Music Matters Live Returns To Singapore With Free Live Music By 40 Artistes Across Four Days
The annual music festival is back for its 21st edition, with emerging artistes from 15 countries taking over CQ @ Clarke Quay this October 2026.
Your October plans just got a whole lot louder now that Music Matters Live is back, and it’s bringing four nights of free live music to Clarke Quay this October. Celebrating its 21st edition, the annual showcase will take over CQ @ Clarke Quay from October 2 to 4, and October 7, bringing together 40 emerging artistes from 15 countries.
The line-up stretches well beyond one genre or scene, with artistes from Singapore, Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Mexico, New Zealand, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and more. Expect everything from indie and alternative acts to J-Pop and Southeast Asian pop, with plenty of new names to add to your playlists along the way.
Meet Kaia, one of the Philippines’ rising P-Pop girl groups. The five-member group made their debut in 2022 and are known for their confident sound, self-expression and girl-power energy.
Making its debut is the MadeIn Philippines Spotlight Weekend, bringing the Philippines’ growing P-Pop and indie scenes to Singapore with acts including Kaia, Pix!e and Lola Amour. There’s also a MadeIn Japan Spotlight featuring acts from the Exile Tribe family, alongside the inaugural MadeIn Nagaland showcase, which shines a light on emerging talent from the Northeastern Indian state.
Two of the acts bringing Southeast Asian pop to the Music Is Universal showcase. Malaysian girl group Dolla (left) have been making waves since their 2020 debut, while Thai boy group Vvv (right) are bringing a fresh sound to the T-Pop scene.
Meanwhile, Music Is Universal, presented by Universal Music, takes over on October 4 with a showcase of rising pop talent from across Southeast Asia, including artistes from Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, making it a good one to catch if you like your playlists with a little more regional flavour.
Girls’ Night Out is bringing some serious international girl power. Mexico’s Bratty (left) is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, while Indonesia’s Maisha Kanna (right) is an award-winning actress and rising pop artiste.
And because every good festival needs a proper finale, Music Matters Live wraps up on October 7 with Girls’ Night Out, a closing party spotlighting female artistes from Asia Pacific and beyond. The night will feature Mexico’s Bratty, Indonesia’s Maisha Kanna, Australia’s Lucy Sugerman, Japan’s Sarina and Singaporean DJ Haneri on the decks.
Best of all? The entire programme is completely free. The performances will be spread across Fountain Square, Swee Lee and other venues around CQ @ Clarke Quay, so you can bounce between sets and stumble across an artiste you’ve never heard of.
Music Matters Live runs October 2 to 4 and October 7 at CQ @ Clarke Quay. No ticket, no gatekeeping, just four nights of new music to discover.
Full line-up for Music Matters Live 2026
The full line-up for Music Matters Live 2026 is here