New Southbound Policy Portal

Five music groups and two high-tech startups from Taiwan took center stage Oct. 15 at SXSW Sydney 2025 to spotlight the country’s soft power and tech innovation, according to the Ministry of Culture.

At the opening ceremony, Wu Cheng-wei, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney, said the event was both a performance and a global platform to showcase Taiwan’s innovative spirit, fueled by world-leading technology and cultural creativity.

Participating through support from the MOC, the groups dazzled the audience during the “Taiwan Now Playing” section of the festival running Oct. 13-19 in the Australian city. Among these, Managona blended neo-classical and experimental electronic sounds, while Lilium played rock style on traditional instruments in an innovative mix of heritage and contemporary vibes.

Modern Cinema Master featured explosive noise, post-punk and lo-fi grooves; The Chair performed melodic harmonies with strong stage presence; and DJ Runi delivered a mix of Taiwanese Indigenous energy and electronic beats that kept the crowd dancing till midnight.

In addition to live performances, the section also featured panel discussions by two local startups: Fansi Go shed light on how Web 3.0 is transforming the music industry, turning audiences into active participants and reshaping the artist-fan relationship, while Funique VR Studio introduced immersive extended reality experiences powered by artificial intelligence and light-magic technology. The studio also demonstrated its technology at the SXSW’s Tech and Innovation Expo. (SFC-E)