Benjamin Kheng, Keenan Te and more debut new music at Music Matters 2023

In partnership with Music Matters

Earlier this month, the annual All That Matters and Music Matters conferences arrived in Singapore for a week full of panels, workshops and entertainment offerings including showcases from some of the region’s brightest stars.

With 35 artists representing 20 countries across six nights, there was no shortage of live music offerings in the city-state between September 8-13 with special stages curated by the likes of Made in SEA, Music Matters Live SELECTS, Warner Music Presents, Girls Night Out and ONErpm presents: FUNYOUCANFEEL.

Homegrown talent performing that week included Benjamin Kheng, Nathan Hartono and Sezairi – all of whom performed newly released or soon-to-be released material.

Making his debut on the Music Matters Live stage as a solo artists – having last performed at the conference with the Sam Willows – Kheng teamed up with viral Australian artist Keenan Te to perform their upcoming collaborative single, ‘Shared Trauma’, which is due for release on October 27.

Sezairi, on the other hand, performed new material from his freshly released album ‘Self Soothing’ alongside Indonesian singer-songwriter Teddy Adhitya – marking a full-circle moment for both artists who first met through the Music Matters At Home virtual conference during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Malaysia’s CLAUDIA and Indonesia’s HNATA teamed up to perform ‘The Worst Part’, which was officially released following the conclusion of All That Matters 2023.

During the Warner Music Presents showcase on September 12, Felip – aka Ken of Filipino pop group SB19 – staged his first-ever overseas solo performance and surprised fans with a second performance at the GPSS Clarke Quay stage the following day, ushering in the largest crowd in attendance that week.

Other acts who made their debuts at Music Matters Live 2023 included K-pop star SHAUN, China’s thomeboydontkill and others like Abus, LUSS, Paul Partohap, yonawo and Vū.

Also part of the Music Matters conference was the Gateway To Taiwan panel, which convened Taiwanese and regional delegates to discuss and dissect the current state and trends of the Taiwanese music industry. Among the panelists were Rock Records Malaysia’s general manager Chong Yi Chen, Warner Music Taiwan managing director Yeo Kok Siew, Chairman and CTO of Funique VR Studio Apu Cheng and Taipei Music Center CEO Eric Liang.

Music Matters has since announced that it will soon open artists applications for the 2024 event – hopeful applicants are encouraged to stay tuned to Music Matters on Instagram for updates.

Sammy Shirra-Moore, the Festival Director for Music Matters Live, said of this year’s event in a statement: “This year, we were especially proud to have played a part in artists showcasing first-time collaborations live on stage, and to see the return of Music Matters Live alumni who debuted new releases. We were also excited to welcome Warner Music and ONErpm as they debuted showcases at Music Matters Live and Taiwan Beats as a partner for All That Matters.”

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