Innovating At Last

By Sara Stokoe

Ming-na has lived the prototypical American dream. After immigrating to the U.S. at a young age with her mother, and discovering her passion in life during the third grade, she has worked intensely to realize her dreams of being a famous Asian American actress. Recently, Ming-na, who played June in “The Joy Luck Club,” Chun-Li in “Streetfighter,” the voice of the title character in “Mulan,” and is a series regular on “ER” as Dr. Deb Chen, was named one of the most influential Asian Americans of the last decade by A Magazine.

However, now that she has realized her own dreams, probably beyond what she ever envisioned, Ming-na is helping to realize the dreams of other Asian Americans who are trying to find a name of their own in the entertainment industry.

A few years ago the Asian superstar teamed up with her superstar husband Eric Zee, a producer, playwright, and actor best known for his role as Dr. Peter Chow on CBS’s hit television drama “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” and his original play “Exit the Dragon,” to form the music production company Innov_zian Records. Their main goal was to create a company that would promote Asian American talent in the mainstream music world and help propel them to the forefront of American pop culture, something they have each done individually for themselves with amazing success.

After the foundations were laid, Ming-na and Eric set out on a nation-wide search for young Asian American musical talents. After looking far and wide, they returned to Los Angeles in 2000 with their first creation, a group of young men with amazing vocals collectively called AT LAST.

Currently, the group consists of three original members, Justin Fong, J.P. Leynes, and Ken Dela Cruz. The two most recent editions include Mike Lee and Hans Cho. The group represents diverse cultures of the Asia Pacific region, which they are each incredibly proud of, and all members are bilingual.

Their sound has been described as being rooted in rock and R&B, combined with a bit of hip hop and funk. Their sound also has an authentic Asian flavor formed by infusing traditional instruments such as the Taiko drums, which originated in Japan hundreds of years ago in religious festivals and ceremonies, and produces a thunderous sound, and the erhu, a Chinese 2-stringed vertical fiddle which has existed for over 500 years and possesses a gentle, but firm tone.

With their unique sound and flair this all Asian boy group is rapidly climbing their way to the top of pop! Not only have they performed on “The Wayne Brady Show”, Dick Clark’s “The Other Half”, “Showtime at the Apollo”, and Ed McMahon’s “Next Big Star”, but they have headlined with Justin Timberlake, Destiny’s Child, and Avril Lavigne. Rick Dees has been wildly excited by them as well, calling them “the breakthrough group of 2003.”

Ming-na and husband Eric Zee know what it takes to achieve dreams, and the unique challenges that Asian American entertainers face. They are now using their success to help bring other Asian Americans into mainstream pop culture, particularly music. So far, it appears they are headed for success with AT LAST!

Keep an ear open for AT LAST’S newest album “Driven,” and check back with us for an exclusive interview with the group in our May 9th issue.

April 23, 2003