Southeast Asia’s homegrown artists are knocking K-pop off its pedestal
Key takeaways
- Drawing lessons from the global success of K-Pop, the region is finding its own voice in a new generation of artists.
- “Over the past five years, I think I’ve switched from 70 percent Western music to, right now, around 70 percent Philippines and then 30 percent elsewhere,” Bajo, who lives north of Metro Manila, told Al Jazeera.
- “There were bands and groups in the Philippines that were making quality music before 2020, but it just boomed after that here,” Bajo said.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Drawing lessons from the global success of K-Pop, the region is finding its own voice in a new generation of artists.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo BINI performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, US, on April 10, 2026 [Daniel Cole/Reuters]By Erin Hale Published On 1 Jul 20261 Jul 2026Filipino call centre worker Jaycer Bajo’s Spotify playlist has changed a lot over the past few years.
Bajo used to mostly listen to chart-topping hits from the United States, but these days, he has a steady stream of Pinoy Pop, or P-pop, artists on rotation: from boybands ALAMAT and BGYO, to the girl group BINI, which in April became the first all-Filipino girl group to perform at the Coachella music festival.