Music enthusiasts filled the World Trade Center in Pasay City to support 19 talented artists from across Asia.
This event marking the debut of the ASIYA: Asian Music Festival and Conference, which took place on October 12-13, 2024, offered a fresh concert experience led by Karpos Live.
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) covered the event, and here are the highlights:
BINI: ASIYA MUSIC FEST HEADLINER
The P-Pop sensation BINI captivated the audience as one of the festival's headliners.
The venue was brimming with Blooms (fanclub name) passionately singing and dancing along as BINI delivered their hit tracks "Cherry On Top," "Karera," "Salamin, Salamin," and an extended version of their fan-favorite "Pantropiko."
During their set, BINI's eight members—Aiah, Colet, Jhoanna, Gwen, Mikha, Stacey, Sheena, and Maloi—took a moment to connect with the crowd, offering warm greetings.
Colet brought laughter to the audience when she playfully switched to her famed "anger mode" after her spiel was interrupted by Bloom's enthusiastic cheering.
“Ano bang sinisigaw-sigaw niyo, makinig muna kayo,” she scolded with a smile on her face.
Not soon afterward, Colet shared some reflection on the importance of taking a rest, saying, “Sobrang bilis ng panahon, feeling natin hinahabol natin.
"Binabantayan natin yung pace ng panahon kasi siyempre gusto natin mag-work talga, i-push talaga yung self natin kasi we have a lot of dreams and goals for our family and for ourselves.
"Nakakalimutan na natin magpahinga at huminga.”
Prior to one of their performances, the group engaged in a relay game where each member took turns sharing their past dreams.
BINI member Aiah humurously recalled, "Dati pangarap ko maging strong independent woman, pero one time nag-jogging ako, nakita kita, sabi ko, 'Ah siya (Asiya) pala!'"
The group thanked the audience for staying until the end of the music festival.
“As BINI, pangarap namin mahalin at suportahan kami ng mga tao," said the leader Jhoanna.
She continued, "We came here from different places but we are united by our love for music and performing kaya maraming-maraming salamat Asiya sa suporta. Mahal namin kayo."
Read:
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ASIYA FEST: DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS
For the first day of ASIYA Music Fest, Asian music took center stage, showcasing artists and the extraordinary talents coming from Asia.
Kicking things off was Gabba from the band Fools and Foes.
Day 1 also brought awesome performances from funk band flu, pop-folk star Reese Lansangan, indie-rockers UDD, and Urbandub.
International artists like Thai singer-songwriter Numcha, Malaysian band babychair, and Japan's Imase (famous for "Night Dancer") along with Seoul's Colde added more fire to the line-up.
Imase shared his delight as he got the crowd dancing with his songs, expressing how thrilled he was to be performing in the Philippines for the first time.
He also revealed his fondness for Filipino food.
“We had dinner last night and we had Filipino food, gising-gising, [it was] delicious. Filipino food, very delicious,” he shared.
In an Instagram post, Imase further thanked the host country for recognizing his music while also expressing his love for Jollibee, a famous local fast-food chain.
“Thank you so much!! First time in the Philippines! I’m so glad that some of you knew my music! [emoji] It was a productive time to see artists from different countries! Jollibee was delicious!” he wrote in his caption.
Headlining Day 1 of Asiya was Taiwanese pop band Sunset Rollercoaster, joined by Korean indie-rock band HYUKOH, performing their hit songs “Young Man” and “My Jinji.”
The band thanked their supporters in a series of photos from their set in Manila with a caption, “Salamat, Maynila!”
ASIYA FEST: DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS
The following day highlighted the vital role of Philippine local talent, shining a spotlight on homegrown artists.
Sibling duo Ysanygo opened the event with their songs “Pulso” and “Sunny When I’m With You.”
The crowd was also serenaded by the jazz musician Jose Miguel; the Taiwanese singer-songwriter 9m88, who learned a few Filipino phrases to incorporate in her song “Waste of Time”; the Japanese soloist Salasa; the Singaporean singer-songwriter Shye, who ended her set with a surprised performance cover of “Come Inside of My Heart” by IV of Spades.
In an Instagram post, Shye shared a few snaps from her experience in Manila, including her backstage moments with other performers, like Imase, Zild, and BINI.
“thank you sooooooo much manila [emoji] and huge thank you to @asiyafest for having me [emoji] so happy to have met you all i will be dreaming about this for a long time mannnn,” the Taiwanese singer-songwriter wrote on her Instagram post.
Completing the foreign line-up that night was the "alternative multi-national K-pop band" Balming Tiger, which lit up the stage with eccentric songs and choreographies.
The band performed its hit songs, “Sexy Nikum,” “Trust Yourself,” and “Buriburi,” which hyped the crowd even more as they sang it with their signature dance step.
They also praised the Filipino crowd for their energy that night.
Balming Tiger member Omega Sapien described the Filipino crowd as “wild” and said that their experience in the country has always been fun.
The band had already performed at the Wanderland Music and Arts Festival in March 2023.
Former IV of Spades member now soloist Zild also graced the Philippine Spotlight stage as he got the crowd bopping to his darkwave rock songs, including “Dekada ‘70.”
The crowd’s excitement was brought to a higher level when juan karlos took on the stage, singing some of his songs that have gotten listeners hooked.
Labajo, a fitting finale, added a twist to his performance as he sang “Ere” in the meow meow version, which got the crowd laughing and singing in unison. The version instantly went viral on TikTok and other social media platforms.
The crowd, including juan karlos himself, could not contain their laughs as a scream was heard after he sang the part “pakinggan mo ang aking sigaw” from his song “Buwan.”
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