Who's Rising
New names, second leads, breakout faces, and the people we have our eyes on, personally.
Goldscene's June 2026 Soft Power Index tracks who converted attention into cultural influence across SMA week, girl-group chart heat, residency gravity, and comeback windows for North American diaspora audiences.
Image: Supercarwaar / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Late June rising radar: Felix on hanbok billboards, U-Know Yunho's solo Asia tour map, Esnyr's comeback momentum, Eunnuri Lee's protest art visibility, and Austin Kang's sports-culture crossover clips.
Image: The Korea Times
Felix of Stray Kids was named the Ministry of Culture's 2026 Hanbok Wave artist on June 17, partnering with five domestic hanbok brands on designs, pictorials, and billboards in Seoul, New York, Paris, and Milan.
Image: Jason Hargrove / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
The Manila Times reports Filipino creator Esnyr Ranollo returned with a 53-minute First Day High YouTube special on June 14, starring Vice Ganda, Donny Pangilinan, Belle Mariano, and other Pinoy stars, hitting 4 million views in under 24 hours.
Image: Evan-Amos / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
CBC Books highlights 40 Asian Canadian authors across genres, from debut thrillers and horror to Canada Reads finalists and award-winning fantasy, timed to Asian Heritage Month.
Image: Piotrus / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Billboard recaps a Hey Jonas! podcast episode where Kevin Jonas says he got sick in the bathroom while wingmanning Nick Jonas on his first date with Priyanka Chopra-Jonas at the Hollywood Bowl.
Image: Royalsafira / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Creator Eunnuri Lee argues in a TikTok get-ready-with-me video that white activists too often center self-expression at protests, turning solidarity into spectacle and content.
Image: Serouj / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
WWD coverage via Yahoo spotlights Greta Lee's mid-length fringe at the Toy Story 5 UK launch in London, framing micro bangs as a red-carpet trend the Past Lives star has worn on and off for years.
Image: Runner1928 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
PEN America's PEN Ten interview with Sarah Wang centers on her debut novel New Skin and themes of beauty standards and the modern immigrant experience in North America.
Image: Piotrus / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
CBS Baltimore profiles Kimberly Kong, known as Nomtastic Kim, and her #100AsianRestaurantsInMaryland series spotlighting mom-and-pop Asian eateries statewide.
Image: eommina / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
A desk guide to how Asian and diaspora talent is rising now: through multilingual reach, streaming crossovers, fan discipline, luxury visibility, and storytellers who make place-specific TV feel mainstream.
Image: Eva Rinaldi / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Goldscene's Soft Power Index tracks which Asian entertainers converted attention into cultural influence this week across music, fashion, and streaming.
Image: Lf Asia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
AsAm News reports recognition in Korea for Maggie Kang, director of Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters, tying the honor to the film's visibility in the K-culture conversation.
Image: Pava / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 it)
Ticket News reports BLACKPINK's Lisa lined up for a Las Vegas residency, with coverage describing her as the first K-pop artist to headline that kind of Strip engagement.
Image: Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Entertainers who move easily between languages are building careers that skip the old crossover waiting period, especially in music and digital content.
Image: Lerdsuwa / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Asian entertainers are no longer crossing over into Western fame. They are building parallel global careers that luxury, streaming, and social platforms now treat as the default model for star power.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
The Goldscene Desk
Anika Rao
Mina Park