Gold Gala 2024 & Inaugural Billboard x Gold House Founders Party

Discover Proudly Amplifies Diverse Voices

Stars gathered at The Music Center in Los Angeles for the annual Gold Gala on Saturday, May 11. For the unfamiliar, the Gold Gala is hosted by Gold House, the nonprofit dedicated to promoting and empowering Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities. This annual celebration of the achievements of API individuals in various fields, including entertainment, business, and technology, is commonly described as the “Asian Pacific Met Gala.” The event brings together prominent figures to network, share stories, and recognize outstanding contributions.

As someone who was able to attend this year as a part of Gold House’s Gold Publishers program, the warmth and connection I felt from each person made it feel more like an Asian Prom, if you went to high school with people you admire from various fields, and that high school truly felt like home. On no other night, can you be in a dance circle with Harry Shum Jr. or cheer on Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Chloe Kim as she karaokes to Avril Lavigne. And the opportunity to see and meet people you admire from across all industries is shared by the stars as well, such as when musical artist Saweetie was on stage and saw Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever) in the audience.

“I’m about to fangirl! She’s my favorite! The future of Hollywood! Make some noise for my baby right here. But see? This is why rooms like this are so important. We’re able to see who we admire, who we follow, who we watch,” Saweetie said.

This event as well as all of Gold House’s initiatives truly encapsulate co-founder Bing Chen’s quote about creating one’s own opportunities and platforms, “if you can’t get a seat at someone else’s table, you can’t just shatter that room’s ceiling; you build your own house and bring everyone in.” And what wonderful House he has built as Executive Chairman & CEO of Gold House along with his team members. This sentiment about community was echoed by Bang Si-hyuk, founder of HYBE (the company that Korean boyband BTS is signed to).

“It was two decades ago when I first set my sights on exploring the American market. And while expanding HYBE’s global initiatives, I came to understand the importance of the community for that vital support on the ground, ” said Bang.

The Gold Gala honors Gold House’s annual A100 list, one hundred members of the community who have made a remarkable impact on today’s culture, especially when it comes to representation and achievement. The evening capped off with a performance from 2023 A100 honoree Saweetie who received the first-ever Billboard Gold Music Honor award that night.

Proceeding the Gala was the inaugural Billboard x Gold House Founders Party, which kicked off with a special performance from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 winner Nymphia Wind, a headlining set from producer/DJ Steve Aoki, a karaoke room presented by Rakuten Viki, and an additional set from DJ Hu Dat. Our friends at The Lounge Booth were present to take portrait photographs of the guests in attendance, BOPOMOFO provided milk tea beverages, and small bites came from Panda Express. Seriously, the ideal Asian Prom experience.

The author’s content and opinions have not been pre-reviewed, approved or endorsed by Discover.