Kollaboration SF 2011 is a huge success + winner announced
The 2nd annual show of Kollaboration SF kicked off at 5:30pm on September 10th at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall with a red-carpet event. All the guest performers, competitors, guest judges, and hosts stopped by for interviews and posed for the flashing cameras. Fans who were lining up to go into the concert venue could also catch a glimpse of the stars as they posed for pictures.
On a Friday evening, the event attracted over 1,500 attendees and many were lucky enough to take pictures with a few of the stars before and after the show. Check out the slideshow of all the stars at the red carpet, below!
Hosted by Nicki Sun and Roy Choi, the concert featured guest performers AJ Rafael, comedian David So, singer-songwriter Jane Lui, comedian Kabeezy, and dance groups Academy of Villains and Fallen Kings. Guest judges for this year included Anthony Garcia of MyxTV, Phil Yu of Angry Asian Man, Jeremy Lin of the Golden State Warriors, a representative from Marvell, and Clara C, the previous year’s winner of Kollaboration LA.
The show started off at 7:00 pm with the first competitor, Love Revolution, performing an original song, "Sunny Day." The band showcased strong vocals and blended in pop rock, jazz, rock, funk, and hip-hop to the audience. The lead vocalist demonstrated a commanding stage presence, calling out to the audience to put their hands up and groove with their performance.
The next competitor was Sol 2:7, with their band name inspired from the Bible verse Solomon 2:7. They performed a powerful medley of hip-hop, spoken word, and R&B, drawing loud cheers from the audience especially with the spoken-word. Each member of the group comes from a different background, with a vocalist, a spoken-word artist, a cellist, a violinist, and a drummer.
Taking a break from the competition, the next act was guest performer Academy of Villains. This 30-member strong dance troupe drew the loudest cheers from the audience with their intricate dance moves and left the attendees in awe with their strong visuals. They were also the winners of World of Dance, and performed a powerful medley of their complicated dance moves.
The next competitor was Shawn Megofna, charming with his ukelele and band. Consisting of saxophone, bass guitar, and drums, Shawn and his team brought a new blend of sound that was pleasing to the ears. He refers to himself as the island musician, drawing inspiration from Jason Mraz and John Mayer and blending in ukelele tunes.
Next up was 17 year-old Ji-Hern Baek. With a crowd of fan-girls holding up posters and screaming his name, Ji-Hern took the stage with a boyish smile and waved at everyone. He performed Demi Lovato's "Scotch Paper" and many audience members joined in, waving their cellphones during his performance.
Switching between competitors and guest performers, comedian Kabir "Kabeezy" Singh had the audience laughing and gasping for air. He has an extensive resume of stand-up comedy stints, such as performing in the Dave Chappelle and Angela Johnson shows. Kabir gave a strong show that had the audience roaring in laughter almost every second of his performance.
Rounding out the first half of the show, Alex Carbonel was the last competitor to perform before the intermission. With soulful vocals and her guitar as accompaniment, the Saint Mary's College basketball player charmed the audience with a different side of herself. She had just written an original song, "Tangled," and performed it for the first time at Kollaboration SF.
Johnny Hi-Fi brought alternative rock to the stage and with 7 CDs already released, they are certainly veterans of the music scene. They performed a track from their latest album, "Love Sold Me Out," and incorporated an interval where all the members were drumming. They performed with ease, as a result of sheer experience and strong charisma.
The next act was guest performer, Fallen Kings. With 3 members dancing, they were just as powerful as the first dance act. The members have participated in international and national break dance competitions and clearly showcased their high experience level and intricate skill to the Kollaboration SF audience.
The last competitor was ANAK, a four member acapella/dance group that captivated the audience with their stellar vocals and dance that went along with their song perfectly. This group wowed the audience and the guest judges, who gave them the grand prize of $1000, a chance to perform at Kollaboration LA, and a chance to open for Clara C's "Shakin' Off Silence" Tour stop in San Francisco on October 9th.
But wait, the show's not over! Guest performer Jane Lui had the audience become her backup vocals, giving all a chance to join in on singing away. For a moment, she appeared to be a choir conductor leading a choir of over 1,500 members singing. With a soulful voice and keyboard accompaniment, she delivered powerful melodies.
Taking a 180 degree turn, David So made a wildly popular response video to Alexandra Wallace's racist rant about Asians in the library. He has stated that because of one girl, he has chosen to make standup comedy his career. David had the audience laughing every second of his performance and gasping for air.
The last performer, and headliner, was AJ Rafael and his band. They performed "Emma Watson" with AJ donning a Gryffindor shirt in support of his favorite Harry Potter character. The second song was "Without You," dedicated to those who lost their loved ones on 9/11. More audience members waved their cellphones and joined in on the song.
Finally, the event ended off ANAK being announced as the competition winner of Kollaboration SF 2011.
Check out a recap video along with a behind the scenes look:
Kollaboration San Francisco is a part of the larger Asian-American entertainment movement, Kollaboration, that holds annual talent shows. Kollaboration San Francisco is one of the fastest growing chapters of a nationwide movement to empower Asian and Pacific Islander communities with the motto "Empowerment Through Entertainment." They are dedicated to transforming the Asian and Pacific Islander American stereotype of the model minority into an accurate representation of today’s contemporary Asian American community.
Stay tuned for Kollaboration SF 2012!
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