Cover From performing at Coachella to sold-out international shows, find out why SEAPop groups worth listening to are no longer a niche obsession. They may be some of the most exciting music movements in the world (Photo: @bini_ph/Instagram)
From performing at Coachella to sold-out international shows, find out why SEAPop groups worth listening to are no longer a niche obsession. They may be some of the most exciting music movements in the world (Photo: @bini_ph/Instagram)
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From Bini’s Coachella milestone to rising acts across the region, SEAPop groups worth listening to are steadily gaining global visibility through standout performances and growing fanbases
Think Southeast Asian pop is still a niche obsession? Think again. From the stadium-sized ambition of P-pop to Thailand’s glossy R&B hybrids and Malaysia’s bilingual girl groups, SEAPop has become one of the most exciting corners of global music. And the best SEAPop groups worth listening to prove that the region is no longer just borrowing the idol playbook—it is rewriting it.
There was a time when listening to Southeast Asian pop felt like something you had to explain. You had to defend the production value, insist that the choreography was just as sharp and argue that the songs were just as catchy as anything coming out of Seoul or Los Angeles. That era is over.
SEAPop has entered its main-character phase. Across the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, a new generation of idol groups is building fandoms big enough to sell out arenas, dominate TikTok and force the global music industry to pay attention. In fact, Bini, the eight-member girl group from the Philippines, appeared at Coachella over the weekend, where their set stood out for its tight, high-energy staging that held its shape even on a massive festival stage. What made it land wasn’t just the polish, but the way their performance naturally scaled up without losing its identity or momentum. It’s a telling example of what SEAPop is becoming: not imitations of K-pop, but localised systems of pop built with their own rhythm, language and cultural weight.
The best part is that these SEAPop groups worth listening to are not just creating hits. They are proving that local talent can be commercially viable, globally competitive and cool without losing what makes them local in the first place.
In case you missed it: #SEAPOP: 9 Southeast Asian girl groups to follow this 2025
1. SB19
If there is a Mount Rushmore of SEApop groups worth listening to, SB19 is on it. Formed in 2018 under ShowBT Philippines before eventually launching their own company, 1Z Entertainment, the five-member group built the blueprint for modern P-pop success. They are independent, fiercely involved in their own music and perhaps most importantly, they made it socially acceptable for Filipinos to be openly obsessed with a homegrown boy band again.
Their catalogue is stacked with arena-ready earworms like “Gento”, “Mapa”, “Bazinga” and “Ilaw”, all of which combine huge hooks with the kind of emotional sincerity that K-pop often leaves behind. Their newest 24-track album, Wakas at Simula, feels like the culmination of everything they have built: bigger production, riskier sounds and a level of ambition that has already landed them on global festival line-ups like Lollapalooza.
More than any other group, SB19 proved that Southeast Asian acts do not need to wait for validation from the West or Korea to be taken seriously. They created their own ecosystem and made the rest of the region believe it could do the same.
See more: How Filipino boy band SB19 helps shape the future of local music
2. Bini
Bini is what happens when a girl group becomes a national mood board. Formed through ABS-CBN’s Star Hunt Academy, the eight-member act has become the defining Filipino girl group of the moment, thanks to a mix of folklore-inspired visuals, bubblegum-pop maximalism and songs that sound tailor-made for dance challenges and barkada road trips.
Tracks like “Pantropiko”, “Salamin, Salamin” and “Karera” have become unavoidable in the best possible way: catchy without being disposable, polished without feeling synthetic. Bini’s rise has also changed the way people see girl groups in the Philippines. For years, female acts were often treated as novelty acts or temporary trends. Bini, who performed their new song “Blush” at their Coachella debut over the weekend, made it clear that women could dominate P-pop with the same scale, fandom and cultural influence as any male group.
Don’t miss: BINI on charts and being the Philippines’ ‘Girl Group’: “The pressure will always be there”
3. Hori7on
Hori7on occupies a fascinating middle ground between P-pop and K-pop. Formed through the survival show Dream Maker, the group was designed from the beginning to work across both the Philippine and Korean markets. That dual identity could have easily turned them into an industry experiment, but instead it became their biggest strength.
Their music leans into sleek, polished pop with tracks like “Dash” and “Lucky”, but what makes them stand out is the symbolism. Hori7on demonstrates that Southeast Asian idols no longer need to “graduate” into Korean entertainment to be taken seriously. They can move fluidly between both worlds and bring their own audience with them.
4. G22
If Bini is the sunshine side of P-pop, G22 is the storm cloud. Known as the “Female Alphas”, the trio (AJ Yape, Alfea Zulueta and Jaz Henry) has built its reputation on powerhouse vocals, harder-edged concepts and songs that sound like they belong in the soundtrack of a particularly glamorous revenge fantasy.
Their signature track “Pa-Pa-Pa-Palaban” is still one of the best mission statements in Southeast Asian pop: aggressive, empowering and impossible to listen to only once. Until G22, female acts were often boxed into being sweet, cute or approachable. But this group pushed back against the idea. They made toughness fashionable.
5. 4Eve
Thailand has quietly become one of the chicest pop factories in Asia, and 4Eve is a huge reason why. Formed through the reality competition Girl Group Star, the seven-member act has become one of the biggest names in T-pop thanks to their fashion-forward visuals and slick mix of R&B, hip-hop and polished dance-pop.
Songs like “หยดน้ำตา”, “Vroom Vroom” and “Situationship” have made them chart favourites, but what really sets them apart is their aesthetic confidence. 4Eve does not look like it is chasing trends; it looks like it is setting them. They have helped make T-pop feel more luxurious, more modern and more exportable.
6. BUS
BUS—which stands for Because of You I Shine—has become the face of Gen Z T-pop at lightning speed. The group emerged from the survival show 789 Survival and quickly became known for immaculate choreography, glossy music videos and the kind of synchronised stage presence that inspires instant fandom.
But more than that, their music is pure serotonin: polished, bright and deeply replayable. Bops like “Because of You, I Shine” and “Watch Your Step” have helped them dominate the Thai youth market, but their larger contribution is cultural. BUS made T-pop feel young again, introducing a whole new generation to the idea that local idols can be just as aspirational as Korean ones.
7. Dolla
Malaysia’s pop scene has always been shaped by its multicultural identity, and Dolla wears that proudly. The three-member girl group incorporates English, Malay and global pop influences into a sound that feels both local and international. But unlike many other SEAPop acts, Dolla leans less into “idol” sweetness and more into something moodier, sexier and fashion-coded.
Their videos and performances often feel closer to a luxury campaign than a traditional girl-group rollout, with a cool-girl confidence that makes them stand out from brighter, cuter acts in the region. Tracks like “Dolla Make You Wanna”, “Bad” and “Impikan” are sleek and polished, but they also carry a certain edge. Dolla’s success proves that Southeast Asian pop can be aspirational and high-fashion without losing its regional identity.
8. No Na
Indonesia has never lacked for musical talent, but No Na feels like one of the first SEAPop groups worth listening to designed specifically for the streaming era. Backed by 88rising, the group combines Indonesian identity with the kind of cool-girl R&B-pop sound that dominates playlists rather than radio. Where many SEAPop groups go big on synchronised choreography and maximalist visuals, No Na feels softer, subtler and more understated.
Their music is less about spectacle and more about atmosphere: hazy production, clean styling and songs that sound like they belong on the same playlist as global alt-pop and R&B artists. That gives them a very different lane from more traditional idol groups. In many ways, No Na represents what the next phase of SEAPop might look like—less rigidly idol, more effortlessly global.
9. Lunas
Vietnam’s pop industry has traditionally leaned more heavily on solo stars, which is why Lunas feels so important. The group signals a shift toward more performance-driven, idol-style acts in V-pop, with polished choreography, stronger visual branding and a sound built for fandom culture.
They are still relatively new, but that is part of the excitement. Watching Lunas now feels like catching a future phenomenon before everyone else does.
10. Alamat
No discussion of SEAPop groups worth listening to would be complete without Alamat, perhaps the most culturally specific group in P-pop. Unlike many idol acts that default to English or a generic global-pop sound, Alamat has built its entire identity around the different regions, languages and myths of the Philippines. Their songs move between Tagalog, Bisaya, Kapampangan, Ilocano and more, while their visuals often pull from local folklore, indigenous textiles and pre-colonial imagery.
Tracks like “Maharani”, “Aswang” and “Day and Night” feel cinematic and proudly Filipino in a way that no other group is really attempting right now. They are not just making pop songs; they are building mythology. Alamat proves that leaning harder into local culture—not away from it—can actually make a group feel more distinctive and more modern.
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Sasha Lim-Uy Mariposa is a lifestyle journalist who is known for her food writing. Based in Manila, she also covers entertainment and dining, as well as a broad range of topics. She was the former digital editor at Esquire Philippines and was the digital managing editor at Spot.ph, and now writes for the different Tatler Asia markets as a contributing writer for T-Labs.
