Soft guitar melodies filled the room as fans and casual listeners gathered at the Constellation Room in Santa Ana on Mar. 18 to see Chinese Canadian indie pop artist yung kai perform for his “stay with the ocean, i’ll find you” tour. The night, the seventh stop on his North America tour, was a milestone for an artist who has evolved from a cover singer into a touring artist performing on a stage of his own.
Known for his dreamy, soothing sound, Max Zhang, the rising indie artist known as yung kai, did not arrive overnight. Before his debut album and the tours, there were covers posted to TikTok that slowly pulled listeners in.
This reflects a broader shift happening across the music industry, in which a new generation of Asian artists is building a fan base directly through social media. Fandom is increasingly growing online through social media algorithms and fan forums, enabling artists to grow a community on their own.
“I found out about him like on TikTok,” said Mahima Tendel, a fan who was attending her second yung kai concert. “He posted covers, and I liked it back in 2020.”
That gradual, word-of-mouth rise is reflected in the loyalty of the fans who showed up. Rachel Zhu, who was introduced to yung kai’s music by her friend, described falling deep into his style of music immediately.
“My friend put me on yung kai back in December 2024, and I’ve only listened to him all of 2025,” Zhu said. “Like, I was a 0.05% top listener on Spotify.”
Performing the newer songs from his debut album “stay with the ocean, i’ll find you,” along with some of the fan favorites such as “blue” and “do you think you could love me?” yung kai kept a calm yet captivating presence on stage. The performance showcased live instrumentals and his gentle vocals for the audience to focus on the music itself, rather than relying on elaborate production elements like special effects and intense lighting.
The show began with another indie pop artist asumuh’s opener, which included his biggest hits such as “missing u,” “stay,” and “it’s just you, my dear.” He ended his set with “dance partner” and asked the audience to wave their flashlights in the air and sing along.
After a brief intermission, the show resumed with yung kai’s highly anticipated appearance on the stage. Fans welcomed the artist onto the stage with cheers as the gently playful, upbeat indiepop “how do you dance?” began playing.
Following the vibrant opening, yung kai moved through a mix of his biggest hits like “wildflower,” a duet with his opener asumuh, unreleased songs “stay with you” and “i think of you the most,” and even a cover of keshi’s “UNDERSTAND,” with fans singing along throughout the performance.
Like yung kai, keshi, a Vietnamese American singer and songwriter, started his career by sharing his music on social media platforms. He uploaded lo-fi hip-hop and R&B on SoundCloud back in 2017, where he gained traction and built a community. Both found their audience with social media presence instead of traditional promotional techniques.
The artist and his audience also shared special moments throughout the night in the intimate space that the venue provided. With the stage so close to the audience, yung kai often interacted with his fans.
“I can see you guys’ faces from up here,” yung kai said to the audience as he waved in different directions. “You all are so beautiful.”
The night closed with “blue,” one of his most beloved songs. As he was performing the song, yung kai threw flowers to his fans in all directions. Many hands of the excited fans shot up in the air to catch them.
“I went to the first concert, and I didn’t get one. And this time, I didn’t expect to get oneI got the one that he kissed!” Tendel said.
The sold-out room in Santa Ana not only celebrates the growth in his journey as an artist but also reflects the future in utilizing unconventional approaches and tools to break into the music industry. With his performance in California at the Troubadour in Los Angeles last weekend behind yung kai, the artist and his team head east to Arizona, then Texas, for more shows.