Curating this year's Musika Discipline for
​ the 27th Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture is
A.J Rafael!

A.J Rafael
FPAC Musika Curator

"I am so honored to have been asked to curate part of the music program for FPAC 2020. FPAC has played a big role in my life because I've met a lot of the Filipino community of artists and beyond there that I still am close with today. Being someone who loves to bring people together for events myself, I put together a songwriter circle for FPAC 2020 called "Filipino American Songwriter's Circle". Having gone to a music school and hosting hundreds of jam sessions at my house in the Inland Empire, I wanted to bring that same spirit and vibe to everyone virtually for this event. I have put together some of the best FilAm singer/songwriters in North America to showcase their original work to you all at home to bring inspiration, healing, and joy during this important time in our history."- A.J Rafael

​AJ Rafael is a singer/songwriter from Moreno Valley, CA. With over 970,000 subscribers on YouTube, and 900,000 listeners on Spotify... AJ was recognized as a Fil-Am Game Changer by the City of Los Angeles in 2017. His debut album, Red Roses, charted on Billboard and at #4 on the Pop iTunes Charts. AJ continues to make music and upload videos as he did when he first started back in 2006. He is also active in the theatre world, performing and music directing in theaters around the United States such as East West Players & American Repertory Theatre.

Knowa Lazarus
FPAC Hip Hop Curator

" I am super blessed to be a part of FPAC 2020 it truly is full circle for me. From being in the audience to performing and now to being an artist curator. FPAC has been a staple in the Filipino-American community and was also a big part of my journey of discovering my cultural identity as it exposed me to the abundance of talents, passion and purpose within our community. Since this year, due to the pandemic we are having a virtual festival, I looked at it as an opportunity to build bridges globally as we have South East Cartel from Canada featuring Gloc-9 from Philippines, DJ Rocky Rock aka King Pare a pioneer in the music industry featuring Mark Pelli of the band Magic!, and lastly my group Q-York along with Swiss Native singer-songwriter Jeffrey Abrego. Beyond being artists we are all community builders and advocates of spreading our Filipino culture through the Hip Hop. It's about entertainment and education or what we like to call "edutainment". May you heal, be inspired and of course have fun! This is a celebration of the greatness of our people. Salamatikz FPAC! " - Knowa Lazarus of Q-York


Knowa Lazarus is ½ of the super duo music group “Q-York”. He is a multi-faceted MC, rapper, songwriter, performer and entrepreneur. Endorsed by FIBA 3X3 as an MC he travels the world yearly and is internationally known for his catch phrase #IzGuuud! A versatile rapper and songwriter, Knowa has a vast catalog of music spanning across genres. Besides entertainment, Knowa Lazarus is founder of his own creative and multimedia studio, www.neubreed-media.com. He also founded www.samasamafoundation.org and through sales of Q-York's certified Gold album "The Philippine Dream" fed 35000+ children in The Philippines.

​

Ella  Jay Basco made her big screen debut in Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) as DC Comics’ ‘Cassandra Cain’ opposite Margot Robbie, released  by Warner Bros. Ella is a singer/songwriter and accomplished musician playing the guitar, piano and ukulele. She is also a trained dancer.

Jej Vinson -Filipino phenom JEJ began singing at a very young age, and while OPM (Original Philippine Music) was a staple in his childhood, he quickly developed a soulful vocal style and artistry aligned with American R&B greats like Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston. In just a few short years in the United States, JEJ has developed an impressive performance resume that spans from the BMI Pop Awards to Carnegie Hall to the White House. His most recent accomplishment was getting on the 16th season of Emmy-award winning TV show, "The Voice", that landed him a place in the top 13. 

Annie Nepomuceno- @annienep1 As a Vocalist, Musical Arranger, Music Teacher and Concert Producer, Annie Nepomuceno has been actively performing in Los Angeles for over a decade. She has also performed in musical theatre, appeared as a regular in a local TV show, and emcees events. As headliner, her pop vocal trio Three of a Kind released several albums in the Philippines and the USA.

Michael Barnum is a singer/songwriter/livestreamer from Southern California known worldwide for his weekly live music broadcasts on the live streaming platform, Twitch. Michael has headlined concerts at the Hotel Café, The Mint LA, and Bar Lubitsch, including performances internationally. His latest EP, "Breaking Habits" is available on all platforms now.

---

---

Maria Aragon is a musician born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada. Honing her craft from a young age, her earliest stage was the Internet in 2008, when she began singing to friends and family on the video-sharing platform YouTube. A singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and performer, Maria aims to connect through songs that reflect on close-knit and intimate personal stories, yet ring true for generations of listeners.

Noel Lucas Geniza, otherwise known as “Lukey” is a Filipino-American digital multimedia artist, musician, and audio engineer based in Philadelphia, PA. ​​

Southeast Cartel is a Pinoy Hip Hop group based in Toronto, Ontario (Canada). Their name is a combination of their roots - Philippines being located in South East Asia, and the group's business mentality in the sense that as a cartel looks to push 'dope' (drugs), so does the group look to push out 'dope' (good) music to the people. 

DJ Rocky Rock is a double platinum producer with the Black Eyed Peas on their hit album Monkey Business. He is also a world champion DJ and has performed with the likes of Linkin Park, and Sublime. More than a DJ, Rocky Rock also known as King Pare and is an accomplished rapper / recording artist selling 200,000+ units in the European market.  He is a California native with undying pride for his pinoy heritage. A pioneer in the game, Rocky Rock is all about community building and is now also head of Artist relations for Kumu, North America. 

Q-York is a multi-award winning Filipino-American Hip Hop record production duo composed of Flava Matikz (DJ/producer) and Knowa Lazarus (songwriter/MC). The
name Q-YORK stands for "Quality – Yields Our Richest Key" and also Queens, New York where the group was founded in 2001. They have released numerous albums and
appeared on various compilations and mixtapes worldwide. Q-York has also produced and written songs for major artists and corporations in many different genres. Q-York is endorsed by FIBA 3X3 as MC & DJ and they tour around the world with the international basketball tournament.
http://www.q-york.com