Arthur Joseph Rafael (born March 12, 1989), known professionally as AJ Rafael, is a Filipino-American singer-songwriter, YouTuber, and TikToker. Born in
Moreno Valley, California
Moreno Valley is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and is part of the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Riverside County by population and one of the Inland Empire's p ...
, he graduated from the
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
in 2010.
Rafael started a
Myspace account in 2003 and uploaded a song he wrote for a girl he met on the Internet. He also uploaded a
Meg & Dia
Meg & Dia is an American rock band formed in 2004. It was founded by sisters Meg and Dia Frampton before becoming a five-piece act (renamed Cowards Courage and released the CD ''Straight Out of a Story Book in Las Vegas'') where they started, ...
medley which garnered him attention from the band and received 30,000 views. He competed on
season 4 Season 4 may refer to:
* "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock''
See also
*
* Season One (disambiguation)
* Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* '' 2econd Season''
See also
*
...
of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' and was eliminated. In 2006, he posted his first
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
video which was a Meg & Dia medley. In 2010, Rafael released an
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. titled ''Juicebox''. Early the next year, he appeared on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''s recently created "Uncharted" chart. He released his debut album ''Red Roses'' in 2011 and went on tours in Southeast Asia and Australia to promote it. Rafael took an indefinite hiatus from touring in 2014 after he had difficulty filling seats at his concerts despite his having a half million YouTube subscribers and millions of video views.
Inspired by the film ''
Crazy Rich Asians
''Crazy Rich Asians'' is a satirical 2013 romantic comedy novel by Kevin Kwan. Kwan stated that his intention in writing the novel was to "introduce a contemporary Asia to a North American audience". He claimed the novel was loosely based on h ...
'', he started the ''Crazy Talented Asians''
variety show
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...
in 2018 to showcase Asians in the performing arts community. He has organized
charity concerts for
Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks Inc. is a controversial autism advocacy organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, an ...
since 2006 and started Music Speaks, an annual charity concert that informs people about autism. In 2020, Rafael released "Waking Up Sucks (Sometimes)", his first original song since 2014. He posted to
TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version ...
an impromptu duet he did with his girlfriend, Alyssa Navarro, of the ''
Mulan
Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history.
According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...
'' song "
Reflection Reflection or reflexion may refer to:
Science and technology
* Reflection (physics), a common wave phenomenon
** Specular reflection, reflection from a smooth surface
*** Mirror image, a reflection in a mirror or in water
** Signal reflection, in ...
". Filmed while they were in quarantine in 2020 during the
COVID-19 pandemic in California
Ten of the first twenty confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States occurred in California, the first of which was confirmed on January 26, 2020. All of the early confirmed cases were persons who had recently travelled to China, as testing wa ...
, the video went
viral, accruing over 10million views.
Career
Early career (2003–2010)
![Musicians at Pin@yPalooza](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Musicians_at_Pin%40yPalooza.jpg)
Rafael created a
Myspace account in 2003.
He wrote his first song titled "How's San Diego Pauli" in 2004 when he was 16 years old and uploaded it to Myspace.
He composed the song for a girl whom he had connected with on the Internet for her birthday.
Since Myspace did not support posting videos at that time, Rafael wrote
JavaScript
JavaScript (), often abbreviated as JS, is a programming language that is one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and CSS. As of 2022, 98% of Website, websites use JavaScript on the Client (computing), client side ...
and
HTML
The HyperText Markup Language or HTML is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. It can be assisted by technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and scripting languages such as JavaScri ...
to showcase his songs through the
RealPlayer
RealPlayer, formerly RealAudio Player, RealOne Player and RealPlayer G2, is a cross-platform media player app, developed by RealNetworks. The media player is compatible with numerous container file formats of the multimedia realm, including MP ...
media player plugin.
He posted a Myspace video of himself performing a
Meg & Dia
Meg & Dia is an American rock band formed in 2004. It was founded by sisters Meg and Dia Frampton before becoming a five-piece act (renamed Cowards Courage and released the CD ''Straight Out of a Story Book in Las Vegas'') where they started, ...
medley which attracted the band's attention.
The band shared his video on its Myspace page which led to the video's getting 30,000 views.
Shortly after, Rafael performed in a Filipino festival in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
.
He was a contestant in 2005 on
season 4 Season 4 may refer to:
* "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock''
See also
*
* Season One (disambiguation)
* Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* '' 2econd Season''
See also
*
...
of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' but was eliminated by three judges.
Rafael uploaded his initial
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
video in 2006, a medley of Meg & Dia songs.
On YouTube, he uploads covers of existing songs and composes
original songs
Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion ...
.
Rafael established the MoVal Concert Chorale in 2006.
Rafael became a
YouTube partner
As the world's largest video hosting website and second most visited website both by Alexa Internet and Similarweb, and used by 81% of U.S. adults, YouTube has had social impact in many fields, with some individual videos of the site having ...
in 2008, which allowed him to receive a portion of the advertising income when people watch his videos.
Following several years of uploading videos, his music career began flourishing in 2009 and at the peak of his recognition, he was making in the low six figures.
Since he attributed his success to forging a rapport with his fans, he routinely used
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
and
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
to tell his viewers about his day-to-day experiences.
In his YouTube videos, filmed mostly with his
MacBook in his living room, he shared with viewers how he connected with the songs he sang.
To stay connected with his viewers, he made posts on Twitter frequently and sought advice from them about the
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
and
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
for his piano playing when he livestreamed his performances.
Rafael released his songs on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
and
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
and did livestreams through
Ustream
IBM Watson Media (formerly Ustream and IBM Cloud Video) is an American virtual events platform company which is a division of IBM. Prior to IBM acquisition, it had more than 180 employees across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Budapest offices. ...
.
In a 2009 article in the ''Inland Empire Weekly'', journalist Lilledeshan Bose wrote, "Rafael's songs, whether on the ukulele, guitar or piano, are made in the same vein: sweet pop ballads. His voice is crystal-clear, with never a sour note in the mix."
That year, Rafael was an unsuccessful contestant with his band at
John Anson Ford Amphitheatre
The John Anson Ford Theatre is a music venue in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The 1,200-seat outdoor amphitheater is situated within the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. Located in a County regional pa ...
in the singing competition Kollaboration Acoustic III which seeks to raise awareness about Asian Americans in the performing arts.
By 2010, he had uploaded over 150videos that collectively accrued 80million views.
In 2010, Rafael with 178,117 YouTube subscribers was among the "50 most subscribed music channels".
''Juicebox'', ''Red Roses'', and tours (2010–2014)
![AJ Rafael cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/AJ_Rafael_cropped.jpg)
In April 2010, Rafael released his first
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. , ''Juicebox'', copies of which people purchased online. He performed songs from the EP during in-person concerts.
''
OC Weekly
''OC Weekly'' was a free alternative weekly paper distributed in Orange County and Long Beach, California. OC Weekly was founded in September 1995 by Will Swaim, who acted as editor and publisher until 2007.
The paper was distributed at coffee ...
'' characterized his music as "pop in the vein of
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single " The Remedy (I Won't ...
or
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...
with a slightly dancier, more-bubblegum-y feel".
That year, Rafael routinely performed in various venues in the United States and the Philippines and landed a contract with a
music management company.
In 2011, he was a member of the AJ Rafael Band with Noah Bartfield on bass, Jesse Barrera on guitar, and Danny Morledge on drums.
In 2011, Rafael, charted in ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''s recently created "Uncharted" chart.
That year, ''Billboard'' chose his band to compete with five others in "Battle of the Bands" with the winner performing in the
Billboard Music Awards
The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...
.
Rafael's band was defeated by the band
Gentlemen Hall
Gentlemen Hall was an American indie pop band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band consisted of Gavin Merlot (lead vocals, guitar), Rory Given (bass guitar), Bradford Alderman (synthesizers), Phil Boucher (drums), and Seth Hachen (flute, piccolo ...
.
To raise money for his first album, Rafael started a
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
campaign requesting $6,000 and received $11,000 from contributors.
He recorded the album in the
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
home of a friend.
Rafael released the debut album titled ''Red Roses'' on June 7, 2011.
Distributed by
Select-O-Hits
Select-O-Hits is an American independent record label distributor of music based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. They have been in business for almost 60 years, and distribute artists that include Johnnie Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, Three 6 M ...
, the album was sold on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
and at unaffiliated music retailers,
Target Corporation
Target Corporation (doing business as Target and stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American big box department store chain headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the seventh largest retailer in the United States, and a compon ...
,
Best Buy
Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...
, and
FYE.
It reached seventh on the
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
"Top 10 pop albums" chart and 13th on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Heatseekers chart.
The album has 11
original songs
Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion ...
that are all based on Rafael's past relationships and experiences: ''Here, Tonight''; ''Emma Watson''; ''Red Roses''; ''We Could Happen''; ''Without You''; ''Mess We've Made''; ''Five-Hundred Days''; ''She Was Mine''; ''When We Say''; ''Starlit Nights''; and ''Here All Alone PT 3''.
The ''
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded bro ...
'' said "We Could Happen" and "When We Say" had "catchy beats" that "have made fans out of casual viewers".
After being selected to vie for nominations for
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...
and
Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album is an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented ...
at the
54th Annual Grammy Awards
The 54th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 12, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles being broadcast on CBS honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011. LL Cool J hosted t ...
, he did not receive either of the nominations.
Along with a band that included Andrew Rhim on guitar, Noah Bartfield on bass, and Danny Morledge on drums, Rafael performed songs from the album in Southeast Asia and Australia.
For their first show on the tour, they played live at the Music Museum in the Philippines on January 18, 2012.
The attendees were primarily teenage girls.
The ''
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded bro ...
'' reviewer Pocholo Concepcion found that Rafael "exuded charm and confidence as he played keyboards and sang tunes that were so honest, you had to listen and believe what he was saying" and the songs "hewed close to pop-rock with catchy mid-tempo beats, at times shifting gears to allow lead guitar solos".
Rafael "engag
din a fantasy conversation" in the song "Emma Watson", "wax
dpoetic" in the song "Starlit Nights", "fe
tmiserable" in "Red Roses", and "relish
dthe past" in "Five Hundred Days".
He worked with the actor
Dante Basco
Dante R. Basco (born August 29, 1975) is an American film, television and voice actor. He is best known for his role as Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys in Steven Spielberg's ''Hook'', and Julian Lee in '' Fakin' da Funk'', and for his many vo ...
and the production company Kinetic Films to create ''Red Roses The Movie'', a musical that would have been inspired by his album with the same name and would have starred himself.
After
Typhoon Haiyan
Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. On making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the ...
struck the Philippines, they stopped work on the musical to concentrate on helping the storm's victims.
Rafael performed "We Could Happen" on the
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
morning show ''
Umagang Kay Ganda
''Umagang Kay Ganda'' (, also known as UKG) was a Philippine Breakfast television, morning show that aired on ABS-CBN from June 25, 2007, to May 5, 2020. Prior to ABS-CBN franchise renewal controversy, broadcast stoppage and the COVID-19 pand ...
'' in January 2012.
On January 8, 2012, he sang live on the ABS-CBN variety show ''
ASAP 2012
''All-Star Sunday Afternoon Party'' (''ASAP''; ), currently branded as ''ASAP Natin 'To'' (), is a Philippine television variety show produced by ABS-CBN Entertainment.
Originally hosted by Martin Nievera, Pops Fernandez, Ariel Rivera and D ...
'' with
Gary Valenciano
Edgardo Jose Santiago Valenciano (, born August 6, 1964), also known as Gary V., is a Filipino singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, actor, music producer and television host. Valenciano has released 39 albums, and won the Awit Award for "Bes ...
.
At the end of 2012, he joined
Maker Studios
Maker(s) or The Maker(s) may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Maker'' (film), a 1997 American drama film
*'' Makers: Women Who Make America'', a 2013 American TV documentary, a 2014 TV series, and related media
* Maker Studios, now part of ...
, an independent network of YouTube channels.
In a 2012 interview with the ''
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded bro ...
'', Rafael said his music was influenced by
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single " The Remedy (I Won't ...
,
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...
, and
Christina Perri
Christina Judith Perri (born August 19, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. After her debut single "Jar of Hearts" was featured on the television series '' So You Think You Can Dance'' in 2010, Perri signed with Atlantic Records and relea ...
, as well as the Filipino artists
Kitchie Nadal
Anna Katrina Dumilon Nadal-López (born September 16, 1980) is a Filipina singer-songwriter who was formerly the lead vocalist for the alternative rock band, Mojofly. Her popularity in the female OPM niche grew after she released a self-tit ...
,
South Border
South Border is a Filipino pop and R&B band formed in the early 1990s who gained widespread recognition in the music scene in the mid 1990s to the 2000s.
Origins and early years
Originally formed in 1993, the band whose name is a tribute to ...
,
Ice Seguerra, and
Gary Valenciano
Edgardo Jose Santiago Valenciano (, born August 6, 1964), also known as Gary V., is a Filipino singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, actor, music producer and television host. Valenciano has released 39 albums, and won the Awit Award for "Bes ...
.
In 2013, he spoke at NextDayBetter, a conference featuring Filipino Americans that is similar to the
TED Talks
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
.
That year, Rafael did a collaboration with
The Fung Brothers
The Fung Brothers are a Chinese-American duo consisting of comedians and rappers Andrew Fung (born March 30, 1989) and David Fung (born September 1, 1986), who are brothers born and raised in Kent, Washington, they gained traction in the early ...
for a video titled "Asians Eat Weird Things" in which they rapped at a
99 Ranch Market
99 Ranch Market () is an American supermarket chain owned by Tawa Supermarket Inc., which is based in Buena Park, California. 99 Ranch has 54 stores (as of June 2021), primarily in California, with other stores in Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Ne ...
about how Asians ate
century egg
Century eggs (), also known under a wide variety of names (see infobox), are a Chinese egg-based culinary dish made by preserving duck, chicken or quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls for several weeks to severa ...
,
balut,
chicken feet
Chicken feet are cooked and eaten in many countries. After an outer layer of hard skin is removed, most of the edible Tissue (biology), tissue on the feet consists of skin and tendons, with no muscle. This gives the feet a distinct texture di ...
, pig intestines, and
tripe
Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle, pigs and sheep.
Types of tripe
Beef tripe
Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's st ...
.
Hiatus from tours, ''Crazy Talented Asians'', and one million subscribers (2014–present)
In June 2014, Rafael penned an
open letter
An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally.
Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...
to his viewers announcing his indefinite pause from performing at live shows in August 2014.
Noting that he had over a half million YouTube subscribers and 113 million video views, he said he had difficulty attracting audiences to in-person shows.
In an interview with the news website
Rappler
Rappler (portmanteau of the words "rap" and "ripple") is a Filipino online news website based in Pasig, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It was founded by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa along with a group of fellow Filipino journalists ...
, Rafael said, "it's looking at these numbers and being like, 'How am I gonna turn this into financial support for me and my family?' That's the struggle as well. ... I have to be selfish for a little bit, I think, and kinda take it back, take a few steps back."
It was challenging for Rafael to make money from writing and performing original songs that were not released by a record label and he had personal justifications for his hiatus.
His last show before his break was in
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
on August 29, 2014, at
Father Dueñas Memorial School
Father Dueñas Memorial School (FDMS) is an all-male Catholic high school located in Chalan-Pago census-designated place, in the United States territory of Guam.
It is within the territory of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña. The school ...
's Phoenix Center.
[Daleno, Rocky. (September 8, 2014). "AJ Rafael rocks Phoenix Center. Artist announces band's last show together" (page]
1
an
2
. ''Pacific Daily News
The ''Pacific Daily News'', formerly ''Guam Daily News'', is a morning edition newspaper based in Hagåtña, in the United States territory of Guam. It is owned by Kaleo Moylan and is published seven days a week.
History
''Guam Daily News'' bega ...
''. Archived from the original (page
1
an
2
on 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2021-01-31 – via Newspapers.com
Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites.
In November 2018, ...
. He performed songs from his album ''Red Roses'' as well as a Disney medley.
''
Pacific Daily News
The ''Pacific Daily News'', formerly ''Guam Daily News'', is a morning edition newspaper based in Hagåtña, in the United States territory of Guam. It is owned by Kaleo Moylan and is published seven days a week.
History
''Guam Daily News'' bega ...
'' reviewer Rocky Daleno said it "was a truly incredible experience and one of the best performances from a stateside artist Guam has had in several years".
Around 2015, he started a Bounded, a clothing brand influenced by
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
.
In 2016, Rafael inked an agreement with
Disney Digital Network
Disney Digital Network is an American multi-channel network located in Culver City, California. It was originally the successor to Maker Studios, co-founded by Lisa Donovan, Danny Zappin, Scott Katz, Kassem Gharaibeh, Shay Carl, Rawn Erickson ...
.
In 2017, Rafael performed at
VidCon
VidCon is an annual convention for fans, creators, executives, and online brands. The event primarily features prominent video stars from across the internet. In October 2020, VidCon Now relaunched as an ongoing, free digital offering. Vetera ...
at the
Anaheim Convention Center
The Anaheim Convention Center is a major convention center in Anaheim, California and is the largest exhibition facility on the West Coast of the United States. It is located across from the Disneyland Resort on Katella Avenue. The original comp ...
.
In an interview with the ''
Orange County Register
''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digital Fiest/Media News subsidiaries. ...
'' for the event, Rafael, who said he never received a
recording contract
A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...
, said, "I tried, but I never had the opportunity. I felt like they weren't looking for people like me – an Asian-American singer".
On an October 21, 2018, episode of the music TV show ''
Coke Studio Philippines
''Coke Studio Philippines'' is a music television program in the Philippines featuring performances by various Filipino music artists. It is inspired by the Pakistani show of the same name.
History
Created by The Coca-Cola Company, the show has ...
'', Rafael performed with
Moira Dela Torre
Moira Rachelle Bustamante Dela Torre (born November 4, 1993) is a Filipino singer-songwriter. Born in Olongapo, Philippines, she began as a voice artist for corporate jingles and theme songs. In 2013, she competed in ''The Voice of The Philip ...
.
Rafael has been an actor, music director, and dancer in local
musical theater
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
shows including ''
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
''.
He performed in ''
Spring Awakening'' in a show produced by Riverside Repertory Theater in 2016.
Rafael assumed the role of Terk in a
Riverside City College
Riverside City College (RCC) is a public community college in Riverside, California. The college is part of the Riverside Community College District, as well as the larger California Community Colleges System.
History
RCC first opened in 1916 at ...
production of the musical ''
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
'' in January 2019.
He performed as Pepper in
East West Players
East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As the nation's first professional Asian American theatre organization, East West Players continues to produce works and educational programs that give v ...
's presentation of ''
Mamma Mia!'' in May 2019.
In February 2020, he had 933,000 YouTube subscribers.
On February 1, 2020, he posted an original song called "Waking Up Sucks (Sometimes)" to YouTube.
The previous time he had released an original song was in 2014.
Influenced by the film ''
Crazy Rich Asians
''Crazy Rich Asians'' is a satirical 2013 romantic comedy novel by Kevin Kwan. Kwan stated that his intention in writing the novel was to "introduce a contemporary Asia to a North American audience". He claimed the novel was loosely based on h ...
'', Rafael in September 2018 started ''Crazy Talented Asians'', a live
variety show
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...
that showcases Asians in the performing arts community.
The event, which had poetry readings, singing, and dancing, originally was hosted at the Rockwell Table & Stage in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
.
''Crazy Talented Asians'' subsequently was relocated to the David Henry Hwang Theatre after
East West Players
East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As the nation's first professional Asian American theatre organization, East West Players continues to produce works and educational programs that give v ...
began co-hosting it.
Rafael co-hosted the ninth installment of the show, which was virtual, with Alyssa Navarro in December 2020.
After surpassing one million subscribers on December 28, 2020,
Rafael received a
Gold Creator Award from YouTube in early 2021.
When he received the award, he had 567videos on his channel.
Charity and activism
Before 2010, Rafael performed his music on YouTube and Ustream for multiple charity events, including securing $8,000 that went to his church, $6,800 for a "Walk for Autism", and $4,000 for
Typhoon Ketsana
Typhoon Ketsana, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Ondoy, was the second-most devastating tropical cyclone of the 2009 Pacific typhoon season, causing $1.15 billion in damages and 921 fatalities, only behind Morakot earlier in the se ...
victims.
After learning that his nephew was autistic, Rafael established Music Speaks, a yearly charity concert that focuses on informing people about
autism
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
.
He has organized
charity concerts since 2006 and participates in activities hosted by
Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks Inc. is a controversial autism advocacy organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, an ...
.
Rafael was one of the leaders of the "#WashTheHate"
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
campaign launched on March 18, 2020, to bring attention to the
racism against Asian Americans related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the police
murder of George Floyd
On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's n ...
in 2020, Rafael said Asian Americans needed to "do better" in supporting
people of color
The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...
who are discriminated against.
On May 27, 2020, he wrote on
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
, "We can call out the injustices happening to us as we are being blamed for the coronavirus AND call out White Supremacy
ndracism happening towards the Black community by all other races (including ours)."
He created online posters with the message "FILIPINOS FOR BLACK LIVES" and bemoaned that some Filipinos did not like
dark skin
Dark skin is a type of human skin color that is rich in melanin pigments. People with very dark skin are often referred to as "black people", although this usage can be ambiguous in some countries where it is also used to specifically refer to d ...
, writing, that "
ilipinos need toconfront the colorism in our own community" since it "leads to anti-blackness then turns to racism".
Personal life
Arthur Joseph Rafael was born to Arturo "Jun" Rafael and Shirley Rafael, a nurse, in
Moreno Valley, California
Moreno Valley is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and is part of the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Riverside County by population and one of the Inland Empire's p ...
, on March 12, 1989. Rafael's parents met singing in the same choir.
His parents came from
Tondo, Manila
Tondo is a district located in Manila, Philippines. It is the largest in terms of area and population of Manila's sixteen districts, with a Census-estimated 631,313 people in 2015 and consists of two congressional districts. It is also the seco ...
, in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
[Analista, Norman. (September 7, 2014). "AJ Rafael wows Guam fans" (page]
1
an
2
. ''Pacific Daily News
The ''Pacific Daily News'', formerly ''Guam Daily News'', is a morning edition newspaper based in Hagåtña, in the United States territory of Guam. It is owned by Kaleo Moylan and is published seven days a week.
History
''Guam Daily News'' bega ...
''. Archived from the original (page
1
an
2
on 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2021-01-31 – via Newspapers.com
Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites.
In November 2018, ...
. He has three sisters: Justine, Jasmine, and Aileen.
Able to comprehend
Tagalog, Rafael in his youth consumed Filipino cuisine and attended Filipino parties.
His father, a pianist and choir director, died in September 1999 when Rafael was 10 years old.
After Rafael's mom remarried in 2020, Rafael gained three stepbrothers.
As a youth, Rafael accompanied his family in singing
karaoke
Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...
together.
Rafael started taking piano classes when he was four or five years old, first from his father and later from a classical instructor.
Rafael's father hoped that his children would not pursue a career in music because of its financial instability.
Rafael said about his father, "He brought music in our lives, and I want to show him that I can make a career out of it and support my family because he didn't feel like he was."
After Rafael's father died, he assumed the piano playing responsibilities for their church which drove his passion in music.
Rafael identifies as Catholic and in his youth attended Moreno Valley's St. Patrick's Catholic Church.
While in seventh grade at Vista Heights Middle School in
Moreno Valley, California
Moreno Valley is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and is part of the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Riverside County by population and one of the Inland Empire's p ...
, Rafael performed in his first musical ''
Bugsy Malone Jr.''
He performed in numerous musicals in high school and community college. He attended
Canyon Springs High School, where he performed in ''
Starmites'' and
Riverside City College
Riverside City College (RCC) is a public community college in Riverside, California. The college is part of the Riverside Community College District, as well as the larger California Community Colleges System.
History
RCC first opened in 1916 at ...
, where he performed in ''
Urinetown
''Urinetown: The Musical'' is a satirical comedy musical that premiered in 2001, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, burea ...
''.
Rafael graduated in 2010 from the
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
with a degree in
songwriting
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...
.
He has attributed Berklee professors Nancy Morris,
Livingston Taylor
Livingston Taylor (born November 21, 1950) is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Boston and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, he is the brother of singer-songwriter James Taylor, singer-songwriter Kate Taylor, singer ...
, and Scarlet Keys as influences to his songwriting.
Rafael is a fan of the
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, and is friends with former Laker
Jeremy Lin.
In mid-2016, Rafael began dating Alyssa Navarro who in 2020 was a
Walt Disney Studio employee in its "Multicultural Audience Engagement" organization.
During the
COVID-19 pandemic in California
Ten of the first twenty confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States occurred in California, the first of which was confirmed on January 26, 2020. All of the early confirmed cases were persons who had recently travelled to China, as testing wa ...
, Rafael sheltered in place with Navarro in their
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...
, apartment. While Navarro worked, Rafael frequently played the piano, prompting Navarro to sing along. The couple's music subsequently was played on
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
and ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
''.
They have two dogs, Kitchie and Bean.
Rafael and Navarro became engaged on December 13, 2020, at the end of ''Crazy Talented Asians'', a
variety show
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...
he had created. They married in August 2022, with
Dante Basco
Dante R. Basco (born August 29, 1975) is an American film, television and voice actor. He is best known for his role as Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys in Steven Spielberg's ''Hook'', and Julian Lee in '' Fakin' da Funk'', and for his many vo ...
officiating.
Footnotes
References
External links
*
*
*
AJ Rafael and Alyssa Navarroon ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
'' in 2020
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rafael, AJ
1989 births
American Idol participants
American musicians of Filipino descent
American TikTokers
American YouTubers
Berklee College of Music alumni
Catholics from California
English-language YouTube channels
Living people
Maker Studios people
Music YouTubers
Musicians from Glendale, California
People from Moreno Valley, California
YouTube channels launched in 2006