BLING EMPIRE’S KIM LEE ON ASIAN PRIDE, OPPORTUNITIES, AND BEING FEARLESS
BY IRVIN RIVERA
DJ/Producer KIM LEE is back on BLING EMPIRE Season 3 with more fire and spice. Amidst the entertaining and chaotic world of reality TV, Kim is proud to be able to represent the Asian community on a huge platform.
One of her proudest moments was getting a residency at the Wynn in Las Vegas. Kim has toured and done shows with Steve Aoki, Martin Garrix, Diplo, and Skrillex. She also performed along with Cardi B, YG, and Tyga at Fashion Nova Event, 2021 MTV Movie & TV awards, Anastasia Beverly Hills Halloween Party, Budweiser, Johnny Walker, Hennessy, Ultra Japan, Ultra China, Ultra Korea, Life in Color Korea, Mad Decent Boat Party, It’s The Ship, EDC New York, Drai’s in Las Vegas, Marquee Vegas, Tao Las Vegas, Eleven in Miami, and Pacha NYC. Kim is now on a residency at the world famous Wynn Nightlife, performing both at Encore Beach Club, XS and more.
In this exclusive interview, LEE spoke about BLING EMPIRE Season 3, Asian visibility and representation on a larger platform, her memorable experiences in the show, life lessons, dreams and more.
Hi Kim! How are you? What keeps you busy nowadays?
I’m doing good. Thanks for asking. I’ve been working non stop ever since season 1 aired with my residency at the Wynn in Vegas and doing shows in between has kept me busy. It got a lil overwhelming but I’m beyond grateful.
Let’s talk about Bling Empire. How would you characterize your character’s evolution throughout the seasons of the show? What’s your favorite part of the show?
My character has grown so much. I have so many different sides to me. I’m a big kid at heart and there’s another side of me that’s very serious especially when it comes to work. Season 1 I took a lot of people on a rollercoaster. It went from I can’t stand Kim to omg I love her. Whatever I did in season 1 was never intentional to hurt or disrespect anyone that’s definitely not in my character.
What’s the most exciting part about the new season of Bling Empire?
Most exciting part of Season 3 is seeing a lot of growth which is important. You will see friendships/families put to test and lots of humor, bling, heartfelt of course. I heard this is the best season from a lot of press who have seen it .
Amidst the drama, the spectacle, glitz and glamor, do you think Bling Empire is worth binging?
Absolutely, when we first aired right when covid happened, I was the one out of the whole group that had doubts. I was like “maybe this isn’t the right time” to air this type of show. The night we aired my social media skyrocketed. It went from checking my dm’s to I couldn’t even keep up. People said it's escapism. It’s a light-hearted, fun, humorous show which sets us apart from a lot of other reality shows. We’re the first Asian American reality show that’s a hit and I believe this is just the beginning for all of us.
What are the challenges and the highs that you experienced throughout this whole experience?
What’s challenging is being recognized so much when I’m out. I actually get anxiety. A lot of people don’t know this but I’m actually a very private person.
Talk about some of the most memorable moments for you throughout the whole process of being in Bling Empire.
One of the memorable moments is when they found my biological father. I was so shocked they did it so fast . My reaction was like no way! They have to be faking this but it hit me when I actually spoke to his wife and she said she has his ashes if I want it. I believe this was a gift from my dad. It’s almost like he’s saying I’m not here anymore but u will always be ok.
What is your proudest moment in your life so far?
My proudest moment is getting a residency at the Wynn. Being the first Asian female next to Diplo, Marshmello , Chainsmokers and many more is a big deal. Being a female in a male dominant industry isn’t easy. Most importantly , being able to represent the Asian community on such a big platform makes me so proud and I feel like I got a lot of work to do.
How important is representation and visibility for you, especially for the AAPI community?
Representation is important because we all come from different backgrounds. We never really got the representation in the media and now we’re finally the recognition we deserve.
Who and what inspires you?
People inspire me. Because we can learn so much from each other. I also get a lot of inspiration from music and films which I love so much.
What scares you?
What scares me is losing someone u love. I never thought I would lose my dad. It really changes you and it’s a different type of pain. It literally feels like u lost a part of yourself.
What’s your dream project?
My dream project. I’m actually working on it right now. I would love to produce and direct my own film.
Out of all the roles/things that you’ve done, is there anything specific that resonated with you the most and why?
I really enjoyed being the host of Yo! MTV Raps Asia because it made me realize how much talent there is in Asia. There were many artists I didn’t even know about. We had literally had many artists from each country fly in. Korean hip hop is big but I didn’t know there’s Malaysian Hiphop/ Indonesian etc. It was a great experience.
What’s a valuable lesson that you’ve learned that you always carry with you?
To never hold back. Always speak how you feel and if you don’t ask the answer will always be no.
If you were a book, what book would you be and why?
If I was a book. It would be a motivational book. It would be called Fearless. Because fear can hold us back. Sometimes we just need a reminder. This book would push people to be the best versions of themselves.
