For the third year in a row, AXEAN is back and a number of Filipino artists is joining its star-studded lineup.

This 2024, after two years of successfully mounting its first live iterations in Singapore, AXEAN — the “first intra-regional music showcase event in Southeast Asia” — is moving to a new destination: the Jimbaran Hub in Bali, Indonesia — a location described to feature “breathtaking greenery and sunset views.”

Happening this September 28 and 29, the lineup for this year’s festival notably includes the participation of five exciting Filipino acts. These include “Dilaw” hitmaker Maki, indie-folk group Munimuni, electronic music producer and DJ crwn, indie pop/soul-jazz soloist Muri of The Ransom Collective, and dream-pop indie outfit bird.

Check out the rest of the lineup’s first phase below:

Courtesy of NYOU Consultancy

“It has always been our vision to make AXEAN a regional traveling festival, changing host countries every year, or even having multiple smaller editions in different countries,” states Piyapong Muenprasertdee, AXEAN Festival co-founder and team leader, in a press statement. “The reasoning stemmed from us seeing that most Southeast Asian music markets are either very domestic, or receptive towards only western or K-pop artists when it comes to international artists. Thus, if we could help domestic artists cross borders within the region, there could be more opportunities for them to grow an international fanbase. After 2 years being in Singapore, we felt it was the right time to try a new place, and Bali being a tropical paradise with a growing music scene, we think it is the perfect location for artists, delegates and music-lovers alike.”

Before the main event proper, AXEAN Festival 2024 will begin with a “music industry mixer” as well as “private music showcase of
Balinese talents” on September 27. Following this, the two-day music event is set to commence, with “networking activities in the morning and a music showcase festival featuring more than 50 music acts from Southeast Asia and beyond.”

Meanwhile, the event will come to close with a private, international songwriting camp — a new addition to the showcase’s programming. It is set up in order to “foster a spirit of creativity and inclusivity in a globalized setting while nurturing cross-cultural collaboration amongst the finest and most promising songwriters, producers, and artists in the ASEAN region and also from other regions of the world. “For us, it’s all about enabling artists and furthering their careers; for Bali, it just made sense to do a camp and create good vibes, memories, and tracks for all involved,” states David Siow, AXEAN Festival co-founder and co-director, who is advocating for a more a DIY approach to the songwriting camp.

“We hope a songwriting camp will help create an environment to foster more artistic collaborations and cross-border fanbases,” adds Muenprasertdee, who also serves as the festival’s co-director, emphasizing the songwriting camp’s importance. “Apart from some of this year’s showcasing artists, we have also invited some alumni, guest songwriters and producers to make it more fun and productive! Be on the lookout for new music coming out from our camp!”

AXEAN Festival (formerly, ASEAN Music Showcase Festival or AMS) had its beginnings in 2020 as a virtual music showcase festival before becoming an actual in-person celebration of music in 2022, turning into an “internationally recognized platform that features musical talents from Southeast Asia and beyond whilst providing a place for artists and music industry professionals from around the world to connect through genuine face-to-face networking opportunities.” A total of 50 artists — 39 from all ASEAN countries — participated in the event’s 2023 iteration which was held from October 27-29, 2023 at the Goodman Arts Centre in Singapore. Meanwhile, 74 international delegates from 16 countries attended while more than a total of 7,700 festival-goers attended.

Find more information about AXEAN Festival 2024 here. Get your tickets to the showcase here.