Rewinding It Back to ‘Music Matters Live’ 2025: The Playlist
- Kalindi Wimaladharma
- Oct 28
- 6 min read
This week, we’re rewinding it to Music Matters Live 2025 in Singapore to highlight some of our favorite artists from its final day of festivities on October 1. These are songs we’ve been having on repeat lately and who you should be adding to your playlist too!
Despite the rain pelting down just a few minutes before showtime, Clarke Quay in Singapore was nevertheless lit up with energy and chatter as Music Matters Live drew to a close on its 2025 edition, hosted by Branded in line with the B2B entertainment conference All The Matters. Having also collaborated with Hit The Apex @ CQ and its Formula 1 festivities presented by StarHub, this year's edition of Music Matters Live welcomed 42 artists from 18 countries across four days of music, including J-pop group PSYCHIC FEVER and Filipino singer-songwriter James Reid.
Since the festival’s inception in 2013, the series of events has made a name for itself as a platform for emerging artists from around the world to connect with audiences and music professionals in the Asian region. The final day of this musical extravaganza consisted of two specific events: Girls’ Night Out at the Fountain Stage in collaboration with It’s A Girl Thing, and ONEnightonly at Swee Lee Clarke Quay, presented by ONErpm, in collaboration with Beamco.
Mila Bea
Singaporean singer-songwriter Mila Bea kicked off ONEnightonly at Swee Lee with a captivating, unplugged set before her main stage debut for Girls’ Night Out later that night (read more about that here). The showcase began with the acoustic-led song “Josephine,” which she had penned about a toxic friendship with a girl, and transitioned onto “Bigger Man,” an unreleased track with a Dolly Parton country-soul charm, notably in the line “I won’t come back to haunt you.”
Despite the next song being a very last-minute arrangement that she had figured out in the car on the way to the venue, Mila surprised the audience with a gorgeous rendition of Leon Bridges’ “River,” showcasing her powerful, intricate vocals. As her set neared its end, she bid farewell to the audience with an unreleased track called “Say A Little Prayer,” a gentle yet emotional song that left the entire crowd in a trance.
Mido’s Pick: “Laughing track” - Mila Bea
supercatkei
Gracing the stage with her bubbly presence next was the popular singer-songwriter and Internet personality supercatkei, who had just released her debut single, “Safe” on September 19. With this being her first gig, she admitted that her nerves were at an all-time high, yet managed to deliver a spectacular performance, which would’ve made you think it was her 100th. Her set began with an unreleased track called “My Dead Husband,” which felt as if you were cracking open an overthinker’s diary to see the intrusive thoughts they have sprawled across the page about losing someone they love. The song ended with a sweet sing-along with the crowd, despite its raw and emotionally-charged lyrics. Touching on the theme of anxiety again, she then went on to perform her debut song “Safe,” which had been a result of a conversation she had had with her guitarist, Dan. According to her, this track was a result of him encouraging her to write down her feelings and moments of anxiousness on paper. It was a song that felt like a warm hug, a soft lullaby, and an affirmation all packed into one beautiful melody.
Mido’s Pick: “Safe” - supercatkei
MINH
Amping up the energy for the night at Swee Lee, Vietnamese singer-songwriter MINH made his grand entrance to the stage with pop banger after banger. If there was ever an artist you would immediately sense was born to be on stage from the first note, it would be MINH. Starting off his set with a preview of a jazzy number from his next EP called “I Don’t Know,” the singer got the crowd grooving along to every single beat with his infectious energy on stage. He then went on to perform his debut single, “Fake Happy,” slowing down the pace of the night for a moment. It was not long after that he brought down the house again with “Gossip,” a fun and groovy bass-heavy track. Staying true to his word, the singer truly went out with grace and energy as he wrapped up his set with his brand-new track “Out With Grace,” which dropped on October 15. Hear more about the track in his interview here.
Mido’s Pick: “Heartbreaker” - MINH
JAIE
Bringing a sort of steadfast calmness to the event was Malaysian singer-songwriter JAIE, who began her set with her unreleased track “In My Head” and latest release “Vitamin.” She then went on to perform her collaboration with NYK,“Daylight,” a slower R&B track infused with a soft guitar melody. Her set closed off with “Tropical Downpour,” an unreleased R&B song built around a simple guitar riff, which quite seemingly well fit perfectly with Swee Lee’s atmosphere for the night.
During her week of performances at Music Matters Live, Mido had the opportunity to catch up with her on her music journey across the world, which you can read more about here.
Mido’s Pick: “Moon Sailing” - JAIE feat. Juju B. Goode
brb.
A trio that the entire crowd has been anticipating for the entire night, which was evident from the crowd’s loud cheers from the get-go, Singaporean band brb. finally took the stage with their latest release, “taste test” and popular hit “move.” The set was truly pulsating with energy as the crowd completely synchronized with every beat and every rhythm. The three members, Auzaie Zie, Clarence Liew, and Marc Lian, joked around, saying that they had only prepared to perform three songs, including their popular song “talking to myself,” but still ended the night with a teaser from their upcoming album.
Photo Credit: Kalindi Wimaladharma
Mido’s Pick: “talking to myself” - brb.
HILLARI
A force to be reckoned with, Norwegian-Filipino singer HILLARI took the main stage at Clarke Quay with an epic intro of “Only God,” building up on the crowd’s anticipation with each note. The first few songs of the set included “Two Cents” and “Control.” This then transitioned onto “Lose it all,” where she was belting out vocal runs, captivating the entire audience, and ending it off with a fun sing-along with the crowd. The performance then gave us a preview of her latest release “I’m Still,” and ended with “Loyal,” which the crowd happily sang along to again.
Before her performance for the night, Mido also had the opportunity to have a quick catch-up with her on her set here.
Mido’s Pick: “I’m Still” - HILLARI
Frizzell D’souza
From Bangalore to Singapore, rising Indian artist Frizzell D’souza made the closing of Music Matters Live an unforgettable one with her set consisting of soft guitar rhythms and mellow vocals that evoked a sense of nostalgia throughout. With a knack for storytelling through her poetic lyrics, her entire set felt like a movie trailer that transported you from sunny meadows to the breezy seaside, starting off with “Paintbrushes In The Ground” and “Keep Me In Meadows.” She then went onto perform her latest single “My Last Cigarette,” that had the crowd swaying in unison, transitioning onto “Drown Away,” a soft lullaby about the ocean. Closing out the 20th anniversary of Music Matters was her track “Symmetries,” which she revealed was a song about finding yourself, that she personally resonated with when Mido had a chat with her a few days prior in our interview here.
Mido’s Pick: “My Last Cigarette” - Frizzell D’souza
Alas, Music Matters Live 2025 came to a close with another successful series of events where music discovery and immersion with global talent were at its forefront. Its initiatives like Music Matters that serve as a reminder of the vital role these events play in nurturing the next generation of music talent from all corners of the globe, and we cannot wait to see what’s in store for next year.
For more information on next year’s festival, keep an eye out on the official Music Matters Live Instagram and their website www.branded.live
Were there any new artists you discovered through the festival? Let us know in the comments below, or message us on Instagram or X.
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Edited by Martina Yee
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