How Can Overseas Musicians Break Into Taiwan? Central Taiwan Music Festival Pioneer Nuno Chen Shares a Survival Guide for Emerging Acts

Although the post-pandemic era has seen music festivals and headline shows flourish around the world, with top-billed artists selling out concerts in seconds, small- to mid-sized overseas musicians and emerging acts without deep local roots still face a difficult path to visibility. As Taiwan’s live music market continues to boom and competition for attention becomes increasingly fierce, Nuno Chen (also known as Laonuo) has become one of the key figures shaping the next stage of the scene.

Since 1999, Nuno has been deeply involved in Taiwan’s indie music landscape for more than 25 years. Leading the Emerge Music team, he has built large-scale festivals such as Emerge Fest (浮現祭) and Carnival Fever (赤聲躁動), while also expanding the team’s reach across Asia through various cross-border performances and collaborations. Drawing from Nuno’s experience and observations, this article explores how Emerge Music (浮現音樂) is helping domestic and overseas labels and musicians develop a more sustainable path into new markets.

*Nuno Chen founded Emerge Fest, Emerge Live, and the Emerge Live House. He has also served as music director for multiple editions of Rock in Taichung (搖滾台中). From forming bands and distributing  overseas indie labels to operating performance venues and curating large-scale events, his hands-on experience spans the entire industry chain, making him a key driving force behind the independent music scene in central Taiwan. (Photo Source: YSOLIFE)

Deeply Rooted in Taiwan’s Music Industry, Building International Connections

What Nuno has built is more than a stage. In the late 1990s, when the internet was beginning to take shape, he created his own website, Laonuo Rock Station, where he and fellow music fans translated information about overseas music. At the time, his team even built a dedicated Chinese-language Taiwan website for legendary American metal band Megadeth, which was later linked by the band’s official site. For Taiwanese music fans in an era when information was still highly limited, his website was not only a source of information but also a window into the international music scene.

This international perspective later extended into label operations. Nuno Chen founded GAMAA Music, distributing overseas indie labels and helping cultivate punk, metal, and other subcultural scenes in Taiwan. In the early 2000s, before streaming platforms had emerged, he brought the works and live performances of Australian post-rock band Dirty Three to Taiwan, opening up a new audience for post-rock through the sheer force of live performance.

Later, Nuno shifted his focus toward live house operations and music festival management. These experiences allowed him to build a network of international performance and venue partnerships, which has now become one of Emerge Music’s greatest strengths: it is not merely a single music festival, but an exchange platform with an international vision.

*Music festivals serve as the first gateway into the Taiwanese market. They are not only performance stages, but also effective platforms for exposure. (Photo Source: Emerge Music) 

Today, Emerge Music has gradually established collaborative bases and performance networks in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia. For many overseas bands, participating in Emerge Fest means more than simply performing once in Taiwan. Through Emerge’s international collaboration system, artists may also gain opportunities to expand into other overseas markets and accumulate more international performance experience. Take Japanese artist 音羽 -otoha- as an example. After performing at Emerge Fest in Taiwan this year, she is not only set to hold a standalone show in Taiwan, but will also participate in EMERGE FEST MALAYSIA 2026.

 *音羽 -otoha- performing at Emerge Fest 2026. (Photo Source: Emerge Music)  

A Spotlight for Rising Acts: Performing Overseas Festivals Right From Debut

In an era of highly segmented social media and short-form video, the internet has a deep impact on an artist’s momentum. In Taiwan, music fans are highly active on Threads, which has become a new social media hub for music communities. The Emerge Music team often scouts Threads to keep up with current trends. For example, Japanese newcomer kiyu began using Mandarin  on Threads to interact with Taiwanese music fans, while Korean band can’t be blue made smart use of social media promotion right from their debut. Both successfully caught the attention of the Emerge Music team and were invited to Taiwan for their first overseas performances.

Read on Threads：https://www.threads.com/@kiyuyuki_y/post/DVlY7hsk8pA
*Facing Taiwan’s highly saturated live music market, Nuno advises overseas artists to embrace social media engagement and cross-disciplinary co-creation.

To amplify buzz and follow-up exposure for overseas emerging acts performing at music festivals, Emerge Fest runs a promotional schedule spanning an entire season. The team arranges interviews and media coverage from before the artists arrive in Taiwan through the period surrounding their performances, and even coordinates backstage media interview schedules. Regardless of an artist’s current level of fame, these opportunities help sustain their momentum in Taiwan through media exposure.

Emerge Music also helps facilitate collaborations between domestic and international artists. For example, when Korean band Dragon Pony participated in Emerge Fest for the first time in 2025, they delivered a memorable collaboration with Euan Lin (林頤原), guitarist of Taiwanese band TRASH, including a cover of TRASH’s signature song “Heavyhearted Loser (重感情的廢物),” which was met with enthusiastic praise. On the day of their festival performance, Dragon Pony also announced their first own show in Taiwan, building momentum for their next round of activities. With their growing popularity, Dragon Pony returned to Emerge Fest in 2026 and also held their own show, moving from an 800-capacity stage to a stage of more than 1,000 people. Their continued expansion in the Taiwanese market is worth watching.

Emerge Music then attempted to replicate Dragon Pony’s success model with can’t be blue. The team invited the band to Taiwan for Emerge Fest 2026 right after their debut. After making a name for themselves at the festival, can’t be blue went on to hold their own show in Taiwan, which successfully sold out. They quickly decided to return to Taiwan again this November for an encore show, with plans to move up to a 1,000-capacity venue.

 *can’t be blue performing at Emerge Fest 2026. (Photo Source: Emerge Music)  

Nuno observes that bands must not only build a strong foundation in live performance, but also invest in short-form video, social media marketing, and meaningful interaction. Taiwanese music fans place great value on a sense of identity and genuine local sincerity. He suggests that, in addition to bringing their existing performance plans, overseas acts should also design special surprises specifically for the Taiwanese market. For instance, the Emerge team has invited domestic and overseas bands to co-create, cover one another’s songs, and has also helped many Japanese bands—including Cody・Lee(李), Billyrrom, and Kroi—shoot music videos in Taiwan.

“I think people may come from different places, but they can still grow close through a shared connection to the land,” Nuno Chen says. “Beyond music, this is also a cultural exchange. It allows overseas friends to become more familiar with this place, while also making Taiwanese fans feel closer to them.”

Expanding International Matchmaking Through Brand Alliances and Two-Way Exchange

Beyond traditional international matchmaking sessions, the Emerge team has further developed the concepts of “two-way exchange” and “brand alliances,” building strong bonds with local music industries and fans. For example, Emerge Fest 2026 collaborated with South Korea’s Busan International Rock Festival, Gyeonggi Indie Music Festival, and Thailand’s Big Mountain Music Festival, bringing in an international lineup that included JAURIM, TOUCHED, Dragon Pony, ONEWE, Redoor, can’t be blue, Ghost Bookstore, GOODMOOD, and pami. For the first time, overseas musicians made up more than 40% of the lineup.

In recent years, Rock in Taichung has also partnered with FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL on the cross-border “ROOKIE A GO-GO Stage” project. Last year and this year, it brought JhenYueTang (震樂堂) and A_Root同根生 to the FUJI ROCK stage, while also inviting multiple rising Japanese bands to perform in Taiwan and share the stage with local musicians, sparking new creative exchanges.

In 2026, Carnival Fever teamed up with South Korea’s Busan International Rock Festival for the “Road to BU-ROCK” project, welcoming Korean bands such as Guckkasten, SHIN IN RYU, hathaw9y, and DADADA. Together with rising bands from Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, and Singapore, they created a high-energy showcase that generated major buzz both on-site in Taichung and across social media. The event also invited music industry organizations from more than seven countries to participate in international matchmaking sessions, providing overseas artists with opportunities to perform at major music festivals and live houses across Asia.,

Sleeping Walkers (夢遊旅人), a finalist for two consecutive years since 2024 in Carnival Fever’s emerging artist competition “Voice of Youth,” also applied for the related “EMERGE & RISE International Performance Matchmaking Program.” After catching the attention of Korean partners, they became the first band from the program to head overseas for the Seoul edition of “2026 Rising Connection vol.1.”

“We do not interfere in the selection process,” Nuno Chen explains. “We let our partners choose the emerging acts they see potential in from the artist profiles. We hand the artists’ information directly to our partner live houses in Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and other countries.”

These efforts ensure that music festivals are not only parties for fans, but also platforms that help the industry and musicians expand into international markets. Nuno Chen suggests that music festivals can be seen as “opportunities for exposure.” After artists build visibility through festivals, they can use live houses to establish market value and truly take root locally.

*Nuno hopes the music industry can form a greater “Team Taiwan,” sharing resources, expanding matchmaking channels, and connecting major independent labels to venture overseas together. (Photo Source: YSOLIFE)  

Independent Collaboration and Organic Momentum: The Ecology of Cross-Border Collaborations

As International collaborations become a way for emerging acts to break beyond their existing circles, rising artists must also become more proactive in creating long-term exposure opportunities. After watching Taiwanese band Wendy Wander (溫蒂漫步) perform at the Japan edition of Emerge Fest, Japanese band Billyrrom reached out to Wendy Wander on their own. This later led to opportunities for the two bands to appear as guests at each other’s shows and co-write music together.

In the past, overseas bands entering Taiwan relied heavily on record companies, agents, and media platforms. Today, the internet has changed audience habits and encouraged bands to take a more independent, DIY approach to entering new markets. Nuno observes that independent musicians may be able to build up to a 500-capacity standalone show on their own, but it is extremely difficult to break through the 2,000-ticket threshold alone.

A healthy music market still requires established labels and event organizers to provide professional administrative and promotional support, allowing follow-up promotion and local integration to grow effectively. If overseas musicians are interested in entering Taiwan, they should also choose their organizers carefully. “When collaborating, it is better to take the time to understand what Taiwanese organizers can actually help with,” Nuno says.

“Coming to Taiwan does not have to be just about performing,” Nuno says with anticipation. “Invest in the Taiwanese market ahead of time. We are very welcoming and friendly.”

He believes the Taiwanese market is highly open to international music. As Taiwan gains global visibility through semiconductors and AI, international audiences are becoming increasingly eager to learn more about the island. As long as overseas artists are willing to come here and lay the groundwork while sharing resources with Team Taiwan, Taiwan can become one of the friendliest springboards for entering Southeast Asia and the broader Asian market.

Interview: Anita / YSOLIFE
Author: Lala / YSOLIFE