At the age of 18, most of us are immersed in college life—three hour long lectures on Plato, communal bathrooms and crazy parties. Instead, actress Anna Maria Perez de Tagle lives a life of 12-hour workdays, movie premieres and auditions.

Filipino American dancer and choreographer Karla Garcia knew from her first solo that dancing was exactly what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. “I was 6 years old and it was my first tap solo onstage, and I loved performing, getting to feel the audience’s energy and having that chance to touch people in different ways,” says the 24-year-old “So You Think You Can Dance” contestant.

On a cold December night, Marié Digby is perched on the piano bench of a small performance space in New York City, about to launch into “Feel,” a song she says is about the low moments of being in love. As the subway momentarily roars past, Marié pauses her set to ask if anyone else in the audience “felt their ass vibrating.” The crowd laughs along as she quickly quips, “I have that effect sometimes.”

Truth be told, Tim Ouyang has no idea what kind of long-term situation he’s in. But public opinion seems to indicate big plans for this the lead singer/songwriter of Virginia-based pop-rock quintet, Tim Be Told.

A new generation of rap rock music has hit the airwaves in the form of afterschoolspecial. Hailing from San Diego State University, Dan aka Dan (emcee), Jaimie (vocals), Brian (keyboard), Keane (guitar) and Todd (bass) first got together while at school, but soon took their talent and creativity to a professional studio. After several years of touring and recording up and down the West Coast, the group was nominated for Best Hip Hop at the San Diego Music Awards. Dan, also a coordinator for the San Diego Asian American Film Festival, shares some insight on how the band is embracing their newfound rockstar-dom while also managing to stay true to their roots.

Read our series of stories on Kollaboration NY, an Asian American talent competition taking place June 27th in New York City. Mochi is a proud media sponsor and will be attending, so let us know if you’re attending as well!

Paul “PK” Kim is a man with lofty goals and a seemingly insurmountable mission — to unite and empower Asian American communities everywhere, foster young talent and educate the mainstream public about the so-called “model minority.”

On Gossip Girl, Nelly Yuki is perhaps the most complex character in the it-girl group. We’ve seen her buried behind her books, acting in a fat suit during the school play, using the girls against one another to climb the social ladder, and, in the finale, hitting on our dream boy Dan Humphrey after one too many drinks. Mochi meets Yin Chang, the actress behind Nelly Yuki, for the scoop on what goes on behind the scenes, from the casting office to the infamous fashion closet.

Tania Gunadi is one lucky lady. So far, the rising Hollywood starlet’s life has been defined by several fortunate events that have led her to where she is now.

At 25-years-old, Brooklyn-based poet Tao Lin toes the fine line between the sublime and the just plain ridiculous.