Credit: Chris Sim
“2020 is the year I cried the most,” singer-songwriter Shye admits. Not a surprising pronouncement on the turbulent year we’ve left behind, perhaps, but the 18-year-old Singaporean was facing challenges of a more personal sort – heartbreak and anxiety – and channeling her experiences into her debut album, ‘Days To Morning Glory’.
“2020 was really about growth for me – I was figuring things out, making mistakes, getting hurt, learning from all of that – and a lot crying in my room in between, of course,” she says. While most Singaporeans were busy picking up new hobbies and trying to stay sane during the country’s lockdown (dubbed a ‘circuit breaker’), Shye says she “thrived” in her time cooped up at home – though she missed performing. “I really love doing my stuff live. Sure, you can be all comfortable at home and behind a screen, but nothing beats the vibes of performing live,” she says.
Shye and She s Only Sixteen. Credit: Christopher Sim, Press
Japanâs Music Lane Festival Okinawa has announced the addition of multiple East and Southeast Asian acts to its line-up, including Shye, She’s Only Sixteen, Syd Hartha, lightcraft and more.
The 33 up-and-coming acts from across the region will perform virtually through pre-recorded sets, while acts from Japan will perform live â making the January event a hybrid online-offline festival.
The new additions hail from the countries Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand Mongolia and South Korea. Representing Singapore will be Shye, YAÃ, Shirly Temple, Woes, Shakâthiya and HubbaBubbas, while Malaysiaâs performers include Skits, Golden Mammoth, Jemson, Court 10, FAZZ, Capt Trips n The Kid, and The Filters.
The 25 best Asian albums of 2020
From hardcore punk to art pop and left-field rap, Asian artists killed it this year
If you’ve been reading
NME Asia since our launch four months ago, you’ll know we came out of the gate with a list of the best albums by Southeast Asian artists up till that point. To wrap up the year, we’ve expanded our scope a little, pulling Korean and Taiwanese artists into the mix and including EPs as well.
So dive in and run down the best releases from Asia this year with us. From hardcore punk to art pop to left-field rap to experimental noise – whatever your poison, you’ll find something here to love.