This brand-new body of work from Malaysian-born Dyan is a result of the artist's time at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum, as a Generations Music Fellow – their fellowship was between April and October of this year.
Dyan's performance style typically blends electronic music influenced by Asian instrumentation and culture. At the forefront of all of Dyan's creations is a quest to connect with the Asian diaspora, and their queer identity.
Dyan also founded Worship Queer Collective, recognised and cited as part of the global movement to unite the Queer Asian community. It continues to champion Queer Asian Excellence through sold-out events. . . And fans can hear Dyan's 'Empress 皇后' EP in its entirety at an upcoming Worship Queer Collective event in Sydney. Details below.
There are a number of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC artists which Dyan collaborated with to be a part of the EP. The likes of AnSo, Salllvage, Jamaica Moana, and Mindy Meng Wang.
I sound like... 2000s electronic dance pop but make it queer, Asian and genderless.
My first gig was... Playing classical music on the piano in school back in Malaysia.
If there was one queer artist I could add to a festival line-up to make it better it would be... Rina Sawayama!
In the studio I usually... Start writing music with just the piano.
If I could tour with anyone... I would say local queer POC legends Jamaica Moana, BVT, AnSo, Chela, Marcus Whale and Vetta Borne (whom I’m supporting on 19 November!)
Social media is... Not real.
My favourite app at the moment is... Voice memos. I use it to record melody whenever I get inspired.
The best piece of advice I ever received was... Think of every moment as a new beginning, every breath is a new chapter. It’s never too late to start over.
The most scary scenario I've found myself in was… When we drove to Melbourne recently for our Melbourne Fringe debut and got hit by a massive truck near Albury and it smashed our rear window.
Three queer celebrities from any field you'd invite around for a dinner party would be... I would pick three Asian celebrities instead – Michelle Yeoh, Yayoi Kusama and Scarlett Johansson as a Japanese woman in 'Ghost In The Shell'.
If we came to your place, what would you cook us? It will be spicy.
The best thing about being part of the queer community is... Finding strength through lived experiences in other QTPOCs.
If you could tell young, aspiring queer artists one thing, it would be... Find your voice, discover what is important for you and talk about it through your art.
What chore do you dislike the most? Does leg day count?
Do you have any phobias? I have a fear of height and I’m really terrified of monkeys.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? I was on ABC TV’s 'You Can’t Ask That?' as a guest on their Chinese-Australian episode! I would love to do 'Eurovision' one day if there’s a queer Asian version of it.
Dyan Tai's EP 'Empress 皇后' is out now. Dyan plays a Worship Queer Collective 'Queer Asian Excellence' live show at The Powerhouse Museum (Sydney) on 24 November.
