MANILA, Philippines – The best thing about big music festivals is that you leave with way more music acts to listen to than when you first walked into the venue. You’re always going to be assured of a good time no matter who’s playing on stage.
Such was the case with ASIYA: Asian Music Festival & Conference, which was held on October 12 and 13 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila in Pasay City. It was the music festival’s inaugural edition, and it stood as a platform for 19 performers all around Asia, including the Philippines, to transcend borders and reach even more people through their music.
And the music festival’s well-curated lineup for each day already made it pretty apparent that everyone was going to be in for an interesting experience. Every genre had practically been covered by at least one artist on the roster – from R&B, hip-hop, and alt-pop to jazz, rock, disco funk, and house – so every type of listener was assured of representation.
Day 1
Day 1 of ASIYA FEST saw Filipino musician Gabba officially kick things off with his captivating guitar riffs – which festival-goers may remember hearing for the first time at Wanderland 2024. He also played the drums between songs, living up to his title as a multi-instrumentalist.
The lone representative from Thailand, solo singer-songwriter Numcha took the stage right after Gabba and drew in new fans with her fresh indie-pop sound. She also performed “Keep Cold,” her feel-good debut single that many Filipinos have come to know her for.
On the Philippine spotlight stage, Filipino pop-folk artist Reese Lansangan – who is now based in Japan – staged a special homecoming performance, aptly opening her set with her hit track “Home.” Lansangan was accompanied by a star-studded band: Autotelic’s Josh Villena on the guitar, Chicosci, Party Pace, and bird.’s Eco Del Rio on the bass, and Gabba on the drums.
Filipino singer-songwriter Reese Lansangan takes the #ASIYAFEST stage. She’s accompanied by a star-studded band: Autotelic’s Josh Villena on guitar, bird.’s Eco del Rio on bass, and Gabba on the drums. | @rapplerdotcom @karposmm @KarposLive pic.twitter.com/6A2L5RtXBy
— Juno Reyes (@junoileanavr) October 12, 2024
Malaysian band babychair then made its Manila debut at the festival, where it performed laidback, synth-laden tracks like “Thinking of You” and “Dear,” and bright and groovy hits like “Losing My Mind,” “All Day All Night,” “Oh It’s You,” and its latest release, “Staying up All Night.”
Rising OPM band flu kept babychair’s funky vibes going on the other side of the stage, sharing its disco, neo-soul music to ASIYA FEST audiences just days after the release of its debut album, Time and Pace. It even called Numcha on stage for “I’ll Be Mine,” a collaboration the two music acts dropped in February!
Meanwhile, Japanese artist imase hyped up the ASIYA FEST crowd with his high-energy performances of “Nagisa,” “Have a nice day,” and his hit song “Night Dancer.” He also drew laughs after he pulled out a cheat sheet to address the Filipino crowd between songs.
“I’m happy to be here [in the] Philippines. This is going to be [an] unforgettable night,” he said.
Filipino band UDD then brought its electronica house music to the ASIYA FEST crowd to really get the party started, bringing along artist ZOYA on stage for a sultry R&B touch.
South Korean musician Colde also staged his first Manila show at ASIYA FEST – performing crowd favorites like “WA-R-R,” “Star,” and “Nirvana Blues,” among others. Colde showcased his impressive artistry at the music festival, effortlessly switching between lively hip-hop and rap, and slower R&B songs to engage all kinds of listeners in the crowd.
He closed out his set with a bang, saving for last “Dance,” a 2017 release by the duo offonoff, of which Colde is a member.
Iconic OPM band Urbandub also brought its classic rock sound to ASIYA FEST. Its music had easily enabled the crowd to let loose and headbang as it breezed through their set, consisting of songs like “Frailty,” “Evidence,” and “First of Summer,” among many others.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s HYUKOH and Taiwan’s Sunset Rollercoaster were the last acts to perform on day 1. Their entrance almost felt cinematic, given their eccentric outfits and the slow build-up to their setting foot on stage, so it only felt right that they headline the first-ever ASIYA FEST.
The two music acts cemented their collaboration called AAA in July, so to be able to hear the tracks off the album live so close to its release was unforgettable. The two bands ended their joint set with Sunset Rollercoaster’s hit song “My Jinji,” of which they performed the “AAA version.”
Day 2
With day 1 of ASIYA FEST having a loaded lineup of performers, the music acts on day 2 made sure to captivate the festival crowd in their own way.
Ysanygo opened the second day of the festival, quite literally landing on stage in their space suit-inspired outfits. Aside from performing old favorites like “Imprinted” and “Fading to Black,” the Filipino sibling duo also stayed true to ASIYA FEST’s goal of promoting Asian music, as included in their setlist were their collaborations with other Asian acts, like “Sunny When I’m With You,” featuring Thai duo Purplecat, and “Pulso,” featuring Taiwanese drummer L8ching.
Meanwhile, for many of the international artists on the lineup like Taiwanese singer 9m88, it was their first time performing in Manila. Despite the usual initial nervousness at the start of their respective performances, all these artists quickly formed a connection with the Filipino crowd, often proclaiming their love for the Philippines and expressing that they’d love to come back again in the future.
It was the same for Singaporean singer-songwriter Shye, whose surprise performance of IV of Spades’ “Come Inside of My Heart” had easily drawn everyone in the ASIYA FEST crowd in.
With the help of her guitar and wind chimes, Japanese singer salasa also made her Manila debut, showing off her heavenly vocals to a Filipino audience for the first time.
Meanwhile, bringing the jazz representation to the music festival was Filipino artist Jose Miguel. 2024 has been a busy year for the young crooner, having staged performances at Wanderland, Fête de la Musique PH, the Busan Rock Festival, and the Zandari Festa in Seoul, so he was already more than warmed up at ASIYA FEST. This was apparent in his impressive stage presence and crowd work – having bantered frequently with people in the audience and hooking them until the very end of his set.
OPM icon Zild had also graced the ASIYA FEST, giving the festival crowd a big energy boost with his genre-bending anthems like “Kyusi,” “Dekada ’70,” “Lia,” and “Superpower,” among others. Everyone on Zild’s side of the stage had jumped up and down throughout his set, so it’s pretty safe to say that one of his superpowers is definitely putting on a good show.
“Buwan” singer Juan Karlos then gave the ASIYA FEST crowd performances of well-loved hits like “ERE,” and underrated tracks like “Kunwari.”
It was the festival’s penultimate act, Balming Tiger, that had people loosening up and dancing non-stop, regardless of whether or not they were already fans of the South Korean group prior to ASIYA FEST. During their set, the lively crowd had formed a huge dance circle in the pit, impressing Balming Tiger themselves.
Balming Tiger’s fans know how to party! The #ASIYAFEST crowd dances like there’s no tomorrow for the South Korean group’s last song. @karposmm @asiyafest | via @junoileanavr pic.twitter.com/HXNKpZkjc8
— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) October 13, 2024
“I love you guys. You guys made us truly the happiest people right now,” Balming Tiger’s Omega Sapien said.
When it came time for day 2 headliner BINI to appear on stage, everyone had quickly gathered on the side of the Philippine Spotlight stage, eagerly awaiting the P-pop girl group’s set.
The eight-member group performed their top hits “Cherry on Top,” “Karera,” “Salamin, Salamin,” and “Pantropiko” – taking the time to speak to the crowd between songs. The members had expressed how excited they were to be singing and dancing again after taking a quick break from live performances.
Just as the crowd enjoyed the P-pop sensation’s performance, it was evident that Maloi, Stacey, Mikha, Gwen, Sheena, Jhoanna, Aiah, and Colet did, too – as ASIYA FEST marked their first live gig for the month of October.
BINI was clearly honored to have shared the stage with so many talented Asian acts, and it’s Jhoanna’s words that perfectly sum up what ASIYA FEST is all about: “We came here from different places but we are united by our love for music and performing.” – Rappler.com