Months after becoming the first south-east Asian girl band to perform at Coachella, and now with a tour of Japan under its belt, the group is enjoying a surge in popularity. Industry experts say musical talent has always existed in the region, but the infrastructure is now backing it up after the huge popularity of K-pop showed that investment could push Asian artists into the mainstream. The music industry in the west largely ignored Asian music before the 2012 hit Gangnam Style, which went viral in part thanks to its popularity in the Philippines and among its diaspora, says Piyapong Muenprasertdee, co-founder of music platform Fungjai.
Many emerging artists and groups from the region are now gaining fans by blending modern and traditional elements, adds Piyapong. In Thailand indie acts as well as girl bands such as BNK48 are putting their own spin on local folk music Molam and Thai country music known as Luk Thung. In Vietnam and the Philippines, unique electronic dance music styles are becoming increasingly prominent in local club scenes.
In Indonesia, girl band no na has mixed dangdut, a high-intensity genre with Indonesian, Malay, Arabic and Indian roots, with reggaeton and pop, including in their hit bilingual song Rollerblade, which has garnered 16m views. The group produces catchy, sometimes expletive-laden pop songs that feature traditional ceng-ceng cymbals, and gamelan, an ensemble from Java and Bali, which they perform in striking costumes and with occasional back-bending moves. One feature of Asian pop culture, says PR expert Bettina Miski, is the prominence of fandom and fanclubs, which have contributed to their popularity.
BINI’s fans are called “Blooms”, for no na it’s “Orchids”, 4EVE’s “For Aye” (also meaning forever), and DOLLA’s “iDollas”. The row over the Grammys’ new category for Asian pop suggests inclusivity in the industry still has a way to go. The move was criticised for potentially ringfencing Asian pop artists from contending in the top categories.
It also explicitly mentioned only K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop despite the region’s diversity. Still, says Piyapong, south-east Asia is well positioned to be “the next powerhouse” in the global music landscape.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
