Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month - Spotlighting Alyce Chan - Comedienne
Our feature today for Asian American Heritage month is with Alyce Chan, a hilarious fun loving mama that I became a quick fan of on Tiktok one late night when I was scrolling and went down a rabbit hole watching her videos. I appreciated her sense of humor and her ability to comfort me and her amazing community of folks following her on some hard days as a mom. If your ever want to get a taste of her sense of humor, you should watch this video and this video. Her life right now is filling back up with live shows and please do yourself a favor and catch her in person or online when you can! Her instagram has her upcoming shows, so giver her a follow! She shared with me that she’ll be back on the West Coast in the Fall and I’ll definitely let you know where we can watch her in person so stay tuned!
Here is my interview with Alyce!
Q: What part of Asia does your family descend from and let us know your lineage and where do you live now?
ALYCE CHAN: My parents are both from China and immigrated to North America. I am based in NY now.
Q: Share how you got started in doing what you are doing today!
ALYCE CHAN:I have always loved making people laugh. It started when I was 10, when I found healing and empowerment through humor. I used to gather a group of friends and make celebrity impersonations and I learned that I had to work hard on my personality because I knew it wasn't my looks that won friends. I always strived to appease my parents and took the good daughter route and majored in Economics and worked as a VP of a global bank. I knew I was a creative at heart but never knew where I belonged. I tried painting, graphic design, photography and even acting. I was good at all of them but somehow I felt like I still needed to explore the other dimensions of me. I tried Improv and loved it but felt defeated many times on stage because I felt it was too competitive and loud. I'm an introvert. I like to sit in my thoughts and then unleash a funny quip when I know it's funny. On to stand up I went based on friends telling me that I should try it if Improv intimidated me. And after the first performance, I was hooked. I found my stage, where I could stand proudly and tell my stories through my own voice and what a bonus for me to see people get laugh.
Q: If you are business owner, tell us your role there, and what you do . Include your favorite business tip/advice:
ALYCE CHAN: I have a marketing business and photography background but my main business now is comedy and event production. I perform live comedy all over North America and also help brands find humor through story telling.
Q: What advice do you have today for your peers who are looking to do what you are doing now?
ALYCE CHAN: Be authentic. Don't compare yourself. You have something that makes you unique. Focus on that and find your voice and keep telling your story.
Q: A lot of people have a "why" they do what they do, if you have a "why" please share it with us!
ALYCE CHAN: I sought a lot of validation when I was very young and I still do. I feel empowered that my stories can evoke emotion, such as laughter. I also love that laughter is a healing tool and can be a universal language to bond with complete strangers in a room.
Q: How can we support you?
ALYCE CHAN: Please come to my shows! You can support the All-Asian Line Up where I'm performing with LA based Crazy Woke Asians in NYC at Caroline's on Broadway. Or follow me on Momcomnyc on Instagram!
Q: How old are your kids now?
ALYCE CHAN: Two adorable and spunky boys: 5 and 8
Q: If you're like me, you were taught to be very humble. This is NOT the time to be humble, please share sis!! Tell us all the things that make you feel really proud!
I'm a proud Asian and proud older mom of two boys! I am a stand up comedian who can talk candidly about her life as a woman, wife, daughter and mom. I produce empowering events for women and mothers that use humor and honesty. I have built an incredible community via my platform MOMCOMNYC, using humor to connect. I have been featured on Vogue as one of six funny parent Instagram accounts to follow. I am a creative contributor to one of the largest parenting online platforms, Scary Mommy and have performed and headlined stand up comedy in New York, LA and Vancouver, Canada (my hometown). THANK YOU FOR doing this and amplifying your Asian sisters' voices. So grateful! xoxoxo Alyce
Alyce Chan/MomComNYC on Instagram