A Star Channel is Born: MYX® scores big with MYX Mash

May 27, 2010 - PRLog -- “I’m not here to throw a concert; I’m here to throw a party!”

Grammy-winning hip hop giant T-Pain summed up what thousands who trooped to Bill Graham Civic Auditorium last May 22 experienced at MYX Mash, the coming-out concert of MYX®, America’s only Asian American music entertainment fusion and lifestyle channel.  Co-presented by Comcast, MYX Mash lived up to its promise of becoming the biggest concert event in the West Coast in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

The talent line-up was truly diverse and international: imagine African American rap artist T-Pain sharing the stage with K-Pop’s pride, The Brown-Eyed Girls from Korea, and Filipino-Puerto Rican-American producer-songwriter turned solo artist, Bruno Mars.  The result was a night-long, united shout-out of cheers and support from the equally mixed audience, which turned out to be fans of all the performers.

Bruno Mars kicked off the party with a winning repertoire that showed his guitar-playing skills and outstanding musicality.  Ladies swooned over the good-looking and charming Mars, but he impressed all with his great set of vocal pipes: he has one of the most listenable voices in today’s mainstream pop.  His ability to swing from genre to genre also attests to his versatility.  No over-the-top stage sets or dance moves for this guy, but he thrilled with beautifully constructed and performed pop: Somewhere in Brooklyn, Count On Me (on the ukulele), the number one hit, Nothin’ On You - minus the rap and with the whole audience singing the chorus with him like an anthem, and surprisingly, a showstopping cover of Michael Jackson’s Dirty Diana. Make no mistake about it: Bruno Mars is bound for greatness and the San Francisco Bay Area saw him live first on MYX Mash.

Fans got a special treat when fifth season champions of Randy Jackson’s America’s Best Dance Crew – Poreotix – showed up for a high-energy number filled with wicked dance moves, humor and personality that won the crown for them this year.  The group from Westminster, California, who also performed at the MYX Mash pre-show, had the privilege of introducing the roses between two powerful thorns as repeated chants of “B-E-G” began to fill the whole auditorium.

Enter to the eardrum-shattering shrieks of fans: The Brown-Eyed Girls.  

Ga-in, Narsha and Miryo (minus Jea who didn’t make it due to visa problems) started with the song that shot them to fame: L.O.V.E. The stage was on fire with hot costumes and even hotter dance moves from the sexy girl band.  Then the ladies slowed it down with a surprise English cover of You Raise Me Up, which showcased their voices. This was followed by Moody Night, a slow, sexy track.  But fans who expected a lot of dancing from B.E.G. didn’t end up disappointed when they heard the familiar opening strains from the group’s global dance hit: Abracadabra.  A dance pandemonium took place as men and women did the famous “saucy hip” move that now ranks among the world’s top dance crazes.  It was a short night for the Brown-Eyed Girls but their debut live performance in the West Coast via MYX Mash will surely linger long in the fans’ memory.

It was finally time for the night’s biggest act to take the stage.  Flashy and fiery, T-Pain’s set was a full-scale production, enhanced and flavored with a cavalcade of props, lights, smoke, and dancers.  The man who said he’d throw a party did exactly that, riding high on the energy of the packed floor.  He ventured into a beat-heavy litany of club and radio hits: Freeze, Good Life, Kiss Kiss, Buy U A Drank, Low, Can’t Believe It, Dance Like Me, to mention a few.  The song Kiss Her from his new album RevolveR also made its debut that night.  It became a head-bobbing, roof-raising, crowd-jumping, fist-pumping session, with some brave souls even breakdancing on the floor.  And as promised, T-Pain went beyond the Auto-Tune flavored hits and wowed the crowd with soul-tinged vocals in some slow solos.  The man is a true artist who gave his all for MYX Mash.

“We promised an earthshaking day on May 22 and we delivered,” said MYX® Channel Head Miguel Santos with a smile.  “We’re so enthused by the turnout, the reception, and the world-class level of performances that are now all over the internet as uploaded by the fans who watched.  We thank Comcast for the partnership and the whole Bay Area community for the support they gave to MYX Mash.  This is just the beginning of bigger things to come from MYX®.”

“I was thrilled with the attendance at the MYX Mash concert in San Francisco” said Natalie Rouse, Director of National Ethnic Marketing for Comcast Corporate.  “MYX® brings strong programming to the Asian-American audience in the US and Comcast is proud to be a partner with ABS-CBN.”  Comcast also brought Olympic speed skating medalist JR Celski who graced the VIP Reception that the company sponsored for MYX Mash community partners.

"The concert embodied what MYX® stands for: a coming together of music, fashion and pop culture for the young Asian American," said ABS-CBN International's Managing Director Olivia De Jesus. "The response was awesome and so we are committed, more than ever, to engage this market through our initiatives on the web, on cable, on ground.”

"The success of MYX Mash, our first major event to promote our MYX® music channel which targets the 2nd generation Asian American market, was a very pleasant surprise,” remarked Raffy Lopez, COO of ABS-CBN Global. “Admittedly, we had moments of anxiety leading up to the event since this is a relatively new market for ABS-CBN Global. However, the astounding turnout at the event validates our belief that this is a powerful market segment that is largely unserved by current media offerings.  Serving the 2nd generation Asian Americans will be the next high growth area for ABS-CBN Global. The potential is significant and there is no media company in a better position to accomplish this."

For official MYX Mash photos, go to http://www.darrenlienphotography.com/#gallery/2.Events/MY...
(Please credit Darren Lien Photography)

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ABOUT MYX®
With its U.S. headquarters in Redwood City, California, MYX® was developed by ABS-CBN International, a US-based subsidiary ABS-CBN Broadcasting which is the largest media company in the Philippines and among the largest in Asia. MYX® is the only music entertainment and lifestyle channel dedicated to the Asian American community, utilizing music, culture and entertainment. MYX® can be seen on Channel 368 on Comcast’s Digital Preferred Tier in the San Francisco Bay Area, Comcast ON DEMAND, Cox Digital Basic Cable, DIRECTV 2067 and RCN. For more information, visit http://myx.tv.