The century-old Hua Lamphong Railway Station in Bangkok looked almost unrecognisable on the night of 9 July. Under its domed high ceiling, a stage stood ablaze with a multitude of flashing spotlights. Facing it was a sea of people, their phones raised and cameras ready to capture memorable performances as artists from across Southeast Asia took turns on the stage. At its pinnacle moment, Thai rapper MILLI roared into the fray as the headlining final act, wearing a strappy, cut-out denim ensemble with a cowboy hat and her full confidence on her sleeves. “I’m coming for ya!” she belted out, and the crowd cheered with full force.
A first of its kind to happen at the historic railway station, the concert marked the conclusion of the Road to FAM Southeast Asian Tour, a series of multi-regional showcases curated by global music and media company 88rising—and supported by Levi’s®—to introduce its new music distribution and cultural platform for Asia’s emerging talents, Future Asian Music (FAM).
The show took over venues across Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta before finally ending in Bangkok, gathering not only distinguished, but also rising musicians across the region to get their chance on stage. That includes Thai boy group PROXIE, Filipino singer-songwriter Zack Tabudlo and award-winning Indonesian rapper RAMENGVRL, who headlined the concert at ZOO in SCBD, Jakarta.
“This is really great for the Asian music industry. I think we have a lot of rising stars, and [FAM] can really help them shine even more. So I love that we have FAM,” shared MILLI, who closed the long procession on an explosive note with then-unreleased tracks from her energetic new album, ‘HEAVYWEIGHT’ (2025).
She spoke from experience—88rising was instrumental in MILLI’s rise to the global stage. “They’re giving me a chance to do things that I didn’t have access to before. With ‘HEAVYWEIGHT’ coming up, I was able to have a music session camp and listening party in LA, all thanks to 88. And they’re not only giving this chance to me, but other artists too,” gushed the rap artist, famous for her critical lyrics and quirky stunts like eating mango sticky rice on stage during her Coachella 2022 performance.
“88rising’s vision has always been to uplift and create spaces for the Asian community globally. As the industry continues to shift, tools and technology have made music creation more accessible to up-and-coming artists; however, we noticed that many Asian creatives in the early stages are still underserved,” shared Angela Chiu, Marketing Lead at 88rising. “We wanted to build Future Asian Music (FAM) to help emerging artists have a one-stop experience to learn, network, and most importantly, access resources through our network of partners to distribute and get their music out there.”
Future Asian Music
Less than a year since its soft launch in September 2024, FAM has signed over 300 Asian artists globally—amplifying more than 50 million streams across various music platforms and supporting above 150 tracks monthly. Among these rising musicians is Indonesian singer-songwriter Mighfar Suganda, whose breakout single ‘Gemuruh Riuh’ found viral success on TikTok and featured in over 125,000 videos to date.
“[A scout from FAM] reached out to me through a direct message on Instagram. I couldn’t believe it at first. I mean, ‘Gemuruh Riuh’ was in Indonesian, how did they find me?” recalled the artist from Mojokerto, East Java. “But after a video call with them, I was soon reassured—this was the right next step for me.”
While the numbers helped in getting FAM’s attention, it was not the tipping point that ultimately got Mighfar signed. “Passion and dedication to their craft are what we look for when scouting for FAM artists,” responded Angela. And in Mighfar’s case specifically, “We were hooked on Mighfar’s introspective lyrics and atmospheric production of his music. Mighfar’s first release under FAM was able to get over 40M+ streams, something we are very proud of.”
She was referring to his single ‘Anti ∞ Hero’. Though the song, written entirely in English, was already recorded in 2022, Mighfar was waiting for a special momentum to release it. Getting signed on to FAM was his cue, and the musician immediately discovered the significance of the platform’s far-reaching distribution network through 88rising. “They have been very efficient with it. I didn’t expect ‘Anti ∞ Hero’ to blow up the way it did, especially seeing as the trend among popular Indonesian music in recent years doesn’t really favour lyrics in English,” observed Mighfar.
Now, he has his eyes set on growing internationally, a major factor in his decision to sign on to FAM in the first place. “I’m pretty confident when it comes to the Indonesian market. But my goal is to go global, and what FAM is doing can speed up that journey for emerging artists like me. They understand what resonates in other countries—from the types of content and design to use, narrative and overall vibe of your songs—all of which influence how far you can go.”
Southeast Asian focus
Navigating this chasm between the local and global market poses a challenge even for an artist of MILLI’s calibre, who made BBC’s 100 Women list in 2022 as one of the world’s most influential women of the year.
“In front of a Thai audience, I can feel confident that they will know at least one of my songs. But when you’re performing outside the country, it’s less certain that the audience has listened to your music before. So you have to go through the process of introducing yourself to them. There is pressure for me there too because I want to do my best and make them love me,” shared the 22-year-old.
It’s an understandable concern, especially for artists breaking into the global industry from Southeast Asia. As of May 2025, according to Statista’s Music, Radio & Podcasts dataset, the Southeast Asian music industry accounts for only 9.1 per cent of the Asian music market and a staggeringly low 1.7 per cent on a global scale. There is seemingly a distinct lack of infrastructure in place—especially for emerging talents, who tend to get sidelined in the grand scheme of things.
“The feedback that we’ve been getting from FAM artists is that we’re able to prioritise our artists and take care of them, whereas many times, on other platforms, artists sign up but ultimately—whether it’s because the platform is completely automated or there are too many artists signed up, it becomes hard for them to get the tailored support they may need,” remarked Angela.
In the running of FAM, the team also realised that a large proportion of the artists they are helping came from Southeast Asia. That led to the creation of FAM Studios in Bangkok, done in collaboration with creative hub Cloud11. The connection came through 88rising’s partnership with THACCA (Thailand Creative Culture Agency), formed while curating the Official Music Program for the SPLASH – Soft Power Forum 2025 in Bangkok.
“In this initial stage, it is already clear that in Southeast Asia, creatives are motivated and have an urgent need for a platform like FAM,” said Angela. “Upon meeting the [Cloud11] team, we felt a great synergy between FAM and Cloud11’s visions to bring global creative resources and opportunities to Bangkok and beyond, and therefore, Bangkok became the perfect launching pad for FAM Studios.”
FAM Studios
Set inside the community space The Corner House, FAM Studios takes up three floors within the revamped 115-year-old building on Charoen Krung Road. Rooms that once served as an office, a shoe warehouse, an exhibition space, and even a department store now find new life as a live performance arena with movable sets, a recording studio, and a collaborative artist lounge. The latter sits side-by-side with the city’s first co-playing café, Such a Small World, where artists are encouraged to mingle, network, as well as attend workshops.
The launch of the new facilities coincided with the Road to FAM Finale, bringing in 4-time GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter, producer and co-founder of 1500 Sound Academy James Fauntleroy to share his expertise through an exclusive masterclass alongside Cloud11 CEO Paul ‘Paulie’ Sirisant.
“Music is one of the most powerful ways to express the beauty of your culture and your experience. That’s why creating platforms that help communicate your story and perspective isn’t just good for you—it uplifts your community and, ultimately, contributes to the world and to history. I think it’s fantastic. I can’t wait to see what comes out of it,” expressed James on the creation of FAM Studios.
Of course, the arrival of FAM Studios to Bangkok also excites MILLI, who was born and raised in the city. “There are many rising stars in Thailand who are still so underrated. I know some of them, and I’m like, ‘You need to be more famous, bro. You’re so talented, I love your song.’ But as independent artists, it’s hard to have the right connections or know how to handle the business side, which matters too. They’re just artists doing their art. What FAM is doing is giving them space to grow, and that’s really great,” she commented.
The effect ripples beyond just Thai artists—or even those signed to 88rising and FAM, for that matter. Encouraging cross-community collaboration, FAM Studios is opening up access to other Asian artists connected to the 88rising network. For the launch itself, the team not only invited MILLI, Mighfar, or Road to FAM concert performers such as rappers Zamaera from Malaysia and FARIZ JABBA from Singapore—but also guest artists like Indonesian-born and Singapore-based multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Rangga Jones as well as K-indie band PRVYT.
“FAM Studios has everything in one place. You can record audio and video, shoot a music video, do a photo session, even squeeze in an interview—all in one go. It saves time, and for indie musicians, that kind of setup really helps,” observed Mighfar after his visit to the studios.
And even though it’s a plane ride away in Bangkok, “I think it’ll be a huge benefit for musicians from Indonesia. The quality is above average, and the vibe of the studio brings something different to the final result. It makes the content more engaging for the audience, and that naturally helps boost the artist’s image too.”
A collaborative process
During his talk, James Fauntleroy encouraged masterclass attendees to approach music the way one might approach filmmaking. “A lot of people in music—especially artists, but really anyone in the industry—tend to see themselves as the writer, actor, producer, director, even the lighting crew. But that’s not how it works,” he explained. “It’s a big collaborative process. To fully harness the platform it offers, it can take a hundred people—from the songwriter, producer, and artist to the distributor and marketing team.”
In that same spirit, strengthening Southeast Asia’s presence on the global music stage will take more than a single player—it will take a village. Future Asian Music, and by extension FAM Studios, isn’t the sole answer, nor should it be. It’s not the end-all; the real change still depends on the artists themselves, bolstered by grassroots communities, the wider industry, and ideally, supportive national policies.
What FAM offers, though, is something rare: tangible support, community, and a compass for those navigating the often lonely road of chasing one’s dreams in music. And it’s backed by a track record of success stories from 88rising that have arguably rewritten the narrative around Asian artists with the likes of Rich Brian, NIKI and, more recently, the girl group no na. While it’s not claiming to be the future of Asian music, it’s certainly helping shape it. And that’s something worth tuning in for.
