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.
Shelhiel: The auteur riding a new âorganicâ wave of Malaysian pop music
The maximalist, multilingual artist talks his debut EP âSuperstrobeâ and his vision of M-pop
Credit: Press
Shelhielâs debut is out of this world. The Malaysian pop artistâs first EP, âSuperstrobeâ, tells the story of an angel who falls to Earth â and then falls in love, soundtracking his journey with sparkling synth pop. In accompanying promotional photos, the 27-year-old Shelhiel looks the part â if the part were a cross between a J-rock star and an alien character from a video game.
The fantastical conceit of âSuperstrobeâ â and the polish of its sound â belies how down-to-earth Shelhiel is. In high spirits and possessed of a crackling wit, heâs positively effervescent, even over a video-free Zoom call and a late night. When