ACS event coordinator and communications junior Reya Chennath wasn’t planning to watch Singaporean indie pop artist Hong Jiun Cheng, known as Hongjoin on social media, perform in a math classroom over Google Meet; she was just a fan of his music who was inspired by his Instagram story, showcasing him performing at the University of Florida, to propose a collaboration.

“I’ve had this idea since last year, and I’ve wanted to execute it,” Chennath said. “(Months ago) I sent him an email, and I was like, ‘Hey, would you like to collaborate with my school? We have an Asian Cultural Society program. I think you’d be a really great guest speaker. We have a lot of musically inclined kids that would love to hear from you.’ I kind of just forgot about it for a month, and then I checked my email, and I saw he responded.”

This interaction led to members of the ACS attending a Q&A session Jan. 9 with Hongjoin during lunch, commencing with Hongjoin greeting the classroom of ACS members from his Manhattan apartment. 

The 24-year-old singer has more than 140,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, boosted from his inclusion in Spotify’s Radar program for emerging artists. This began in 2023, an initiative founded in 2020 that highlights over 1,000 emerging artists from across the world through marketing campaigns, editorial support, and playlist placement. Chennath and other ACS officers asked Hongjoin the first questions before opening the floor to everyone.

“I draw a lot of inspiration from daily life, and just being in the U.S. as an Asian person,” Hongjoin said after being asked about how his Asian heritage influenced his art. “I think as of late, it’s becoming pretty powerful to be Asian because it’s a lot more accepted to be Asian and still pursuing creative stuff.”

After taking questions, ACS officers asked Hongjoin if he would perform a song, which he accepted, taking out a guitar to sing the chorus of “A Little More Time,” the first single from his forthcoming third album. Afterward, ACS members gathered around the smartboard for a group picture with the singer.

“It was a really good start (to) 2026,” ACS co-president and visual senior Angela Arandela said after the meeting. “I’m definitely going to check him out more.”