It was Aussie BBQ time at Music Matters Live overnight, with Sounds Australia putting on yet another showcase for the international delegates – a menu of Australian artists ready to be sampled, if you will.
Introduced by Associate Producer Esti Zilber, the Aussie BBQ was opened by Melbourne vocalist NUSSY who declared she was going to play ‘some disco tunes’ early on. Her first show outside Australia and her first in five months, NUSSY was the perfect artist to have on a wider line up that Music Matters Live had curated – her music is vibrant and cutting, aligning perfectly with the Asian pop music that has dominated much of the festival.
From there, the line up continued to show off the singer songwriter element of the Australian contingent, with Calan Mai, Childsaint and Lyon Apprentice all drawing in a positive response from the public who had arrived to take it all in. Adelaide pop artist Tom Jay Williams struggled with monitor tech on stage during his set but nonetheless powered through in introducing his music to the Singaporeans gathered for the first time. His presence in Asia has only grown recently, while a partnership inked with YouTube is to see Williams’ international profile only continue to grow.
Headlining the Aussie BBQ was Melbourne’s Swim Season, who had already enjoyed a positive reception at the Barbershop on Saturday night. With a large crowd gathered right at the front of the stage, the indie group doled out a set that had been hyped by many beforehand, but well and truly delivered upon on Monday night.
While Music Matters Live was well in full swing on Monday night, the conferencing sessions held up at Singapore’s Ritz Carlton for All That Matters were just beginning to hit their stride, as hundreds upon hundreds of delegates gathered for the first official day of learning, networking and discovery.
The ‘Gateway to Australia’ panel gave a great insight into our export industry on an international level and Sounds Australia’s work in bringing Australian talent to the rest of the world. Esti Zilber, joined by ARIA’s Dan Rosen, Twitter (Asia Pacific) Head of Entertainment Partnerships Jennie Sager and Inertia/PIAS Australia’s Colin Daniels engaged in topics ranging from the importance of social media as a platform for musicians to grow, through to what international artists should know before aiming to tackle the Australian market.
The afternoon saw the Ballroom taken over by Thai pop sensation Tor + Saksit, before Branded’s Jasper Donat provided his official address, giving attendees a great overview of the last year in music across the Asia Pacific industry.
Towards the end of the afternoon, attendees were able to immerse themselves in keynotes provided by Sony Music Entertainment Japan’s EVP of Corporate Development, Ken Ohtake, as well as that of Big Sync Music’s COO Phil Lawlor – both individuals coming to All That Matters with massive knowledge banks of how their specific markets engage with international brands.
Music Matters Live continues in Singapore tonight and tomorrow, Wednesday September 13th.
Photo by Dawn Chua.
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