Guess who's Asian? (Part 8)

More famous folks you may not have known were Asian. Well, a bit Asian.

Ok I'll admit: given that I'm not a teenage girl, I have only a very vague idea of who Chad Michael Murray is. Apparently he's hot or something and he was on One Tree Hill. Oh and his mother is half-Japanese.

Seen that show True Beauty? If not, don't rush, it's one of those programs where self-absorbed good-looking people compete to see who can be the biggest douche. Or something. Charged with bringing this rabble to the masses is former Miss Teen USA and MTV TRL host Vanessa Minnillo. She's Filipino on her mother's side, and Italian and Irish on her father's.

Remember that song Sway? A big hit in Australia and New Zealand in the late 90s that also found its way onto the American Pie soundtrack. A beautiful tune too. Upon seeing it's New Zealand-born singer, Bic Runga, I was intrigued by her appearance? Asian or Islander? Turns out she's both, product of a Maori father and Chinese Malaysian mother.

I'll admit I don't quite "get" Nicki Minaj, but the rap star has won 7 BET Hip-hop Awards and been nominated for a Grammy, so someone is obviously digging it. Don't mind me, I'm getting old. Born in Trinidad, she is of mixed Indian- and Afro-Trinidadian parentage, although the exact details seem to vary all over the interwebs. Apparently there's some Chinese in there as well, but I dunno. The Indian is on her Dad's side anyway, although he may be part black. Her real name is Onika Tanya Maraj.

One of my very favourite songs from the last few years is the effervescent faux-British pop gem I'm not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance with you by The Black Kids. Turns out their dangerously handsome and excellently named lead singer Reggie Youngblood and his foxy sister, keyboardist and vocalist Ali Youngblood, are Blasian. Half black, half Filipino, and they're from Florida. None of which explains why Reggie sounds like such a dead ringer for Robert Smith of The Cure, of course. Check the song out here, it really is pretty damn awesome if you like that fey indie kid sort of thing.