Bohan Phoenix

Action sports brand Vans is inviting artists to submit their original music at Vans Music Wanted. One of the Vans Global Music Competition judges is Chinese-American artist Bohan Leng, 28, who is professionally known as Bohan Phoenix.

Submission for artists in Asia Pacific is open from September 2-30, 2020. Submissions from Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and the Americas will be open from September 28, 2020 to October 11, 2020.

The Top 5 artists from each region will be reviewed by Phoenix and his fellow guest judge Destin Choice “J.I.D” Route, 29, of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. They will be joined by special guest judges Brandon “Anderson .Paak” Paak Anderson, 34, of Oxnard, California, USA and Nilüfer Yanya, 24, of London, England.

Originally launched in Vans’ Asia Pacific region in 2015, the Vans Musicians Wanted competition is a global music platform that provides undiscovered musicians a chance for their original music to be heard by a global audience. This year’s competition has evolved into a seamless digital experience and will award one grand prize winner the opportunity to share the stage with .Paak, who is a Vans ambassador and a Grammy winner .

Born in Hubei, China, Phoenix moved to Massachusetts, USA where he was introduced to hip hop. His mother used popular movies and television as a tool to teach him English.

One movie in particular sparked a love for music and culture that would go on to define Phoenix’s life moving forward. This introduction to hip hop led him down a path of discovery and personal exploration that brought him to create his own music.

By embracing his upbringing and dual cultural identity, Phoenix began to make music that blended two languages and cultures together to create something uniquely personal, pushing hip hop in new places. Watch his journey to self-discovery and how his multicultural upbringing has come to influence his identity as an artist at Vans.com/BohanPhoenix.

To celebrate the partnership, Vans has teamed up with Phoenix to release his customized Vans shoes on Vans.com/Customs .