By Jocelle Koh
Much like how Western pop has their Holy Trinity of Pop (Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Chappell Roan), we’ve noticed that Asian womxn in music have been SERIOUSLY turning it out lately. Approaching their stories and their experiences from various different angles across the region, we put together a list of six artists that are teeming with starpower, just waiting to be discovered.
From soothing folkish chanteuse such as Indonesia’s Bernadya to Cosmopolitan Mandarin pop princesses Lexie Liu and Karencici to Malaysian all-round queen Mimifly and gen-z newcomers Reina (Japan) and Pami (Thailand), these women show us what it’s like to be locked in to their creative momentum and presenting works that do not dictate how women collectively should be, but unapologetically champion who they themselves are.
To all the womxn out there, happy international women’s day! Be gentle with yourself, enjoy the journey, and let these six outstanding artists remind you of the variety of ways in which one can just be.
Bernadya (ID)
A household name in Indonesia but perhaps lesser known amongst non bahasa-speaking audiences, gen-z chanteuse Bernadya has been on a skyrocketing incline ever since her 2022 first single debut ‘Apa Mungkin (Was it Maybe)‘. Currently with 8.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify and billions of streams on her iconic debut album Sialnya, Hidup Harus Tetap Berjalan, this 22 year-old’s ability to unassumingly wriggle her way into a nation’s hearts has been nothing short of impressive.
Often pairing her vocals with nothing more than an acoustic or electric guitar, her clean vocals flutter across each song with an ease that belies her young years, packing a heavy punch of bittersweet melancholy that explores a plethora of heartbreaks and existential wonder in a way that reminds me of the phrase ‘the unbearable lightness of being’.
For Mandopop fans, Bernadya’s sound is most reminiscent of Tanya Chua’s singer-songwriter style works such as her covid album Depart (2021), but the fact that I am even able to make the connection between this budding singer-songwriter and one of my favourite most esteemed artists is a feat in and of itself. Despite not understanding a word, with Bernadya, I know everything I need to know.
Lexie Liu (CN)
Probably one of the most progressive pop artists in China, we’ve had our eye on Lexie Liu since her debut in 2018/2019 for her striking high-quality visual and thematic style which embodies the independence of a cosmopolitan young woman and constantly redefines ones’ impression of what it means to be a female artist in China. From her brand of more cerebral pop that appeared with her debut album Meta Ego, she has in recent years leveled up her sound, embodying a wider variety of elements such as Vogue influences (POP GIRL (2025)) and hyperpop (FORTUNA (2022), ADRENALINE (2025)) which have been better able to showcase her unique crush of high-concept and stream-of-consciousness bangers. What I find the most exciting is the recent aloofness and carefree attitude that Liu has begun to adopt especially with her latest EP TEENAGE RAMBLE. She appears to be having an enormous amount of fun with her music and content, and we are definitely along for the ride.
Karencici (TW)
We’ve watched Karencici’s full journey (even before she debuted as Karencici!), and are deeply aware of the almost insurmountable odds that her freewheeling creative vision has come up against time and again. From debuting on a Chinese reality show with a clean-cut image under the name Yang Kai Lun (林恺伦) as your conventional type artist to finding her unique blend of afrobeats/urban genres that became her groundbreaking debut album ‘SHA YAN‘, Karen has always been a creative force to be reckoned with, and now more so than ever.
After going independent and establishing her own label in 2024, Karen’s freewheeling creativity and no-holds-barred style has truly propelled her to the next level, as an artist with not only a singular fashion sense, but also a massive trendsetter. With breakout new singles such as “愛你但說不出口 hard to say“, her abilities not only as a vocalist and artist have evolved as she toes the line between hip hop, R&B and outright pop, but even more so as a songwriter who blurs the line between nostalgia and contemporary music with tracks that evoke the nostalgia of a throwback moment while staying rooted in the present.
An unapologetic girls’ girl who says exactly what’s on her mind and makes sure you know it, Karenci’s creative vision is trendsetting like none other and we are truly here for it.
Mimifly (MY)
As one may know after watching evolving music trends for many years, experience in the music industry is not always a good thing. We’ve watched countless artists try to one-up themselves whilst holding on to the laurels of their past successes, and most of the time, that has not gone well. But for those who are able to learn from their wealth of experience and re-enter their creative flow with a renewed mindset and fresh point of view? Those artists are truly unstoppable.
Artist, choreographer and yoga instructor Mimifly is the latter. Best known between 2008 and 2017 as a member of popular Malaysian hip hop group One Nation Emcees, after a smattering of singles she re-emerged fully in 2024 with viral song ‘Angkat’ which perfectly blended her hip hop background with dangdut and afrobeat influences as a nod to her heritage and saw her re-emerge with a fresh new sound that paired perfectly with rich cultural visuals and her iconic choreography style that resonates both with Malaysian audiences and introduced the world to Malaysian culture in new light.
Incorporating various touchpoints of multiculturalism in her music such as Indian carnatic melodic elements in SEREMPUN and bollywood style format in TEMBERANG, Mimi’s ability to tell nuanced stories both visually and musically have seen Mimi’s meteoric rise to queendom standards, with much more to give.
Reina (JP)
With one of the biggest domestic markets in the world, Japan is not lacking of new talent. However, within the comparable R&B niche, newcomer Reina has been making waves for her daring approach to the genre. Ever since releasing her critically-acclaimed 2023 debut album You Were Wrong, she has consistently made steady progress into the alt-R&B space with inventive, lush arrangements that run the gamut, experimenting with Jazz, Hip-Hop, Afrobeats and more.
Her versatile vocals see her blurring the lines between singing and rapping on tracks such as ‘Risk Your’, and reflects a perspective of confidence, direction and agency that is a breath of fresh air for both Japanese and overseas listeners. There is an attitude of ambitiousness in Reina’s music, and the intentional creation of space for the listeners to ruminate that good R&B always has which makes this artist a standout in the male-dominated R&B space.
Pami (TH)
A fresh new face on the Thai indie scene, while there are a plethora of Engish language R&B artists coming from across the diaspora, Pami offers a nuanced new approach that blends dreamlike, lush lofi-rock elements with tangible candylike imagery; a reflection of gen-z’s unique approach to life’s modern problems.
An artist coming from the same label that brought us Thai indie pop sensation HYBS, Pami’s sound builds on some level of synthy playfulness that we would come to expect from the now defunct duo on songs such as ‘kiss me blue’, whilst borrowing a bluey melancholic angst on tracks such as ‘highway’ that is reminiscent of artists such as Holly Humberstone and Griff.
What. Ilike most about Pami is that while traces of these influences are noticeable, the artist is well and truly on the way to making this sound her own. There lies a certain mettle; an insistence grounded in lived experience in her vocal delivery that is unmissable, and leaves you wanting more every time.
