AXEAN Festival has announced the second wave of artists joining its 2026 edition, adding a diverse mix of acclaimed, established, and emerging acts from across Asia and beyond as it continues to strengthen its reputation as Southeast Asia’s premier music export platform.

The newly announced lineup spans a wide range of genres, from indie rock, alternative pop, and electronic jazz to soul, hip-hop, progressive rock, dream pop, and contemporary Asian music, reinforcing the festival’s commitment to musical diversity and cross-cultural collaboration.

Among the artists joining this year’s festival are Aelea (Indonesia), Arivu (India/TuneCore India Showcase), Basboi (Indonesia), Bishnu Paneru (Philippines), brkfstblend (Japan), Cactus Cactus (Singapore), can’t be Blue (South Korea), Ciggarats (Vietnam), Clever Moose (Indonesia), Crystal Murray (France/United States), D’MASIV (Indonesia), Drizzly (Indonesia), El Karmoya (Indonesia), Emptyyy (Indonesia), Feral Stripes (Indonesia), GEE EXCLSV (Philippines), Gavendri (Indonesia), GENIUS Flow (Laos), Given (Indonesia), hailinhtasm (Vietnam), Laze and Mardial (Indonesia), Littlefingers (Indonesia), Litty (Japan), Mayu (Japan), MRCH (South Korea), Nerd Connection (South Korea), Olsam (Indonesia), Silly Silky (South Korea), and YuuHai (Cambodia).

Beyond its showcase performances, AXEAN Festival continues to create opportunities for artists and music professionals through industry discussions, networking sessions, and initiatives that address the evolving landscape of Southeast Asia’s music ecosystem.

AXEAN Festival co-founder David Siow emphasized the event’s mission of fostering meaningful industry connections across the region.

“Every year there are new developments in each Southeast Asian music scene—be it new artists, new movements, new companies, or even new geopolitics. We strive to address and serve as a bridge, connecting the relevant artists and delegates to each other and allowing for them to meet each other and form organic relationships, all in the hopes that we can build a better future together. If you come to AXEAN Festival, you are tapping into a community that grows and builds with you,” Siow said.

One of the biggest milestones for this year’s edition is AXEAN Festival’s partnership with Seattle-based public radio station KEXP, marking the first time that Live on KEXP will record sessions in Asia.

Selected artists will perform exclusive live sessions during the festival, providing them with a platform to reach KEXP’s global audience.

“KEXP exists to help artists reach a global audience,” said Chris Sanley, Executive Producer of Live on KEXP. “For nearly two decades we’ve been sending our team to international music-centered events to record live performances with artists from outside the US. Diana’s work on our radio show, Eastern Echoes, inspired us to bring Live on KEXP to the Asian continent for the first time.”

Eastern Echoes host Diana Ratsamee added that the collaboration offers an opportunity to broaden global perspectives on Asian music.

“In American and international media, our stories have long been underrepresented and our music boxed into narrow definitions and expectations. KEXP’s show, Eastern Echoes exists to reflect the incredible breadth of sounds that make up our Asian communities, and this partnership with AXEAN Festival will expand on that work in amazing ways,” Ratsamee said.

The festival will also welcome KOREA SPOTLIGHT, the flagship K-Music showcase presented by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA).

Making their Indonesian debut are can’t be Blue, MRCH, Nerd Connection, and Silly Silky, all graduates of KOCCA’s MUSE ON artist development program. In addition to performing during AXEAN Festival, the artists will headline a dedicated KOREA SPOTLIGHT showcase in Jakarta.

New for 2026 is SEA URBAN, a platform dedicated to Southeast Asia’s thriving hip-hop, rap, R&B, and contemporary urban music scene. The initiative combines curated live performances with industry discussions focused on the genre’s rapid growth, evolving identity, and increasing international influence.

“Hip-hop sits in an interesting place: it’s mainstream, trendy, and fashionable, but it also carries real weight because it resonates with the struggles of urban youth,” said AXEAN Festival co-founder Piyapong Muenprasertdee.

“What sets Southeast Asian hip-hop apart is that each scene is shaped by where it came from, with artists weaving traditional sounds into their beats—which makes every country’s scene distinct and worth the world discovering. That’s why the showcase and panel matter: these scenes have mostly grown on their own, and putting them on a shared regional stage is how we help these voices travel further and collaborate across borders,” he added.

Tickets for AXEAN Festival 2026 are now available through Loket. The festival is co-presented by Jimbaran Hub and TuneCore, with support from a wide range of regional and international partners including EMPIRE, KEXP, KOREA SPOTLIGHT, KOCCA, MCST, The Orchard, Sounds Australia, Symphonic Distribution, and others.

Since its launch in 2020, AXEAN Festival has evolved into Southeast Asia’s leading music export platform, showcasing more than 200 artists from 20 countries while attracting hundreds of international delegates and thousands of attendees across both virtual and in-person editions.