The 16th Golden Indie Music Awards (GIMA) lit up the Taipei Music Center on November 1, 2025, gathering over 30 artists from Taiwan, Korea, and Thailand in a vibrant celebration of Asian creativity across 22 distinguished categories.
Hsien Ching (陳嫺靜) emerged as the biggest winner, taking Best New Artist, Best Alternative Pop Album, and Best Hip-hop Song on the strength of her genre-bending dual albums. The Best Band award went to Robot Swing, whose funk and R&B-driven sound explores the relationship between humans and machines. Rising rapper someshiit 山姆 took home Best Hip-hop Album, solidifying his position as one of Taiwan’s most promising new voices.
Blending tradition and experimentation, Lilium (百合花) received double honors with Best Album for “Everything Will Go Wonderfully” and the Jury Award, reflecting the ceremony’s curatorial vision: “To bring music back to its artistic essence and to rekindle a pure love for creation.” Japan’s ELLE SHIMADA, honored as Best Asian Creative Artist, dedicated her win to “girls with big dreams,” symbolizing the rise of empowered female creators in Asia’s music landscape.
Performances throughout the night showcased the theme of “Brave”. Sorry Youth (拍謝少年) opened the night with a breathtaking fusion of 拚場 piànn-tiûnn deity rituals and thundering percussion, igniting the stage with raw energy. Lilium (百合花) then joined vocal powerhouse Siri Lee (李竺芯) for a gender equality-themed collaboration celebrating freedom beyond boundaries. That’s My Shhh and someshiit 山姆 led a rotating lineup of hip-hop artists, distilling the raw energy of an authentic party into one electrifying performance. I’mdifficult 我是機車少女 and Andr delivered an intimate, emotional performance about courage, empathy, and self-acceptance.
The night’s Best Live Performance winner, Modern Cinema Master (當代電影大師), captivated audiences with an uncompromisingly intense set, reaffirming their reputation for bold, immersive performances.
In a cross-cultural highlight, Thai rapper AUTTA and Taiwanese trio The Chairs(椅子樂團) premiered a Taiwan–Thailand collaboration, merging languages and street imagery into one seamless dialogue. The finale by Korean band Silica Gel, last year’s Best Asian Creative Artist winner, stunned audiences with 〈NO PAIN〉 and 〈APEX〉, closing the night on a historic note.
The 16th GIMA reaffirmed Taiwan’s creative vitality and Asia’s shared spirit of independence and openness. For more highlights and updates, visit the official GIMA website, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.
The 16thGolden Indie Music Awards Winners
【Uncategorized Awards】
■ Best Album
《Everything Will Go Wonderfully》／Lilium (Album Producer:Cheng Ko-chun、Hsiao He-Shuo )
■ Best Band
Robot Swing／《IS IT ALIVE? (Live at Yuchen Cinema Studio)》
■ Best Singer-songwriter
YILE LIN／《True Colors》
■ Best New Artist
Hsien Ching／《If we can be happy happy every day, who wants to be sad:＊》
■ Best Instrumentalist
Sauljaljui／《VAIVAIK》／Yuequin(Moon Lute)、Percussion
Cheng Chun Wu／《Dual Legendary Rhythms – A New Worldview》／Percussion, World Hand Drums, Erhu, Synthesizer
Rich Huang／《Dual Legendary Rhythms – A New Worldview》／Drumset, Percussion
■ Best Live Performance
《Modern Cinema Master Tour 2025》/Modern Cinema Master
■ Best Asian Creative Artist
《LULLABY FOR THR RIVER IN MY BODY 》／ELLE SHIMADA
【Category Awards】
■ Best Rock Album
《Xenobones》／FUTURE AFTER A SECOND
■ Best Rock Song
〈disappoint〉／《Juicy》／Cat’s Bile
■ Best Folk Album
《VAIVAIK》／Sauljaljui
■ Best Folk Song
〈Heaven’s Reunion 〉／《Bitter-Sweet Playground》／CHIANG,MENG-HSUN
■ Best Hip-hop Album
《A FOOL》／someshiit
■ Best Hip-hop Song
〈VacuumB (beat by Flowstrong)〉／《If we can be happy happy every day, who wants to be sad:＊》／Hsien Ching
■ Best Electronica Album
《5ENOM》／FTK
■ Best Electronica Song
〈5ENOM〉／《5ENOM》／FTK
■ Best Jazz Album
《OR》／Tracy Yang
■ Best Jazz Song
〈Palette〉／《Ctrl+Z》／Plutato
■ Best R&B Album
《Heal Me Good》／Yufu
■ Best R&B Song
〈Praise〉／《Qrasun》／Kumu Basaw
■ Best Alternative Pop Album
《If we can be happy happy every day, who wants to be sad:))》／Hsien Ching
■ Best Alternative Pop Song
〈Nothing ever stops me〉／《Dance on the Shoreline》／LÜCY
【Jury Award】
■ Jury Award
Lilium ／《Everything Will Go Wonderfully》
