East West Bank Gold Music Lab Announces Inaugural Cohort

LOS ANGELES, August 5, 2026 (Newswire.com) - Gold House, the cultural platform shaping global opportunity, today announced the full inaugural cohort of the East West Bank Gold Music Lab: Laufey, Joyce Wrice, Karri, Mikayla Geier, and Hitsujibungaku.

Made possible through the generous support of East West Bank and its Foundation, the program provides selected artists with marketing grants for approved promotional activities, including music videos, album trailers, single rollouts, and digital campaigns. The artists also receive personalized guidance from Gold House and its industry partners, along with access to Gold House and East West Bank's year-round community of showcases and events. Building on the momentum of Gold House Labs, its broader artist development programs, the initiative reflects East West Bank's continued commitment to strengthening the entertainment ecosystem and elevating the visibility and influence of Asian Pacific artists across the music industry.

"These five artists represent the depth and range of talent within the Asian Pacific music community, and we're proud to support them through our East West Bank Gold Music Lab," said Bing Chen, CEO and Co-Founder of Gold House. "Our partnership with East West Bank has been instrumental in providing key access and opportunities for artists, and we are thrilled to support this inaugural class of grantees."

Meet the inaugural East West Bank Gold Music Lab cohort:

Laufey:

The two-time Grammy Award-winning Icelandic-Chinese singer-songwriter blends jazz and pop on her latest album, A Matter of Time. The East West Bank Gold Music Lab supported the campaign behind her "Madwoman" music video, which featured an all-Asian and Asian American cast and crew, including Hudson Williams, Lola Tung, Alysa Liu, and Megan Skiendiel.

Joyce Wrice:

The San Diego-raised, Los Angeles-based R&B singer-songwriter of Japanese and African American heritage is known for blending ‘90s-inspired soul with a contemporary sound on her debut album, Overgrown. Grant funding is supporting the production of an album trailer ahead of her new album, arriving September 18, 2026.

Karri:

The Filipino-American San Francisco Bay Area R&B artist and Billboard R&B Rookie of the Month has earned early co-signs from Drake, Lil Baby, and Kehlani. Grant funding will support the production of a music video for an upcoming release.

Mikayla Geier:

The Vancouver-born, Los Angeles-based Chinese-German alt-pop singer-songwriter was named a Spotify Artist to Watch for 2026 and recently opened Marina Diamandis's The Princess of Power Tour in the UK. Grant funding will support the marketing campaign behind an upcoming single release.

Hitsujibungaku:

Hitsujibungaku, which translates to "Sheep Literature," is an award-winning Japanese alternative rock trio formed in Tokyo in 2011. Known for its emotive lyrics and powerful, atmospheric guitar-driven sound, the band has earned global recognition, with music featured in popular anime series including Jujutsu Kaisen and Oshi no Ko.

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"Growing up, I felt a general lack of representation for people who looked like me in music and media. With the ‘Madwoman' video, I wanted to be that representation," Laufey says. "The result is what honestly feels like my absolute dream video and exactly what younger Laufey would have loved to see."

"We are truly grateful for this incredible opportunity. Our band name is written in Japanese kanji, which may be unfamiliar to international audiences, but we hope people around the world will come to know us through our music," Hitsujibungaku says. "We are eager to continue pushing ourselves creatively and expanding our reach globally."

The East West Bank Gold Music Lab aims to create more opportunities like these while broadening the representation of Asian Pacific artists through music.

To learn more about the East West Bank Gold Music Lab, please visit https://goldhouse.org/east-west-bank-gold-music-lab/

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About Gold House

Gold House is a platform where culture shapes global opportunity. Operating with the heart of a nonprofit and the reach of a world-class enterprise, Gold House brings people together through cultural experiences, entertainment, and entrepreneurship. We believe culture is the foundation for change: it forms who we are, who we know, how we love, what we build, and what becomes possible.

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SOURCE: Gold House

Source: Gold House