AXEAN Festival, Southeast Asia’s first collaborative intraregional music showcase festival, announces the final roster of its artist slate from Taiwan.
Supported by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), the third batch of performers includes four-piece instrumental act CICADA, Taiwanese-British act NIO, and an all-star performance featuring collaborations by jazz-funk band Robot Swing, Canadian-Taiwanese rapper LEO37, and new music darling Star Wu.
“We’re very excited to have Taiwan representation in AXEAN Festival,” shares co-founder David Siow. “We pride ourselves in presenting acts that are great live, and these 3 bands are no exception. With now 50 bands over 4 stages, beers from ASEAN countries, an art exhibition, AXEAN Festival is guaranteed to be a heck of a party.”
Established in 2019 by the Ministry of Culture, TAICCA supports the production, distribution, development, and overseas expansion of audiovisual content, digital content, music, comic, performing art, and more.
Get to know the lineup addition
NIO is currently the most exciting pop sensation in Taiwan, having recently won the popular songwriting reality show Music Maker (音乐主理人), solidifying his spot as one of the best young singer songwriters in Taiwan at the moment. NIO released his four track EP ANTI FOG LENSES earlier in February this year, and has recently returned with new singles ‘Sometimes’ and ‘When You Gonna (Get Your Shit Together)’.
Cicada is a four piece instrumental band formed in 2009, and named after the insect that people often hear around themselves in nature and is instantly recognisable by its sound.
The band was nominated for the “Best Instrumental Album Production” award at the 2020 Golden Melody Awards for their album Hiking In The Mist, as well as the “Best Instrumentalist” award at the 2023 Golden Indie Music Awards for their latest album Seeking the Sources of Streams.
The band was also involved in creating the soundtrack to the critically acclaimed 2022 Japanese thriller film A Man, which premiered at the 79th Venice Film Festival. For their work on the film, Cicada was nominated for the “Best Music” award at the 46th Japan Academy Film Prize.
Robot Swing is a jazz funk band that is symbolic of the ever evolving indie music sound in Taiwan. Incorporating elements of R&B, soul, funk and jazz in their music, the groovy band has collaborated with musicians from all backgrounds, including pop sensation Hung Peiyu, Tamil rapper SVDP and saxophonist Hsieh Minyen.
They were recognised with a nomination for the “Best Rhythm & Blues Song” at the 2021 Golden Indie Music Awards. Their debut album System Booting… was also nominated for the “Best Band” award at the 2023 Golden Melody Awards, and won the “Best New Artist” award at Singapore’s very own Freshmusic Awards.
Robot Swing will be joined by frequent collaborator and producer LEO37, a Canadian-Taiwanese veteran hip hop musician and rapper who is instrumental in the advancements made by the Taiwanese indie hip hop scene over the past decade.
LEO37 has been involved in some of the biggest hip hop events in Taiwan’s history, including the first-ever appearance of Wu-Tang Clan in Taiwan, as well as some of the largest and highest grossing hip hop shows in Taiwan, taking the Taiwanese hip hop talents onto a global stage.
More About AXEAN Festival
AXEAN Festival will be taking place in Singapore on 28 and 29 October this year. Alongside live music performances by renowned and up-and-coming acts from 10 different countries across Southeast Asia and the rest of the world, the festival is partnering with a wide variety of craft beer, food, and art vendors from Southeast Asia to give festival-goers a fully immersive experience, fostering a spirit of community and collaboration. Get your tickets here!
This year’s edition of the festival places extra emphasis on Asia’s indelible food culture with exclusive forward-thinking dishes inspired by flavours from across the region and a diverse range of beverages via the festival’s curated Beer Village.
The festival is now operating on a pay-cos-you-want system with a 250% tax-deduction for donations over SGD 100 through its charity partner FOUNDATION MUSIC, in the hopes of making the festival accessible to as many people as possible.
Donations from the public allow the independent festival to continue its annual efforts to elevate the best music in the ASEAN region, accelerating the artists’ careers and launching them on a global stage.
