Gold House Hosted Its Third Annual Gala in Los Angeles

The convergence of Asian Pacific creatives and cultural leaders took place at the downtown Music Center

Words by ELIZABETH VARNELL
Photography courtesy of GETTY IMAGES

Lisa Ling, Prabal Gurung, Lisa Joy, Jeannie Mai.

Guests gathered in Los Angeles for A Gold New World, the third annual gala organized by Gold House to celebrate Asian Pacific and multicultural leaders and changemakers and their achievements and advocacy amid a glittering setting envisioned by creative director Prabal Gurung in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 11. Gurung, the New York–based fashion designer, tapped the shiny element’s trademark sparkle for a series of structures and spheres at the Music Center downtown, where Gold Gala honorees in film, music, sports, and other entertainment genres converged with activists, executives, and tastemakers. Lucy Liu, Michelle Yeoh, Padma Lakshmi, Daniel Kwan, Jonathan Wang, Lee Sung Jin, Steven Yeun, Joseph Lee, Lisa Ling, Phillip Lim, John Cho, Kristi Yamaguchi, Apolo Anton Ohno, Chloe Kim, Paralympian Scout Bassett, and Olympians Maia and Alex Shibutani all joined the gathering that brought together more than 600 friends, neighbors, supporters, and colleagues.

Liu took home the evening’s Gold Legend award honoring her work as an actor, artist, and filmmaker, presented by her longtime friend Regina King. Jon M. Chu and Yeoh honored Cynthia Erivo with the Gold Ally award. Also commended was Lakshmi, the author, producer, and television host credited with exploring the diverse food cultures that shape communities across the country and around the world. Producer and director Karan Johar was recognized for his work in Hindi cinema and a host of past Olympic gold medalists recognized Asian members of Team USA who won gold in the most recent Winter Olympic Games. Executives from Billboard, Netflix, Prime Video, and Tinder were all on hand — as was Hello Kitty and Sanrio’s Jill Koch, who was awarded the Gold Generation award — to toast this year’s A100 impactful changemakers. Santa Clara–born Saweetie took the stage for a set that included an unreleased new song, Nani, before drag performer Nymphia Wind started the Billboard x Gold House Founders Party, Steve Aoki began his hour-long set behind the DJ booth, and Rakuten Viki’s karaoke room kicked off at midnight.