Music Matters Live 2026 Successfully Closes Diverse, Music-filled Week | One Music PH
After nine showcases featuring 44 artists across 15 countries, Music Matters Live 2026 successfully finished its run on Oct. 7 at CQ @ Clarke Quay in Singapore.
Filipino acts, including P-pop groups XONARA, Pix!e, Kaia and OPM band Lola Amour, were among those given the spotlight at the annual independent music festival. Pix!e, Kaia and Lola Amour were featured in the “Made IN Philippines” showcase during the second and third days (Oct. 3 and 4), with the rock band notably closing out and drawing audiences to the Mainstage with their hit song “Raining In Manila.”
The “Made In Japan” showcase also drew crowds on the second day, with the inaugural “Made In Nagaland” doing so on opening day (Oct. 2). Meanwhile, XONARA brought out their talent and skills during the “Music is Universal” showcase on the third day, joining fellow Southeast Asian acts DOLLA (Malaysia), LYHAN (Vietnam), Marbles (Indonesia) and VVV (Thailand).
On the same day, “Music Matters Live @ Blackbird” kept the Philippines onstage alongside an international lineup that includes Singapore, Australia, India and Singapore. Furthermore, Days 2 and 3 also featured the festival’s third annual “Youth Music Matters” winner Ishbel Warifa and her band, hailing from Singapore, as well as the huge return of “Sounds Australia” with twelve acts. More intimate sets were held at Swee Lee and HOME, bringing a more cozy and personal feel to the festival.
“Music Matters Live @ Hard Rock Cafe” and “Music Matters Live @ MDLR” transpired on Day 4 and 5 (Oct. 5 and 6), consecutively, with the former featuring dancefloor-filling performances and the latter centering on hip-hop, grime, trapsoul and R&B music. Closing out the festival after a week was the 50-percent women-led showcase “Girls’ Night Out” that spotlighted an exceptional breadth of female talent shaping the music landscape.
Music Matters Live took place alongside Asia’s leading entertainment industry conference, All That Matters 21st Edition (Oct. 5 to 7), as the flagship event of the Singapore Grand Prix Season. The event was supported by CQ @ Clarke Quay, GPSS, Universal Music, Sounds Australia, TaFMa, NCCA, among others.