The past two years of Covid-19-related border and travel restrictions have been difficult for Taiwanese artists, especially those aspiring to break into the international market via touring and live performances.
Thankfully, the move to an “endemic” phase across most countries means that international tours and performances are once again possible. Taiwanese artists have seized this opportunity with both hands, best exemplified by Trout Fresh (呂士軒), LÜCY, and veeeky, all of whom showcased their talents in Spain this June.
Rapper Trout Fresh (呂士軒) and songstress LÜCY both displayed their talents at this year’s Primavera Sound, held in Barcelona across the first week and a half of June. Trout Fresh brought his signature upbeat rapping—which won him the coveted Best Hip-Hop album award at the 9th Golden Melody Awards—to the Primavera Pro showcases, while newcomer LÜCY’s laid-back dream-pop offered a perfect counterpoint to her compatriot’s playful music.
But Trout Fresh and LÜCY weren’t the only Taiwanese artists to perform in Spain. Beijing-based multimedia artist veeeky presented her latest work, “Bei Ming Jiao Li” (北冥姣麗), at Barcelona’s Festival Sónar on 16 June. Veeeky is best known for her post-internet audio-visual work, but she’s also an active DJ who’s performed alongside names such as Plastician, Kode 9, and Bok Bok.
As the world seemingly turns a corner and heads back towards some sort of normality, it’s good to see artists and musicians—Taiwanese or otherwise—touring and bringing their music to new parts of the globe. Long may it continue.