Accidental Asians Inspire Confusion, Curiosity
By Kelli Luu | 16 Jun, 2025
Lykke Li, Andy Kim, and Sean Lee may have Asian last names, but zero Asian heritage.
These famous faces aren’t Asian, but their last names had us fooled. Here’s 3 “accidental Asians” you may have heard of.
Number 1: Lykke Li
She’s 100% Swedish, but some assume she is Chinese. Li has become known for her dreamy pop songs that mix indie and electropop.
Since her first EP was released in 2007, Li has been selling out tours and festival sets. In 2009 she performed at both Coachella and Lollapalooza.
Li has collaborated with multiple American music artists, such as ASAP Rocky. She’s earned spots on Billboard lists and wrote songs for popular TV shows including Teen Wolf, The Vampire Diaries, and Pretty Little Liars.
Number 2: Andy Kim
A Canadian ‘70s heartthrob, known for his hits like “Sugar Sugar” in 1968, which was the number one song in the US for four weeks and “Rock Me Gently” in 1974 which sold three million copies worldwide.
With a name like Andy Kim, you might think of K-Pop, not rock, but he is actually Lebanese. He wanted to change his last name, Youakim, to sound more American and accidentally ended up sounding Korean.
Today he is part of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame after being inducted in 2019 and was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2023.
Number 3: Sean Lee
With his last name, you might guess Korean or Chinese, but this former NFL linebacker is not Asian at all.
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Lee played college football at Penn State before signing a $3.4 million contract after being selected in the second round of the draft by the Dallas Cowboys.
In 2013, the Cowboys re-signed Lee to a six-year $42 million dollar contract, then again in 2020 to a one year deal for $4.5 million. In April 2021, Lee retired after putting on an impressive decade-long career.

Articles
- Trump Likes Weak Dollar So More Americans Can Work in Factories
- Obesity Molecule from China's Sciwind May Be Licensed by US Drugmaker
- Tesla Tops Chinese EVs in China Self-Driving Test
- Patriotic Canadians Nix Summer Trips to Trumpland, Vacation in-Country
- China's Unitree Slashes Price on New Humanoid Robot
Asian American Success Stories
- The 130 Most Inspiring Asian Americans of All Time
- 12 Most Brilliant Asian Americans
- Greatest Asian American War Heroes
- Asian American Digital Pioneers
- New Asian American Imagemakers
- Asian American Innovators
- The 20 Most Inspiring Asian Sports Stars
- 5 Most Daring Asian Americans
- Surprising Superstars
- TV’s Hottest Asians
- 100 Greatest Asian American Entrepreneurs
- Asian American Wonder Women
- Greatest Asian American Rags-to-Riches Stories
- Notable Asian American Professionals