Thirteen Canadian musicians—including seven from the Greater Toronto Area—will perform at this weekend’s annual Jade Music Fest in Asia. Almost all of them are bilingual or multilingual, which will enable these ones to perform in either Taiwanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, or Hakka when they go on-stage. The festival runs from Friday (April 25) to Sunday (April 27) at Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei.
One of the multilingual Toronto artists is songwriter, improvisational jazz singer, and music educator Jacq Teh. She co-wrote three songs on Sammy Jackson’s Juno Award-winning EP “With You”. This will mark Teh’s fourth appearance at Jade Music Fests in Canada and Asia.
“These are people who’ve become some of my very close friends just after meeting once or twice at the festival,” Teh told the Toronto Spark last year.
The festival provides a platform for underrepresented Canadian and international artists who want to perform in their heritage Chinese languages. It also offers opportunities for artists from different parts of the world to make connections that have led to future musical partnerships.
For instance at this year’s event, there will be a “speed-dating session” connecting professional Taiwanese and Canadian musicians. In addition, Taiwanese musicians will be able to present their work to three music festival curators in B.C.
Moreover, Teh will perform a collab show with Tainan-based hip-hop artist Rapshark.
Like Teh, Toronto alt-pop artist Aiko Tomi will play her second Jade Music Fest in Asia. Tomi will perform a collab show with Golden Melody Award nominee Abus, who has mixed Bunun and Amis Indigenous ancestry. For Tomi, it will be a homecoming because she was born in Taipei and immigrated to Canada when she was three years old.
Some musicians return to Taipei
In one Jade Music Fest video, the Mandarin-speaking Tomi reveals that as an immigrant with Chinese and Japanese ancestry, she often feels that she is “between worlds”. Yet she also realizes that it’s fun drawing upon her multiple perspectives.
“My songs often play with contrasting dualities—like being bold but shy, angry but sweet,” Tomi stated in the video. “I think that being two contradictory things at once is not only possible, it’s probably a more accurate reflection of real life because being human is complicated.”
Tennyson King, who was raised in Mississauga, is another musician with roots in the GTA who will perform for the second time at the festival in Taipei. His collab show is with Lilium, an innovative trio that integrates Taiwanese lyrics and traditional instruments with indie rock. King was born in Hong Kong and learned to speak Cantonese from his parents. But nowadays, he also writes and sings some songs in Mandarin, as well as English. His debut full-length album, Good Company, was produced by Juno nominee Ross Hayes Citrullo.
King, a self-described indie folk-rock nomad, is no stranger to performing in Asia. He has toured China three times and has also performed in Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan. That’s in addition to many gigs in Australia and New Zealand and across Canada.
Others willl perform for first time at JMF in Asia
Toronto singer-songwriter Chynna Lewis, on the other hand, will perform for the first time at the Jade Music Fest in Asia. The pop and R&B vocalist was born in southern Taiwan, so she can speak and perform in Mandarin. She immigrated to Canada as an 11-year-old.
“Music was a place where I could express that sadness and the missing of home,” Lewis told the Toronto Spark last year.
The Jade Music Fest in Asia will also present two other Toronto artists with Chinese ancestry. Hip-hop and R&B artist Dr. Holic is a former high school teacher in Hong Kong. He performs in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. And second-gen Canadian Vicki Lovelee likes to say that she performs “dark pop ballerina music at the opera”. Her parents came from Hong Kong.
A classically trained pianist with a degree in jazz vocals, Lovelee draws inspiration from Lady Gaga, Halsey, Melanie Marinez, Mitski, and Freddie Mercury. She can perform in Cantonese.
Meanwhile, Toronto-based Aysanabee, the 2024 Juno Award winner for Songwriter of the Year, will close the festival on Sunday—a day entirely devoted to Canadian artists. In addition, the Oji-Cree musician from the Sucker Clan of the Sandy Lake First Nation will perform a set on Friday night amid three Indigenous acts from Taiwan: Paiwan Indigenous fusion artist Sauljaljui, Amis singer-songwriter Suming Rupi, and a Gen Z trio called the Nanguaq Girls. These young women—Kivi (Paiwan), Makav (Bunun), and Dremedreman (Paiwan)— perform Indigenous pop, tribal fusion, modern chant, world Indigenous, and contemporary roots music.
Fest focuses on linquistic equity
There will also be six Vancouver performers at the festival who can perform contemporary music in Chinese languages: Alex See, Jas Wishes, Daniel Lew, Van Lefan, Kristin Fung, and four-time Juno nominee Ginalina. She was born and raised in the GTA and has performed and recorded music in four languages: English, French, Mandarin, and Taiwanese.
Taiwan rarely hosts international music festivals focused on bilateral collaboration, which makes this year’s Jade Music Fest in Asia a groundbreaking event. There will be 15 Taiwanese solo artists and bands, including the rock trio Sorry Youth, the jazzy Suona Gang, and Taiwanese folk band TUDI-VOICE. Sorry Youth, Suona Gang, Lilium, and Abus have all performed in the past at TAIWANfest events in either Vancouver or Toronto.
The Jade Music Fest in Asia proudly declares that it focuses on linguistic equity, so Canadian artists don’t feel obliged to perform all songs in a Chinese language. Nor do the musicians who grew up in Asia feel that they must perform in English.
Trade official praises collaborations
The Taiwan Canada Society organized the Jade Music Fest in Asia. The Society of We Are Canadians Too is the co-organizer. The Huashan 1914 Creative Park and the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei are listed as supporters
“This festival serves as an extraordinary platform to celebrate the rich musical traditions of both Canada and Taiwan, while fostering meaningful dialogue between artists, audiences, and industry leaders,” said Jim Nickel, executive director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, in a news release. “Over the course of this three-day event, we will experience performances and collaborations that not only showcase the incredible talent of performers like Aysanabee but also emphasize the strength of our bilateral ties and our shared love for creativity and cultural expression. I eagerly anticipate the lasting connections that will emerge from this exciting celebration and the future opportunities for collaboration!”
Panel discussions will focus on artificial intelligence in music and how government funding in Canada and Taiwan supports cross-border creativity and cultural exchanges.
“Music is more than performance—it’s identity, memory, and connection,” said Jade Music Fest in Asia co-organizer Charlie Wu. “Jade Music Fest offers an inspiring example of what’s possible when artists from all over the world come together not just to perform, but to truly listen to one another.”
Event details
The Taiwan Canada Society organized The Jade Music Fest in Asia with co-organizer The Society of We Are Canadians Too. It will take place at Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei from April 25 to 27.
Learn more about the communities that make up Canada on the Toronto Spark website. Follow Charlie Smith on Bluesky @charliesmithvcr.bsky.social. Also, follow the Toronto Spark on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
