In mid-2020, the UK’s most respected music magazine NME launched a new division solely dedicated to the music and entertainment industries in Southeast Asia. NME Asia, based in Singapore, currently focuses on the music scene in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines as well as many other countries in the region.
Recently, NME Asia published the results of its very first poll on the best albums of 2020. Music experts from across the region pored through a large number of albums released by Southeast Asian artists and came up with 25 albums from a wide range of genres, from mainstream pop to hardcore punk to left-field rap.
Three Thai albums made it to the prestigious list. Coming in at number 24 is the self-titled debut of Bangkok indie band TaitosmitH, which includes an acclaimed leftist protest song inspired by popular bands from the ’70s like Carabao and Caravan.
Ranked at number 21 is Absolute C.O.U.P. by visual artist and producer Pisitakun Kuntalang. The album made the cut thanks to politically charged tracks that revolve around the rise of the student-led democracy movement this year. The album is also praised for how it experiments with blending heavy techno beats with military marching music to create new sounds.
Last up is three-song EP No One Plays with Me by Chiang Mai-born artist Tawanwad Wanavit, who goes by stage name TangBadVoice. The EP takes the 12th spot on the poll, acclaimed for how it stands out from a pile of clichéd hip-hop releases in 2020 with its witty and tongue-in-cheek social commentary.
Elsewhere on the poll, Map of the Soul: 7, the album by wildly popular K-pop boy group BTS came in at number two. Meanwhile, the top spot was awarded to Moonchild, the highly anticipated debut of emerging Indonesian artist NIKI, whose girl-pop sensibilities have been compared to global headliners such as Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, and Adele.
Congratulations to all artists in Asia who made it to the prestigious cut this year, and check out the complete list of NME Asia’s 25 best Asian albums in 2020 here.