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Linking ASEAN and Korea
A glimpse of the hip world of pop music created by ASEAN and Korean artists.

Musical collaborations by prominent artists from Viet Nam, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Korea. Last October, Kim June-sun, who is best known as the singer of “Arabian Nights,” released “Call on Me,” on which he collaborated with three Vietnamese musicians: Dinh Trong Dat, Nguyen Thuy Anh, and Nguyen Thanh Son. The song was part of the 2020 WAF (“We Are Friends”) project that, as suggested by its title, was created to spread a message of friendship amid the devastation caused worldwide by COVID-19. “Call On Me” is an EDM song which Kim composed, wrote lyrics for, sang on, and produced. It blends Vietnamese, English, and Korean lyrics, and was made with the participation of several other Korean singers: Cult’s Chon Seung-woo, up-andcoming singer Gilmin, and rapper Choi Jin-ho. Kim said he will also be working on a collaboration with the Filipino idol group SB19, and that he hopes to engage in more collaborations with ASEAN, and especially Indonesian, musicians.

In February, Singaporean rapper ShiGGa Shay released “uRight,” which features Korean singer and producer Jay Park. “URight” is an upbeat song on the meaninglessness of distinguishing who was right or wrong in a lover’s quarrel. Rumor has it that the collaboration was born when ShiGGa Shay thought first of Park when looking for someone with expertise in both R&B and hip hop. ShiGGa Shay is not only a rapper, but also a music producer and video art directorwhose new single, PAS$IVE, is set for release in October. Another eye-catching collaboration is between Afgan, an Indonesian singer, and K-pop star Jackson Wang. “M.I.A,” which was released by Afgan in March, is a love song that was intensely popular for the harmony of the two singers’ powerful and appealing vocals. Afgan said, “My dream is to work with more K-pop artists. I would love to give a concert in Korea.”

Finally, there is “Wings,” a song that was born from a collaboration between Thai singer-songwriter Phum Viphurit and So!YoON! of Se So Neon, a Korean band that is active in Asia and Europe. Released in October 2020, the song is popular for the warm, romantic tone of its lyrics and melody, and has an equally captivating album cover made up of photos taken of the same subject by two people in different locations, embodying a profound message about the song’s lyrics. The growing number of collaborations between Koreanand ASEAN singers, who are uniting through the common denominator of music despite vast difference in language and culture, will hopefully give rise to more inter-genre endeavors.

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