Q&A: AAPI Month Highlights Pulse Events Founder Luffy Huang
★★ BY Tiffany Le ★★
Luffy Huang and friends with electronic music duo Slander at Pulse’s 2024 Lunar New Year Spring Festival
ASIAN REPRESENTATION IN WESTERN MAINSTREAM MEDIA — has taken huge leaps over the last decade, gracing us with some memorable pieces of work that Western Asians keep close to the heart, such as blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians and record label 88rising. With the rise of TikTok’s influence on the music industry, the most recent years have, on a larger scale, introduced international Asian talents such as newcomer K-Pop groups NewJeans and Le Sserafim.
While this may seem like the result of the virtual interconnectedness society has developed post-pandemic, the reality is this globalization of shared popular culture has been in the making for longer than we realized.
In honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Month coming to a close, we got the chance to sit down with the CEO of Pulse Events, Luffy Huang. Pulse is an event company committed to bringing popular Asian traditions, such as Lunar New Year and Spring Festival, overseas into the Western dance music festivals, in hopes of bridging the gap between Eastern and Western cultures. This year, Pulse’s beloved S2O festival will see its U.S. debut, celebrating the Thai New Year in New York City with headliners Subtronics and Marshmello.
While Pulse has only been around for under a decade, it’s already been making waves globally thanks to Huang’s leadership and nearly 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Read the full conversation below for Huang’s personal take on Pulse’s journey, achievements, and future endeavors.
Pulse’s S2O waterworks
LUNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us! With festival season and AAPI month, now’s a better time than any to celebrate the work of you and your team. I thought I’d start by catching up and seeing how you’ve been doing and what Pulse has in store for this season.
HUANG: I’m very happy to join the interview. This summer season, we are ready to bring Asian top music festival S2O to the US [in New York for the first time]. We are very excited — we hope to deliver the culture, the happiness, and the idea from S2O from Asia to the US, to let everybody enjoy the festival.
LUNA: The festival is also celebrating Songkran, the Thai New Year. Do you think you can explain to us the significance of the festival’s water elements in Thai culture for the new year?
HUANG: So Songkran is like China's Lunar New Year for Thailand; normally for the new year we give each other wishes of good luck, good health, good life. Water is to celebrate the Thai New Year’s element — if you go to Thailand for Songkran, everybody will splash water as their good wishes. Water for Songkran is very important; we hope to deliver this energy to the US.
LUNA: In that way, Pulse isn’t your average event company — your mission statement is to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western cultures through music. Music has always been a universal language. What inspired you to bring this cultural merge to physical events and communities overseas?
HUANG: About 15 or 20 years ago, I was a singer and TV host in China. At the time, music was my dream, my language for sharing energy and ideas. I [hoped to do something successful] in the US music industry. After singing and the TV host job, I [toured with artists I felt had real talent] and helped them [get] on stage to share their talent to all the fans. In 2017, I joined the 3D concert tour to host in Europe. At the time, I [thought only] Asian fans would join the show, but it was really local people [buying tickets].
I think music is not only [about] language — some people don’t know Korean or Chinese, maybe they don’t really understand what the lyrics mean, but they can feel the energy. They can join together, they can dance, they can enjoy their time without language.
In 2020 I came to the US for a Chinese artist and music production and found [the industry to be] very open-minded. They like to try new markets and accept new cultures. I thought it was a good time to build up the new company and deliver all the connections and Eastern culture to the US… This was my next dream.
LUNA: It's very cool that you started with your own passions and aspirations in singing and hosting and created an entire company and realm, opening up so many opportunities for Eastern artists. Were there ever any difficulties at the start in bringing Asian culture into the popular Western entertainment world?
HUANG: There were some challenges when I started to build the bridge because they have different cultural gaps here. [For example], in February here, it’s still winter time, but it’s Lunar New Year and spring in Asia, so when we promote an event, we let people explain the culture [behind it]. I think this was the biggest challenge when I started, explaining and marketing Asian culture in the Western market. Also the language and workstyle, [especially] during the pandemic, when people got used to not meeting face-to-face. I think that [Pulse’s work] also helps us to break the distance and understand each other.
LUNA: The mainstream popularity of international music like K-pop has blown up quickly within the last couple of years, especially over the pandemic like you mentioned, when people learned to connect and share through these virtual spaces. How does it feel to watch in real time your contributions over all these years as you play a part in this growing celebration of international art and music?
HUANG: I’m very happy I can be part of this industry. Before I [started building] the bridge, I saw people [very hungry to] watch and learn, to join something new in their country. [Now at our festivals], I can feel everybody’s happiness, I can see their smiles. I think it is most important to me to feel what I’m doing. I really hope everyone enjoys the shows and content and have a good time. If I can let everybody who joins our events feel the energy, everything [I do] is worth it.
LUNA: Now that you’re meeting Pulse’s mission statement to bridge these cultural gaps more and more every year, what’s your next target?
HUANG: I’m very happy with what we’re doing and what we hope to do. We’re really pushing, but it’s not enough. I think this is just starting. I hope I can feature more culture, popular performances, talents, and musical life [that can have] a future together.
I hope to create more popular culture branding to show the US market, [for example bringing over autumn full moon parties and Mooncake Festivals.] I can [also] see many more US festivals [like Ultra and EDC] that Asian fans [might not understand], and maybe I can have a chance to help them promote in China and Asia. This is my next dream.
2024 Spring Festival’s Slander set
LUNA: I think that’s going to be a big hit in the unreached Asian communities in the US! Do you have any dream collaborations for the future?
HUANG: I’m a big fan of EDC, so maybe I can have a chance to help them do more Asian marketing. My wife and I first met at EDC, so for me it’s special. For artists, I hope I can help more Asian artists to have a special cooperation with US artists — that’s what Krazy Super Concert is, the K-Pop concert we created in the US. American artists have Asia tours and K-Pop artists have US tours, but [there’s not many chances for them to] feature cooperative performances or songs. I hope I can build the Krazy Super Concert stage to invite US artists and K-Pop or Asian artists for a special performance. This is what I [really hope to] make real.
LUNA: Are there any specific artists you have in mind who you would really like to work with?
HUANG: I hope I can work with Taylor Swift to feature songs and [share the stage] with Asian artists. I’m [also] a big fan of Illenium and Excision, so if they can have a B2B at our show, that’s like a super dream.
LUNA: Do you have any last pieces of advice for other Asian creatives finding their footing and pursuing their dreams in a westernized entertainment world?
HUANG: If you really hope to do something special in the Western market, the first thing is [that] culture is very important. If you have an idea featuring [your cultural elements], people [will] try to understand new and special things. Culture is very important for creation and content — [it’s] something only you understand … and people will [find it] very special [when] they try to accept and understand [it], and they will enjoy it.
