Future Asian Music (FAM), 88rising’s platform for regional talent, made a statement with its first-ever public concert at Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong Railway Station. Organized in collaboration with SPLASH, Thailand’s Soft Power Forum 2025 initiative led by the Thailand Creative Culture Agency (THACCA), the culminating event opened up one of the country’s most iconic transportation hubs for cultural programming, marking a milestone not just for Thailand, but for Southeast Asia as the Road to FAM tour that travelled across the region comes to a close.
Held on July 9, the sold-out concert drew over 2,600 attendees and brought together artists, producers, label heads, and fans from across Southeast Asia. Global lifestyle brand Levi’s partnered with 88rising to anchor the SPLASH official music program, which aims to establish Thailand as Asia’s next cultural export powerhouse. Onstage was a lineup stacked with Southeast Asian acts: Thai superstar MILLI, regional pop juggernauts like PROXIE, Ramengvrl, Zamaera, Fariz Jabba, GALCHANIE, and Flower.far. Bangkok became the center of a larger conversation; one about where Southeast Asia’s music scene is headed and who’s driving it.
Hua Lamphong, Bangkok’s central station, is a towering structure. Its high ceiling loomed over the growing crowd. The massive clock at the front of the venue ticked away like it was keeping time for something bigger than just a concert. For many Thais, this station is urban folklore, the beating heart of transit. That evening, it became the entry point for a regional creative takeover.
Southeast Asia Rising
At 6:30 p.m., the showcase began with WAYDAY and IAM, two local labels presenting a mix of Thai artists. The sets leaned traditional, with Thai pop and ballads backed by synth-heavy arrangements that echoed the city’s sound of the ’80s. Solo artists from Thai music groups like EYE of EYERICE, ICE of Market FeeL, and Mighty of White Lie delivered solid vocal performances. But it was Flower.far’s R&B act that pulled attention to the stage with her passionate, powerhouse vocals, setting the stage for what came next.
Indonesia’s Ramengvrl wasted no time, jumping into high-octane trap music, dancing alongside her giant iconic furry bucket hat of “Cashmere” and “Vaselina” — award-winning tracks that matched the energy of her Jakarta headline Road to FAM show. Then came Malaysia’s ZAMAERA, one of the region’s most consistent hip-hop names, performing dancehall cuts and baile funk singles such as “Helly Kelly,” “Big Fish,” and “Get Munni.” Her backup dancers brought out the Supreme money guns with branded bills with her face on them, spraying the play money all over the front row.
Singapore’s Fariz Jabba came full-on couture with stitched denim jackets and jeans, and offered a sharp narrative edge and a Travis Scott-influenced autotune with “Day One,” “X Games,” and “Gun-T” — tracks that carried the momentum of his Road to FAM Singapore set. From the Philippines, singer-songwriter Zack Tabudlo cut through the hip-hop-heavy lineup with a shift in tone using atmospheric guitar swells and solos. His pop-rock leanings were a needed reset, delivering fan favorites like “Paano” and his newer single “Diving,” both of which had charted in Thailand.
The tone of the show flipped again when Thai boy group PROXIE hit the stage. Songs like “Bad Shawty” and “Traffic” were obvious crowd-pleasers, but it was their stage presence and the former’s tongue-in-cheek pop interpolation of O-Zone’s Europop classic “Dragostea Din Tea” that elevated the night. Interacting constantly with fans, they brought a kind of K-pop polish to the lineup. And judging by the screams, they were the night’s biggest draw. It may very well have been the largest crowd Hua Lamphong had ever held for a music performance.
To close out the night, MILLI stormed the stage with a nonstop set stacked with hits from her new album Heavyweight. She opened with a video package: Muay Thai-themed intro and a quick tuk-tuk ride across the screen, then jumped straight into back-to-back performances. There were no throwaway tracks, no dead air. She performed like she knew she was the night’s anchor, and delivered accordingly.
By the time MILLI’s set ended, there was no question: Bangkok had become a major node for creative convergence in Asia. While festivals like Wonderfruit and global brands like Rolling Loud have drawn international attention to Thailand, Road to FAM Finale wasn’t just for touring acts passing through; it was a homegrown melting pot of artists, media, and industry players from across Southeast Asia building something from the ground up. The night was chaotic — but in the best and most real way possible, which is exactly the point.
