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“A queer, euphoric fever dream that you don’t want to wake up from.” The Age
“Tai’s a joyous performer, celebrating their multiplicitous cultures and communities with an infectious energy,” NME Australia
“Dyan is serving such a broad and sophisticated palette pop and hyper pop on their tracks reminiscent of Kate Bush, Gaga, George Michael, Arca-esque production in some moments,” The Rolling Stone
Self-described as the Gaysian Empress of Sydney is trilingual Malaysian-born, Chinese Australian musician, performance artist and DJ, Dyan Tai.
Praised by Flume as “sound-designey and weird” (Triple J: Unfinished Finalist), Dyan Tai (he/they) has emerged from the local cabaret scene and now evolved into an electronic artist.
As one of promising artists awarded the prestigious Generations Music Fellowship (Powerhouse Museum, Astral People, CreateNSW) and Performance Space’s Queer Development Program, Dyan Tai (he/they) is recognised for their music and live shows that bring together elements of Asiatic drag and soundscapes intersected with experimental artpop, androgynous vocals and the use of a mirror coated keytar.
Dyan’s music has received support from 88Rising Radio (SiriusXM, North America) and local community radio. Their latest release, "Hantu" fuses electronic dance pop with Malay and Indonesian soundscapes layered with delicate Tuvan throat singing. “Hantu” marks Tai’s first Spotify editorial playlisting and was added to FBI Radio’s New Music playlist on rotation; with additional support from Triple J Unearthed, 2SER, Triple R, SYN and JOY949. The contemporary dance music video for Hantu featured an all Asian cast and premiered on Life Without Andy.
During a busy Sydney WorldPride 2023 season, they were selected for the first APRA AMCOS Pride Songhubs curated by Troye Sivan, Lucas Keller (Milk & Honey) and worked with artists such as Chela and Jamaica Moana; and included in Apple Music’ Queer Australia Pride playlist.
They have opened for Electric Fields (Coastal Twist Festival), performed at the Rina Sawayama’s official Sydney album preview party, made their debut at BigSound2023. They will be premiering their interdisciplinary headline show, "Permaisuri: The Gaysian Empress Rises" featuring at East/Southeast Asian excellence cast in November 2023; supported by The Red Rattler Theatre and Inner West Council.
Other works:
“We Can’t Forget” from their "Empress 皇后 EP", was a collaboration with award-winning Guzheng artist, Mindy Meng Wang and premiered on Triple J’s New Release show, “Tops” and Kalblut Magazine.
“Freedom” was highly received and featured on ABC Queer and SBS Australia. Released in Nov 2020, “Freedom” included a music video which explores the history of drag in Chinese opera with a historic all-Queer Asian cast; and curated to be part of Warrnambool Art Gallery’s “Self Creation” exhibition.
"Expiratory" was chosen as a finalist for Diversity Arts Australia's "I am not a virus" campaign and featured on "Art Talks" on ABC TV Plus.
Also featured in the "Chinese Australian" episode of award winning ABC show "You Can't Ask That" (Season 6), their work continues to centre around their upbringing in conservative Malaysia and their quest to find freedom wherever we find ourselves.
Dyan is also a presenter on FBI Radio’s Kings & Queens and a guest speaker at music and community events such as Electronic Music Conference 10th Anniversary, ACON, Settlement Services International. Their dedication has seen them nominated for an 2022 ACON Honours Award in "Arts and Entertainment"; and the 2022 Inner West Council Citizen of The Year Award with a special recognition for their contribution to the QTPOC community and was recently featured on the cover of Sydney Star Observer (Aug 2023).
As a DJ, Dyan has developed a niche in 2000s rnb/hip hop and pop anthems. They are well-loved as a club DJ with residencies across Sydney (Mardi Gras Fair Day, Heaps Gay, Unicorns Party, Honcho Disko, Marly Bar, Goros, Bank Hotel, Universal Hotel, Imperial Hotel)
As the founder of Worship Queer Collective, Dyan continues to raise awareness and visibility of Queer & Trans People of Colour (QTPOC) as the founder of Worship Queer Collective which was recognised and cited as part of the global movement to unite Queer Asians and QTBIPOC communities alongside New York, LA, San Francisco and Toronto.
Under Dyan’s guidance, the Collective continues to champion the local Queer Asian Excellence movement with rave reviewed community events. Their Melbourne Fringe Festival debut received a 5 star review on The Age and “Space Rabbit: Queer Lunar New Year Festival” was highly received with features on ABC Queer, ABC Everyday.
WorshipQC's highly successful "Don’t Cha Wish You Yum Cha?” cabaret show featured an historic all-queer Asian cast and was selected as one of the coveted Sydney WorldPride official arts program with 6 x sold out shows across the Pride season.
Led by Dyan, the Collective recently announced a historic QTBIPOC artist and community led mentorship program in partnership with Big Thick Energy, Club Chrome, Bindi Bosses and Scary Strangers, supported by the City of Sydney.