are, she would like to be there. She said, “I’m Taiwanese, and I’m just going to own that.”