The artists and organisers behind ESEA Music's first writing camp select their favourite tracks from fellow East and South East Asian artists.

Marking East and South East Asian Heritage Month in September, non-profit community group ESEA Music are celebrating with their biggest venture of the year: a series of writing camps to bring some of the most exciting rising artists and creatives together. Produced by Congee with Josie Man, Lucy Tun, Tascha Jerawan, Vishal Chopra, iamkyami  and Jason Kwan, the first collaborative single from the venture dropped this week. Buzzing with infectious energy and laced with confidence, ‘I LUV MY LIFE’ is one to see out the final days of sunshine.

 

“Our goal is to organise writing camps encompassing diverse music professions and genres,” Lucy Tun and kityiu grace, who organised the project together, explain. “The experience of having musicians from different genres collaborate on songs has been immensely fulfilling creatively. Facilitating these collaborative sessions with artists at different career stages created a sense of fairness and equality. They have fostered a stronger sense of unity within the ESEA Music community, as our shared creative interests bring us closer together. It’s not often that we have the opportunity to bring all ESEA artists together to create music in the same room, so it was a truly special and memorable moment for everyone. By releasing music produced during these writing sessions, we hope to reinvest back into our community, supporting our growth and development.” To celebrate the release, each of the artists invoved, alongside co-organiser kityiu grace, select 10 current favourites by fellow East and South East Asian artists.

Congee: 'Ooharu' by Masakatsu Takagi

A beautiful piece of music. The composer moved to a rural town in Japan and made this album with people from the town. It feels like there's a village living inside of this album. Very wholesome stuff.

Josie Man: 'Mongkok Madness' by Jianbo

Jianbo is a fellow ESEA London boy! I love this, especially when I’m driving in the sun, it makes me feel like a little baddie. I love the music video too – it was filmed in one of my favourite restaurants.

Jason Kwan: 'Heaven's Gate' by Alextbh

Alex is a Queer Malaysian singer-songwriter who is so inspiring to me. He's the perfect artist to put on during existential late-night moments.

Iamkyami: 'damn Right' by AUDREY NUNA

This one’s a timeless banger for me. AUDREY NUNA is the first contemporary ESEA artist I came across since starting my music career. I remember hearing this song and then being so hyped to discover it was an ESEA artist, especially a hip-hop/rap artist. AUDREY NUNA has such a sick style and the music videos are everything.

Lucy Tun: 'Nobody' by Mitski

This song is a Mitski classic which got my friends and I through hard times. It’s a track for any occasion; I remember screaming the chorus in the car with my friends.

Tascha Jerawan: 'DISTANCE - m-flo remix' by Hikaru Utada

I’ve loved Hikaru Utada for the longest time and when I came across this remix from m-flo my obsession was reignited. It was the first I'd heard of m-flo and I was so excited to see they were ESEA Artists. This remix is filled with so much good energy!

Vishal Chopra: 'Lapwing's by Hilang Child

This is top-tier production and the sax solo gets me every time. I absolutely love the heaviness of the bass and the groove is just so fun!

Kityiu Grace: 'ember' by Hinako Omori

Hinako’s music always takes me to another world where I feel calmness. I can just breathe whilst all these interesting frequencies fly everywhere around me.

Tiger Hagino Reid: 'Goddess' by Cathy Jain

Cathy is one of my recent favourite artists! She’s an incredible singer-songwriter and this latest mixtape has elevated her work; the writing and the production is much more exposed, allowing me to truly delve into her world.

'I LUV MY LIFE' by Josie Man, Jason Kwan, iamkyami, Lucy Tun, Tascha Jerawan, Vishal Chopra, Congee

We're so proud to release a single collectively as ESEA Artists. When we first stepped into the studio, we never imagined we'd reach this point. But here we are and this is just the beginning...