Who Is Chow Mane?
Chow Mane is a Bay Area-based artist whose rise to regional fame began when a music video, meant to be a parody of the “Asian Baby Girl” trend, went viral on YouTube in 2017. Chow Mane sat with us in a 45-minute interview to speak on his personal life, how he got started in the music business, and how he hopes to grow in his craft.
Alexis Rabadam: What should I call you? Do you go by Chow, Chow Mane, or Charles?
Chow Mane: My friends call me Charles haha.
AR: You have such a great artist name. Where’d it come from?
CM: My artist name actually came from my grandma. When I was little, the way she pronounced my name “Charles” sounded like “Chow” so part of it came from that. The other part of it came from, you know, the Asian-American dish, chow mein, haha.
AR: Where do you get your inspiration from?
CM: I mean, it comes from a lot of places. It all depends on the mood I’m in and the vibe I’m feeling. Like with my first album, I was inspired by wanting to talk about my Asian-American background and my story since I didn’t see a lot of people doing that in the hip hop community. But there are definitely some days where I just wanna create something fun like “Ever Since” or “Tasty.”
Chow stated that his song “ABG” has been somewhat of a double-edged sword for him. In 2017, when he released the video, the song spread through California gaining virality because of its relevance to the young Asian-American community. However, as Chow began to share music seriously, many in the industry found his music to serve only as a joke.
Still, Chow Mane has gained loyal followers and a wide fanbase for his representation of the Asian-American community and for discussing the struggles that his family has faced as a part of a low-income Asian-American household. Chow also discusses how he is trying to break out of solely being seen as a rapper for the Asian-American community and the Bay Area, but also to be seen as someone whose rap game is so strong that he’s recognized for that worldwide. “I don’t want to be known just as an Asian rapper,” he said, “I want to be recognized as a great rapper.”
Finessed Media commentary on Chow Mane:
“If we could describe Chow Mane in three words, it would be ‘amicable, mellow, and imaginative.’ Chow wasn’t a man of many words, but one could tell how passionate he felt about creating GREAT art and staying true to his craft. Despite the California fame that he’s gained, Chow maintains a sense of privacy and a real dedication to being a representative for the Asian-American community by sharing his struggles. A real down-to-earth artist.”
Chow Mane has 3 new singles coming out on June 3rd, June 26th, and July 24th respectively, and a project called “South Bay Summer” being released on August 28th.
His music can be found on all major streaming platforms.