Comedy is effective when it is relatable – and funny enough when it comes from trauma and a dark place, it can really resonate with your audience to achieve peak comedic effect. Anna Akana has managed to capture this lightning in a bottle with her style of comedy and is ready to bring this dark side of humor with her to the Philippines next year. Armed with a versatile range of skills from her ventures into movies and TV roles, she is prepared to dive headfirst into her leading role: addressing society’s collectively deteriorating mental health.

From humble beginnings as a YouTuber, she has cultivated a sizable following by creating content that addresses a variety of sensitive topics, ranging from racism to sexism, which resonate closely with her experience as an Asian-American woman growing up in the States. However, her favorite subject to delve into is mental health. While she advocates for mental health care, she also fearlessly transforms this topic into gut-busting humor.

She openly discusses her myriad of misgivings stemming from her life experiences, unafraid to share personal aspects such as her sister’s suicide at the age of 13 and encountering threats from numerous stalkers at her shows. Overcoming these challenges and her anxiety, she returned stronger and darker than ever to the delight of her fans and comedy aficionados everywhere.

Anna Akana takes her audience on an emotional journey to understand the struggles of being part of these issues, and then grounds them in a way that makes them more relatable before delivering the comedic punchline. Her style of comedy serves as a medium for healing for those dealing with depression and declining mental health. It’s part of the process to compartmentalize these feelings and bring out the lighter side, coming from someone who has already experienced those tough times.

If you’re eager to find lighthearted humor in the midst of the darkest of topics, tickets are up for grabs at Insignia’s website or at any SM ticket outlets.

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