At the First ASIYA: Asian Music Festival & Conference, Diversity Was in the Spotlight

The music landscape is changing and so are the habits and behaviors of music listeners everywhere. In the Philippines, you hear fans begging to see their favorite artists from Southeast Asia and the rest of Asia perform live. This was exactly what they got at the World Trade Center last weekend for Karpos' first "ASIYA: Asian Music Festival & Conference."

Reese Lansangan

Babychair

The first of its kind in the Philippines and the region, the event brought in not only some of the best performers across Asia but also the most insightful boundary-pushing promoters and industry professionals for a series of talks aimed at further expanding music appreciation in the region.

Imase

Colde

Panelists and guests from established music festivals such as Primavera Sound, Maho Rasop, Summer Sonic, and many more spoke on topics such as the importance of “festival-ready artists,” a master class for artists on how to set up their Spotify pages, an introduction on Festival markets across the region and the rest of the world. The morning conferences eventually gave way to actual live performances from big-name artists taking place in the large hall on the ground floor. 

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Day 1

Day one of the festival focused on the importance of Asian Music. There were headline performances from Hyukoh & Sunset Rollercoaster, who are from South Korea and Taiwan respectively, collaborating on a breathtaking, almost two-hour joint set. The indie-rock and sophisti-pop bands alternated between covers of their own songs and ultimately performed all the songs from their collaborative project “AAA”, fusing their set with a melange of genres such as post-rock, drone, and a bit of chaotic punk music thrown in the mix. It was a set that became an instant classic and once-in-a-lifetime as it was Hyukoh’s first time playing in Manila while it was Sunset Rollercoaster’s second time the city.

Hyukoh and Sunset Rollercoaster

Zild

For the Asian highlight stage, Colde from South Korea was the heartthrob of the set, playing smooth R&B and hip-house to their dedicated international and local audience. Japan’s IMASE showcased his vocal range and live band’s impressive technical skill. Meanwhile Malaysia’s Babychair smoothened out the mood early on with their “hypnagogic” pop and city-pop leanings, making them an easy crowd favorite.

The Philippine Spotlight right beside the ASIYA stage had longtime Karpos favorites Reese Lansangan, Urbandub, UDD and flu doing long sets and serving a fair amount of deep cuts and crowd favorites throughout the day.  

Shye

Audiences enjoying the inaugural "ASIYA: Asian Music Festival & Conference" 

Day 2

Day two of the festival highlighted the importance of Philippine local talent. The nation’s girl group BINI was the headliner, marking one of the many firsts for the eight-member group in a music festival setting. Alongside BINI were many more talents that have earned their stripes and formed a cult following of their own, including Zild, Juan Karlos, Ysanygo and Jose Miguel. The international lineup also followed through with more talent such as headlining ASIYA stage artist Korean experimental hip-hop group Balming Tiger, Taiwan’s 9M88, Japan’s Salasa, and Singapore’s Shye. 

Balming Tiger

The inaugural "ASIYA: Asian Music Festival & Conference" was held at the World Trade Center

While day one the latter was an open atmosphere where everyone else enjoyed the set despite most acts being new, day two was more energetic and showcased artists who were established both locally and internationally. Zild’s set showcased his diverse discography while Juan Karlos goofed around while highlighting the technical skill of his live band.

BINI proved to be the supergroup that they are, with their loud and dedicated fanbase cheering them on. Festival highlights like Balming Tiger stole the show with the full package: singing, dancing and rapping from front to back. 

Headliner BINI

All in all, the first "ASIYA: Asian Music Festival & Conference" was everything a music fan wanted from the Philippines: a showcase of live music from a diverse set of places across Asia.