Executive Director, Amit Singh Represents Sikhcess at Mr. Hyphen Competition
This year’s Mr Hyphen competition hosted by Hyphen Magazine at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center featured a group of six devoted Asian-American men representing various community service organizations and causes.
Our very own Executive Director, Amit Singh, represented Sikhcess in this competition.
During the talent show portion Amit performed a Detroit anthem, Lose Yourself, by Eminem with a Punjabi flare. Amit took the meaning of the song, but using his own lyrics in Punjabi, related it to his life, his own story, and the way he felt. Many attendees felt that this performance was the highlight of the show. While familiar with hip hop anthems like “Lose Yourself”, many people in the audience had not experienced Punjabi music prior to the Amit’s piece. The dhol and tumbi, along with Amit’s encouragement generated a deafening and enthusiastic response from the audience.
In the fashion phase of the competition, Amit represented his hometown with his Mr. Detroit tee by the Detroit Manufacturing Group’s Robert Stanzler, and jacket and scarf by San Francisco designer Estrella Tadeo.
Often considered the most controversial section of the competition is the sleepwear competition. In prior years, contestants shed their clothes to attract a larger following and win more audience cheer. Amit, always keeping it classy, decided to remove his turban-crown and let down his hair, and the audience, while initially stunned, quickly applauded the bold move. Amit strolled out on stage wearing a raw-silk sherwani, in the mughal style of centuries back.
Written by Damanjit Singh. Photo Credits: John C. Liau / Andria Lo / Jennifer Yin
