Returning for its 13th edition last weekend, Skechers Sundown Festival 2025 was held at Haw Par Villa – Singapore’s unique cultural park with a one-of-a-kind backdrop. The festival boasted multiple highlights from a highly anticipated music lineup to an array of F&B experiences and activities. Not forgetting a newly introduced zone this year – Gaia, where the very first Music Climate Action Summit in Southeast Asia was held to launch the #PlasticFreeParty movement for future live music events.
We caught some of Asia’s best music acts putting up stellar stages to a full house each night, and here was what went down:
DAY 1 @ UTOPIA STAGE | Keenan Te, WHYLUCAS, DIOR and Young Captain
Gates opened as early as 4pm each day for eager fans who wanted to snag a good spot to watch their favourite acts up close and well, that was us too. Though there was a heavy downpour mid-afternoon, sending everyone who was there early scrambling to get their ponchos and umbrellas out for shelter. But thankfully the skies cleared up as sundown arrived, and just as the night of music was about to begin.
Australian singer-songwriter Keenan Te opened the festival’s Utopia Stage with a setlist that featured all-time fan favourites such as “Scars” and “Never Let You Go”, to newer songs like “Constellations”. Special surprise moment – he invited SORN, former member of now disbanded South Korean girl group CLC, up on stage as a guest performer for a song together.
Fresh off popular idol survival competition Chuang Asia Season 2 as the only Singaporean finalist, local rising star WHYLUCAS who has gained regional attention took the stage next to perform a series of originals, interchanging between his acoustic and electric guitar for different songs. Serving catchy song after song from “Fall” to latest single “Tiara”, he is definitely one singer to have on your radar as he is going places!
Singer-songwriter DIOR 大穎 best known for her emotionally powerful vocals and storytelling in her music followed after, with a stacked setlist of hits such as her breakout viral one through TikTok, “在加納共和國離婚 (Divorce in Ghana)”, “有天會再相見 (See You.)”, “ 過了幾天 (I Still Can’t Let You Go) and more. Her bubbly persona shone through as she playfully interacted with the crowd, while being overwhelmed and touched by the huge turnout. The crowd knew the words to her every song and were singing along at an impressively resounding volume. We were sure if you were walking outside the zone at the festival then, you probably would have heard it. Ending off her set, she promised to be back for a show in the near future.
Last performer for the night was 队长 YoungCaptain, another singer to ride the wave of fame and got his breakout through TikTok like DIOR 大穎. The viral hit titled “哪里都是你 (Everywhere is You)” was on the setlist among many others like “NUNA” and “11”. He ended his set with “一定会再见吧 (We Will Meet Again)”, with its lyrics like an apt message to fans. Midway through this last song, he went off stage to get closer to the fans and happily stopped for photographs and interactions – staying true to his fan-friendly approach in his performances.
DAY 2 @ NIRVANA STAGE | BOWKYLION, Slot Machine and Tilly Birds
The second night’s crowd and Thai lineup at the Nirvana Stage was a testament to the growing popularity of Thai music in Singapore. The acts are no strangers to our sunny shores as it is not their first time here for a show, they have held their individual solo headliner shows in Singapore in recent years. In fact for some of them – Tilly Birds – Sundown Festival marks their third show in Singapore!
Thai pop diva BOWKYLION serenaded fans with her signature melancholic vocals from catchy releases such as “attention please”, debut track “Longjai” to latest track “Sometimes” – a collaboration with fellow Thai pop prince, NONT TANONT. And specially for the local crowd, she prepared an English cover of Alicia Key’s “If I Ain’t Got You”, further showcasing her vocal prowess. Fans were praising her beauty, shouting “สวยมาก! (suay mak)” which translates to: “You are very beautiful!”. To which she humorously responded with a deadpan expression “Me? This is makeup.” and went on to explain that there’s two types of beauty – “1. Makeup or 2. Surgery” evoking laughs from the crowd.
Her candid banter with the crowd proves to be another reason why she’ll easily win your heart not just with her music. Us? We definitely got converted into a fan after that set.
Legendary Thai rock trio Slot Machine was determined to make it an unforgettable set for the crowd. From the get-go, their set was already at maximum energy with “Free Fall”, their OST from the popular 2022 Thai TV series “KinnPorsche”. Going down nostalgia lane they performed show staples like “Yesterday” as well. Fans were in for a treat as they teased about their upcoming OST feature on another yet-to-release TV series “Shine” and proceeded to perform the song, titled “Far Side Of The Moon” – their very first time at a live show.
Their set came to a close with the classic song, “Goodbye”. Peak moment was seeing the raised triangle-hand gestures from the band – “The Slot Machine triangle” (their classic logo), and fans returning the gesture, along with the music gradually reaching its climax and the crowd in unified singing to the iconic chorus lyric hook: “I SAY GOODBYE”.
As mentioned, it was Tilly Birds’ third time performing in Singapore and the cheers from their fans were LOUD as they could be heard chanting the band’s name in anticipation for them to take the stage. Crowd favourites like “Same Page?” and “Just Being Friendly” were no surprise to the setlist, which sparked a big sing-along. Hits like “Ordinary” and “Retro-39” were performed as well, and they ended with the bittersweet ballad “Until Then” – the perfect song to wind down the second night of the festival.
DAY 3 @ UTOPIA STAGE | TNX, DABIN and Hwasa
The final day of the festival focused on the Korean lineup – You can always trust Korean acts to deliver their A-game with their sleek choreographies and stage presence.
Rising monster boyband TNX delivered a classic K-pop stage – a combination of powerful and satisfying-to-watch 칼군무 (kal-gun-mu) which literally translates to “knife-like group dance” choreographies, addictive tunes and fan chants. From the opening rock-pop track “For Real?” to fast beat “180sec”, they are a versatile boyband with various song genres in discography. Their setlist was full of bangers that are stuck in our heads till today.
DABIN owned the stage with a compelling performance showcasing his new music since departing from debut moniker, DPR Live in 2023. He performed tracks like “Green Juice”, “Tic Tac?” and “Ghost K!D” which had an unexplainable infectious beat to it, bringing to stage 100% vibes and charisma while constantly moving around on stage, to make sure that he had full interaction with fans. We are definitely rooting for this new artistic exploration of his music and cannot wait to hear what sounds he will put out next!
Then came what we felt was the grand finale of the night, of the festival – Hwasa’s stage. Most would be familiar with Hwasa as a member of quartet MAMAMOO, but that night she was totally shining as a soloist. Her commanding stage presence and powerful aura was a sight to behold and it was evident throughout her set. It felt like the festival was saving the best for last.
The singer got up on stage in a bold summer fit with shades on, flaunting her sultry strong vocals and choreography with her team of dancers – Starting with a spicy performance of “Chili” to an already insanely hyped crowd. The set then moved into bigger hits such as debut track “TWIT” and “Maria”, also introducing other tracks such as self-love anthem “I Love My Body” and “NA”.
Just when we thought Twits (the name her fans affectionately call themselves as – inspired by her iconic solo debut track of the same title) could not get any louder with the fan chants and screams, it was only just the beginning. The queen of fanservice boldly decided that she wanted to get closer to fans for “Don’t” – the scene that followed was chaotic in the best way possible.
Fans who missed seeing her perform as MAMAMOO were not disappointed as she closed her set with a medley of hits from the group’s discography – think “Décalcomanie,” “Egotistic,” “Starry Night,” “Dingga,” and “HIP” which covered the group’s different eras.
Giving in to the loud encore chants after leaving the stage, she returned once more for a chill loose performance of “TWIT” with her backup dancers playfully joining her midway. The festival sure ended on a high, and our conclusion after watching Hwasa’s set: She was born for the stage.
After experiencing three jam-packed days at Skechers Sundown Festival, all we can say is without a doubt, the festival definitely got bigger, louder and more fun than ever and we are excited to see what is in store for future editions!
A huge thank you to Skechers Sundown Festival for having us at the event this year!
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