“Growing up,” I begin, “I feel like I never really found Asian musicians that made the kind of music I wanted to listen to...”

“YES,” interjects Bea Kristi, the talented British-Filipina singer-songwriter better known as Beabadoobee. “It was really hard for me to look up to someone that looked like me, you know?”

Bea isn’t alone.

Asia is comprised of 48 countries, houses 60% of the world’s population, and exists as our largest and most diverse continent. But when you look at the historical lack of Asian representation in popular music, that hasn’t been reflected internationally. Today, Asian musicians worldwide are breaking through to the mainstream, no matter their genre or style. From indie rock favorites like Mitski to pop sensations like BLACKPINK, we’re finally at a point in time where Asian musicians—especially Asian women in music—are becoming the role models they’ve searched for their entire lives.

Read on to see what that looks like for these five female Asian artists making big moves right now.