You’ve Been Pop Culture’d: AAPI Celebration Series Week 1: The Story of Arashi with Kelsey Uyeda

You’ve Been Pop Culture’d: AAPI Celebration Series is a 6-week course of AAPI in American pop culture and each week is a celebration party.  The month of May is also Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

It is without a doubt that Arashi was Japan’s greatest boy band with a career spanning two decades.  Arashi broke countless records in the history of Japan’s music industry.  Despite the challenge of competing with rivaling Western and South Korean music artists, the rapidly evolving music industry on a global scale and the progressive Millennial and GenZ generations, Arashi kept their momentum.  Their unexpected hiatus was a shock to the system, but together, we will celebrate their 20-year career!     

Kelsey Uyeda is a fourth generation Japanese American with a Master of Science Gerontology degree (CSULB ’20) and Bachelor of Arts Music degree (UCLA ’14).  Kelsey is currently a lecturer for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at CSULB and a virtual forum presenter for Keiro.  Kelsey has mad love for pop culture and its historical and sociological significance and impact on society.