AXEAN Festival 2026 unveils first wave lineup

The Bali-based music conference and showcase also introduces an expanded songwriting camp and a Southeast Asian hawker-inspired food experience

June 24, 2026 – BALI, INDONESIA — AXEAN Festival, Southeast Asia’s premier intra-regional music showcase and conference platform, has announced the first wave of its 2026 lineup.

After solidifying its reputation in the international festival circuit with a consistent track record and compelling success stories for artists and delegates, AXEAN Festival 2026 continues to hit the high mark with a diverse and well-curated roster of artists representing Southeast Asia and beyond. Returning to Jimbaran Hub, Bali, for its third consecutive year, AXEAN Festival 2026 will take place from August 29-30, 2026.

Indonesia takes center stage

Leading the first wave announcement is an esteemed pool of Indonesian artists that reflects the country’s vibrant and eclectic music scene. Among the names confirmed for the maiden batch are top-streamed singer-songwriter Ndarboy Genk, experimental music quartet Basajan, Yogyakarta-based band LOR, Tropical Dessert trio Babon, Jakarta alt-rock band Satu Per Empat, rising singer-songwriter Jo Soegono, jazz rock trio Emptyyy, and R&B/soul star Noni.

Regional and international artists join the celebration

This year’s lineup also gets an extra boost from emerging and seasoned acts in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia’s very own indie pop outfit Masdo, alt-rock veterans Pitahati, and genre-defying artists Lil Asian Thiccie x dj magn3sium. The Philippines contributes a strong contingent with hip-hop trio PLAYERTWO, city pop quintet ALYSON, and alternative indie rock band Novocrane, while Singapore is represented by acclaimed indie rock band Subsonic Eye and experimental collective sub:shaman. Thailand’s thriving independent scene arrives in force through Yellow Fang, INSPIRATIVE, SLOWWVES, and Cupnoodle, while Macau’s Scamper and France’s Treaks heighten the festival’s increasingly global outlook.

Explaining the festival’s curation philosophy, AXEAN Festival co-founder Piyapong Muenprasertdee shares, “Professionalism, live performance excellence, and a clear artistic vision genuinely drive most of our selections—those are the qualities we’re looking for first. However, not every artist meets all the criteria, and this approach is intentional: we also prioritize representing less-heard music scenes. Alongside the most polished, export-ready acts, we make room for artists from locales the wider industry rarely hears from. And the value there is long-term—when those artists showcase at AXEAN, they take the experience and the learnings home, where they help nurture the next generation from their scene, who may go on to reach the global stage further than the artists who came before them.”

AXEAN Festival co-founder David Siow echoes Py’s statements but emphasizes that this year’s edition promises a stronger lineup with global potential. For audiences, our curation of artists has been geared towards artists with great live sets and who are ripe for export. You can see artists who are about to blow up, artists who will blow your minds, and artists whose future moves will blow you away.”

New program elements

Standing up for its commitment to community-building and innovation, AXEAN Festival 2026 will introduce several new elements in the program designed to strengthen its engagement among artists, delegates, partners, and audiences.

The conference and festival platform will also continue its highly regarded Songwriting Camp, which has become a cornerstone of AXEAN’s artist development initiative since its introduction in 2024.

Siow explains, “The songwriting camp introduced in 2024 (and optimized in 2025) was also born out of our drive to do things right for artists; hence, when we designed the camp, it was something that was only meant for collaborations. We take pride in creating a relaxed and casual environment that fosters creativity and friendships, as we believe the atmosphere contributes to the high quality of the final song outputs. Of course, being in Bali helps, because we can conduct the camp in villas with pools and great vibes.”

Further improving the festival experience is a brand-new food and beverage concept inspired by Southeast Asia’s iconic hawker centers and food courts. The initiative will bring together dishes and culinary traditions from across Southeast Asia, giving attendees the opportunity to explore the region’s rich cultural diversity through food.

Py adds, “Few things represent Southeast Asian culture better than its food, so we’re curating regional vendors into the festival canteen. There’s a saying that the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach. Also, I personally think, and have seen, that people connect more genuinely over food and drinks, so we’d rather create the conditions for that than over-program things.”

Apart from the carefully curated lineup of performances and new offerings, this year’s AXEAN Festival will continue its focus on industry development programming through panel discussions, business matchmaking, and structured networking sessions.

Early bird tickets

Early bird tickets are now available via www.loket.com/o/axeanfestival. Additional artist announcements, conference speakers, and program details will be revealed soon.

AXEAN Festival 2026 is co-presented by Jimbaran Hub (venue partner) and Tunecore (main stage sponsor), in partnership with EMPIRE (stage sponsor), Embassy of France in Indonesia & Institut Francais Indonesia, Embassy of France in Singapore, and Centre National de la Musique, Institut Français (festival partner), The Orchard (VIP partner), MADVERSE (songwriting camp primary sponsor), KSR (songwriting camp secondary sponsor), Musicway (songwriting camp secondary sponsor), Sounds Australia (music exchange partner), DEBEAT Sunset Road and Millers Records (equipment partners).

About AXEAN Festival

The AXEAN Festival is a prominent Southeast Asian music export platform, combining a music conference and showcase festival.

Launched in 2020 during the pandemic by music professionals across Southeast Asia, AXEAN Festival has successfully hosted both virtual (2020-2021) and in-person (2022-2025) events. Over six editions, it has featured 200 artists from 20 countries, attracted 420 delegates from 32 countries, and reached over 46,000 virtual viewers, along with close to 18,000 live attendees.

With its growing international reputation, AXEAN has firmly established itself as Southeast Asia’s leading music export platform. Its first venture into a new market beyond its original home base in Singapore and Bali garnered widespread acclaim among attendees, music industry professionals, and participating artists.