Manila, Philippines – The ASIYA Music Festival and Conference made its debut in Manila on October 12 and 13 at the World Trade Center Manila in Pasay City. The event featured captivating performances by both local and international artists who showcased their talents.
The two-day event lived up to its promise of delivering a diverse lineup of artists from across Asia, offering a wide range of music genres, including P-pop, hip-hop, rock, jazz, and more.
Representing the Philippines with pride was P-pop group BINI, who headlined the second day of the inaugural ASIYA Music Festival. They were joined by Juan Karlos, UDD, Urbandub, Zild, Reese Lansangan, flu, Gabba, Jose Miguel, and the duo Ysanygo.
Day 1
Filipino singer-songwriter Reese Lansangan serenaded the crowd with her unique and catchy songs, including “Home” and “For the Fickle.” She was joined on stage by Josh Villena from Autotelic and Gabba on drums.
Representing Malaysia is babychair, making his Manila debut at ASIYA.
The band, known for its experimental and electronic sound, performed their hit songs “Dear,” “Losing My Mind,” “Thinking of You,” and “Staying Up All Night.”
Filipino indie band flu captivated the crowd with their eclectic blend of indie rock and relaxing tunes. They performed “Manila Bay,” “Get Down,” and “I’ll Be Mine” with Thai singer Numcha.
Continuing the energetic vibe and making the crowd dance is Japanese artist imase who performed his hit song “NIGHT DANCER,” “Nagisa,” “Have a nice day,” “Rainy Driver,” “Et cetera,” and “Happy Order?”.
Iconic band UDD returns with a different style as they played their new songs “nanaman,” and “run deep”. UDD also performed “Luna” and “Kapoy” with artist Zoya.
Another artist making his Manila debut is South Korean artist Colde, who energized the audience with his smooth blend of soul, hip-hop, and R&B music.
Colde performed “Dance,” “WA-R-R”, “YAYAYA”, “Nirvana Blues,” and more.
Filipino band from Cebu, Urbandub, rocked the stage and made the crowd sing along with a set full of their crowd-favorite tracks, including “Evidence,” “Guillotine,” “Frailty,” “First of Summer,” and “The Fight is Over.”
Headlining the first day of the ASIYA Fest were HYUKOH and Sunset Rollercoaster from South Korea and Taiwan.
The two popular indie artists have been making their names in both the international and local indie music scenes for their unique sound and style.
Included in their unforgettable set are the tracks “Glue,” “Burgundy Red,” “Young Man,” “My Jinji,” and “Love Ya!”
Day 2
The second day kicked off with a performance from Filipino sibling duo Ysanygo, who performed a set that blended R&B and pop.
The duo performed “Horizon,” “Sunny When I’m With You,” and “Pulso.”
The first international artist performing on day 2 was Taiwanese singer 9m88, who also made her debut in Manila.
Showcasing her beautiful vocals, 9m88 performed some of her songs, including “Aim High,” “Waste of Time,” and “Friend Zone.”
Joining the fun was artist Shye from Singapore, who surprised the crowd when she performed her rendition of the song “Come Inside of My Heart” by IV of Spades.
Shye included the songs “Flower” and “Coffee or Tea” in her set and mentioned that she might come back and do a show again in Manila.
Another artist performing in Manila for the first time is rising Japanese artist Salasa, who serenaded the crowd with her smooth vocals.
The songs included in her set are “Amber” and “Until the Break of Dawn.”
Filipino jazz singer Jose Miguel made an impressive set, making the crowd dance as he performed some of his original songs, “Alfie,” “5 Star Overthinker,” and “Yesterday with You.”
Former IV of Spades member Zild Benitez, also known as Zild, brought the energy to the ASIYA Fest, performing the fan-favorite songs “Kyusi,” “Dekada ’70,” “Superpower,” “Lia,” and “I.N.A.S.”
Juan Karlos and his band serenaded the crowd with his famous songs, including “Ere,” “Limang Taon,” “Demonyo,” and “Buwan.”
The co-headliner for the night was Balming Tiger from South Korea, who also performed at the Wanderland Festival last year.
The crowd gathered and danced along as the group played their songs “Sexy Nukim,” “UP,” “SOS,” and “Buri Buri.”
Compared to the first day, the crowd gathered at the venue as early as 2 PM to catch a glimpse of the “Nation’s Girl Group” BINI.
P-pop queens from the Philippines didn’t disappoint the fans as they made their day unforgettable by performing their hit songs “Cherry on Top,” “Salamin, Salamin,” “Pantropiko,” and “Karera.”
The eight-member group mentioned that they were very happy to be part of the very first ASIYA Fest, along with the other artists, and to perform for their fans and supporters.
ASIYA Music Festival is presented by Karpos Multimedia, who are also the creators of the annual Wanderland Music & Arts Festival.
Photos by Richard Esguerra
For more music festival stories, please visit our micro page here.
