2021 in Asian music explained

See also: Timeline of musical events.

Events

• January 7 – Neha Kakkar becomes the first Indian singer to win a YouTube Diamond Award.
• January 10 – Pakistani singer-songwriter Jawad Ahmad releases a protest song, ""Kisana", on social media, drawing attention to a farmers' protest movement in India and Pakistan.^[1]
• March 18 – Mumbai-based composer Joseph Conrad Mendoza is accused of borrowing the music and lyrics for his song "We Can Achieve" from "Count on me, Singapore", a national song composed by Hugh Harrison in 1986. Singapore's Ministry of Culture, holders of the copyright on the song, dispute Mendoza's claim that he wrote the song in the early 1980s and lost the original tapes in a flood.^[2]
• May 2 – The BBC selects Chinese-born percussionist Fang Zhang as the BBC Young Musician of 2020.^[3]
• June – Iwan Fals wins the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Telkomsel Awards. Other award winners include Tulus, Raisa and Noah.^[4]
• October 22 – Yes I Am Student is released, marking Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala's debut as a film actor.^[5]

Albums

• Aisyah Aziz – Pearls (10 September)^[6]
• Band-Maid – Unseen World (January 20)^[7]
• Chaya Czernowin – Heart Chamber^[8]
• Chai – Wink^[9]
• Jace Chan – Processing (May 14)^[10]
• Joyce Cheng – Joyce to the World (December 28)^[11]
• Gray – Grayground^[12]
• Kyuso Nekokami – Mormot Lab^[13]
• Lil Mariko – Lil Mariko ^[14]
• MC Cheung Tin-fu – Have a Good Time (December 22)^[15]
• Mirror – One and all (January 20)^[16]
• Morissette – Signature (EP) (August 20)^[17]

Classical

• Toshio Hosokawa – Violin Concerto (Genesis)^[18]

Film, TV and video game scores

• Yuki Kajiura – ^[19]
• Alam Khan – Swapner Thikana^[20]
• Devi Sri Prasad – Cirkus^[21]
• Akira Yamaoka – The Medium (video game)^[22]

Musical films

• Anita, a movie about Cantopop singer Anita Mui
• Laal Singh Chaddha (India - Hindi), with music by Pritam^[23]
• Revue Starlight: The Movie (Japan)^[24]
• Sing a Bit of Harmony (Japan), with music by Ryō Takahashi^[25]
• Tangra Blues (India - Bengali), starring Parambrata Chatterjee, with music by Nabarun Bose^[26]

Deaths

• January 4
  • Lee Heung-kam, 88, Cantonese opera star^[27]
  • Elias Rahbani, 82, Lebanese lyricist and composer (COVID-19)^[28]
  • Chacha Sherly, 29, Indonesian singer (traffic collision)^[29]
• January 5 – Vennelakanti, 63, Indian lyricist (heart attack)^[30]
• January 15 – Lệ Thu, 77, Vietnamese singer^[31]
• January 17 – Ghulam Mustafa Khan, 89, Indian classical singer^[32]
• January 22 – Narendra Chanchal, 80, Indian singer^[33]
• January 27 – Trung Kiên, 81, Vietnamese classical singer.^[34]
• February 4 – Ma Zenghui, 85, Chinese single-string performer^[35]
• February 15 – Golnoush Khaleghi, 80, Iranian music researcher, composer, and arranger.^[36]
• February 17 – Ali Hossain, 80, Bangladeshi composer^[37]
• February 18 – Isaac Thomas Kottukapally, about 73, Indian film score composer^[38]
• March 17 – Mayada Basilis, 54, Syrian singer (cancer)^[39]
• March 21 – Trisutji Kamal, 84, Indonesian composer^[40]
• March 29 – Keiko Toyama, 87, Japanese pianist^[41]
• March 30 – Diljaan, 31, Indian singer (traffic accident)^[42]
• April 2 – Shaukat Ali, 76, Pakistani folk singer^[43]
• April 11 – Mita Haque, 58, Bangladeshi Rabindra Sangeet singer (COVID-19)^[44]
• May 1 – Debu Chaudhuri, 85, sitarist (complications from COVID-19)^[45]
• May 4
  • Genji Kuniyoshi, 90, Japanese singer, person of Cultural Merit^[46]
  • Sarena Li, 31, Hong Kong singer (adenoid cystic carcinoma)^[47]
• May 6
  • Comagan, 48, Indian singer, composer and actor (COVID-19)^[48]
  • Prateek Chaudhuri, 49, Indian sitarist (COVID-19)^[49]
  • Prem Dhoj Pradhan, 82, Nepalese musician, singer and composer^[50]
• May 7
  • G. Anand, 67, Indian playback singer (COVID-19)^[51]
  • Vanraj Bhatia, 93, Indian film composer^[52]
• May 10 – Abdolvahab Shahidi, 98, Iranian barbat player, singer and composer^[53]
• May 12 – Maran, 48, Indian actor and singer (COVID-19)^[54]
• May 22 – Raamlaxman, 78, Indian composer^[55]
• June 5 – S. B. John, 86/87, Pakistani ghazal singer^[56]
• June 8 – Farhad Humayun, 42, Pakistani singer and drummer (Overload).^[57]
• June 18 – Takeshi Terauchi, 82, Japanese rock guitarist^[58]
• July 10 – Murali Sithara, 65, Indian composer and music director^[59]
• July 23 – Fakir Alamgir, 71, Bangladeshi folk and pop singer^[60]
• August 2 – Kalyani Menon, 80, Indian playback singer^[61]
• August 6 – Wang Wenjuan, 94, Chinese opera performer^[62]
• August 15 – Jagjit Kaur, 93, Indian Hindi/Urdu playback singer^[63]
• August 25 – Subhankar Banerjee, 55, Indian tabla player^[64]
• August 26 – JB Tuhure, 78, Nepali protest singer and politician^[65]
• September 7 – Tanwa Rasitanoo, 50, Thai Luk thung and Phleng phuea chiwit singer^[66]
• September 8 – Pulamaipithan, 85, Indian Tamil lyricist^[67]
• September 27 – Chris Ho, Singaporean singer (Zircon Lounge), musician and radio DJ, age unknown (stomach cancer)^[68]
• October 15 – Pornsak Songsaeng, 60, Thai luk thung and mor lam singer (heart attack)^[69]
• October 17 – Bruce Gaston, 74, American-born Thai classical musician^[70]
• October 22 – Janali Akbarov, 81, Azerbaijani khananda/mugham folk singer^[71]
• November 2 – Sabah Fakhri, 88, Syrian tenor^[72]
• November 12 – Lakshman Wijesekara, 73, Sri Lankan actor, singer and composer (Miss Jenis).^[73]
• November 21 – Gurmeet Bawa, 77, Indian Punjabi folk singer^[74]
• November 22 – Asya Sultanova, 98, Azerbaijani composer^[75]
• November 26 – Bichu Thirumala, 80, Indian Malayalam lyricist^[76]
• November 30 – Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, 66, Indian Telugu lyricist^[77]
• December 4 – Thoppil Anto, 81, Indian playback singer and composer^[78]
• December 16 – Bogalay Tint Aung, 99, Burmese composer and writer^[79]

By country

• 2021 in Chinese music
• 2021 in Japanese music
• 2021 in Philippine music
• 2021 in South Korean music

See also

• 2021 in music

Notes and References

1. Web site: Inspired by Indian farm protest, Pakistan singer releases track. Times of India. January 10, 2021.
2. Web site: Indian composer accused of copying nationalist anthem from Singapore. https://web.archive.org/web/20210318171236/https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/india/india-music-composer-anthem-singapore-b1819015.html . 2021-03-18 . limited . live. 18 March 2021 . Maroosha Muzaffar. The Independent. 6 April 2021.
3. News: Percussionist Fang Zhang wins BBC Young Musician 2020 . The Guardian . Imogen Tilden . 2021-05-02 . 2021-05-12.
4. Web site: Iwan Fals Receives Telkomsel Award 2021. June 19, 2021. Livik. February 16, 2022.
5. Web site: Yes I Am Student. British Board of Film Classification. 31 January 2022. 31 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220131141100/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/yes-i-am-student-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtmtawmda0oti. live.
6. Web site: Aisyah – Pearls. May 5, 2022. Guy Lemcoe. Audio Beat. 23 February 2024.
7. Web site: BAND-MAID、ニューアルバム "Unseen World" のティザー映像公開 毎週新コンテンツも公開へ . Band-Maid releases teaser video for new album "Unseen World" Weekly new content . Spice . Japanese . January 6, 2021 . January 16, 2021 .
8. News: Czernowin: Heart Chamber review – distinctive composer's opera on love is aurally sumptuous . The Guardian . Andrew Clements . 2021-03-18 . 2021-03-26.
9. Web site: Chai release new single 'Action', announce new album 'Wink' . NME . January 19, 2021 . January 19, 2021 . Singh, Surej.
10. News: Rising Hong Kong singer Jace Chan shares how she overcame self-doubt to become the daring artist she is now . SCMP Young Post . 13 September 2021.
11. News: Joyce Cheng released new album after 5 years . am730 newspaper . 29 December 2021.
12. Web site: Hwang. Duha. September 26, 2021. 그레이 - grayground.. Gray - grayground.. Rhythmer. ko.
13. Web site: キュウソネコカミ、ミニアルバム "モルモットラボ" 全曲トレーラーを公開 . Kyuso Nekokami releases trailer for all songs of mini album "Mormot Lab" . Barks . Japanese . January 1, 2021 . February 7, 2021.
14. Web site: Lil Mariko, la reina del screamo de ascendencia japonesa que la rompe una canción a la vez . Lil Mariko, the screamo queen of Japanese descent who breaks her one song at a time . Mor.bo . Spanish . March 23, 2021 . April 21, 2021 . Turmero, Carlos.
15. News: MC Cheung Tinfu released his first extended play . Ming Pao Daily News . 14 December 2021.
16. News: MIRROR 2nd anniversary album "One and All" with 2 editions . HK01 . 10 November 2020.
17. Web site: Morissette Amon's 'Signature' Ep No.1 on PH iTunes . CNN Philippines . September 14, 2021 . May 11, 2022 . ((CNN Philippines)) . September 9, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230909045705/https://www.cnnphilippines.com/videos/2021/9/14/Morissette-Amon-s--Signature--Ep-No.1-on-PH-iTunes.html . dead .
18. Veronika Eberle performs world premiere of Toshio Hosokawa's Violin Concerto with Hamburg Philharmonic . Askonas Holt . 19 May 2021 . 2021-05-28.
19. Web site: Sword Art Online's Sinon Takes Aim With Awesome Cosplay. May 30, 2021. Comicbook. Nick Valdez. June 20, 2021.
20. Web site: Swapner Thikana (2021). The Times of India. en. 7 March 2021.
21. Web site: Ranveer Singh and Rohit Shetty bring 'Seeti Maar' hitmaker Devi Sri Prasad on board for Cirkus . 2 May 2021. Bollywood Hungama. 31 May 2021.
22. Web site: Higham. Michael. 8 May 2020. How Silent Hill's Akira Yamaoka Got On Xbox Series X-Exclusive The Medium. GameSpot. https://archive.today/20200509050151/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-silent-hills-akira-yamaoka-got-on-xbox-series-/1100-6477063/. 9 May 2020. live. 11 January 2021.
23. https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/aamir-khan-pritam-along-team-lal-singh-chaddha-work-together-panchgani/ Aamir Khan and Pritam along with team Lal Singh Chaddha work together in Panchgani
24. Web site: New Revue Starlight Anime Film Reveals Visual, May 21 Debut . . December 6, 2020 . December 6, 2020.
25. Web site: Funimation Co-Production 'Sing a Bit of Harmony' Reveals Latest Trailer, First Cast Info. Funimation via Anime News Network. June 24, 2021. April 7, 2021.
26. Web site: Tangra Blues . JioSaavn. 22 April 2021.
27. Web site: Veteran Cantonese opera singer and actress Lee Heung-kam dies at age 88. ， SCMP. 2021-01-04
28. Web site: Elias Rahbani .. The departure of the third of the big brothers . saudi24news.com . 4 January 2021 . 7 January 2021 . 7 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210107030800/https://www.saudi24news.com/2021/01/elias-rahbani-the-departure-of-the-third-of-the-big-brothers.html . dead .
29. https://celebrity.okezone.com/read/2021/01/05/33/2339120/pihak-label-musik-benarkan-kematian-chacha-sherly-eks-trio-macan Pihak Label Musik Benarkan Kematian Chacha Sherly Eks Trio Macan
30. https://telugucinema.com/news/lyricist-vennelakanti-passes-away Lyricist Vennelakanti passes away
31. Web site: Danh ca Lệ Thu qua đời. live. January 16, 2021. January 16, 2021. vi. VnExpress. https://web.archive.org/web/20210116055112/https://vnexpress.net/danh-ca-le-thu-qua-doi-4215516.html . 2021-01-16 .
32. Web site: Legendary Musician Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Dies At 89. NDTV. January 17, 2021.
33. https://www.jagran.com/punjab/jalandhar-city-jalandhar-residents-mourn-death-of-religious-song-singer-narendra-chanchal-21297297.html तूने मुझे बुलाया शेरावालिये... गाने वाले भजन सम्राट नरेंद्र चंचल जालंधर को मानते थे कर्मभूमि, निधन से शोक की लहर
34. Web site: Nghệ sĩ nhân dân Trung Kiên qua đời. Tuoi Tre. vi.
35. Web site: 曲艺名家马增蕙病逝 -中工文化-中工网. culture.workercn.cn.
36. https://www.ilna.news/بخش-فرهنگ-هنر-6/1039124-گلنوش-خالقی-هنرمند-پیشکسوت-موسیقی-درگذشت گلنوش خالقی، هنرمند پیشکسوت موسیقی درگذشت
37. Web site: 2021-02-17. Noted composer Ali Hossain passes away. 2021-02-18. The Daily Star. en.
38. Web site: പ്രശസ്ത സംഗീത സംവിധായകൻ ഐസക്ക് തോമസ് കോട്ടുകപ്പള്ളി അന്തരിച്ചുhomageIsaac Thomas Kottukapally. 2021-02-18. East Coast Daily Malayalam. en-US.
39. Web site: Tributes pour in for Syrian singer Mayada Basilis: 'Reality is ugly with your death' . The National News . 18 March 2021 .
40. Web site: Komponis dan pianis Trisutji Kamal meninggal dunia. 21 March 2021. en. Antara News. 22 March 2021.
41. Web site: March 2021 Obituaries . Classical Music Daily . Keith Bramich . 2021-03-14 . 2021-02-22.
42. News: Sehgal . Manjeet . Punjabi singer Diljaan dies in car accident near Amritsar . 31 March 2021 . India Today . 30 March 2021 . en.
43. Web site: Gabol. Imran. 2021-04-02. Folk singer Shaukat Ali passes away in Lahore. 2021-04-02. Images. en.
44. Web site: Rabindra Sangeet singer Mita Haque no more. 2021-04-11. Risingbd Online Bangla News Portal. en.
45. Web site: 2021-05-01. Sitar maestro Pandit Devabrata Chaudhuri dies of Covid-19 complications. 2021-05-01. The Indian Express. en.
46. https://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/entry-1316617.html 【速報】戦後の宮古民謡の第一人者、国吉源次さん死去　90歳
47. https://hk.appledaily.com/entertainment/20210504/IKPI7NOTMREZVP5OJ4YN3YCT7M/ 歌手李明蔚不敵癌魔病逝 終年31歲
48. Web site: Visually impaired musician Comagan passes away. The Hindu. May 7, 2021.
49. Web site: Renowned Sitar Player Prateek Chaudhuri Dies of Covid-19 at 49. News18. 7 May 2021. 7 May 2021.
50. Web site: Senior musician Prem Dhoj Pradhan passes away. May 6, 2021. Himalayan Times. May 6, 2021.
51. Web site: Veteran Telugu playback singer G. Anand succumbs to COVID-19. The Hindu. May 7, 2021.
52. Web site: Legendary composer Vanraj Bhatia passes away; Hansal Mehta mourns the loss. fakazahq. May 7, 2021.
53. Web site: Iranian vocalist Abdolvahab Shahidi dies at 99. Tehran Times. 11 May 2021.
54. Web site: Tamil actor Maran passes away from COVID-19 complications. 2021-05-12. www.zoomtventertainment.com. en.
55. https://www.indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/music-director-raam-laxman-dead-7325338/ Hum Aapke Hain Koun music director Raam Laxman dies at 78
56. News: Salman . Peerzada . Renowned singer S.B. John passes away . 8 June 2021 . . June 6, 2021. en.
57. Web site: Pakistani singer Farhad Humayun passes away. The News. 8 June 2021.
58. https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/culture/20210619-OYT1T50229/ 「エレキの神様」ギタリストの寺内タケシさん死去…８２歳
59. Web site: Malayalam music director Murali Sithara found dead. New Indian Express. 13 July 2021. 18 July 2021.
60. News: 23 July 2021. Folk singer Fakir Alamgir no more. 23 July 2021. Dhaka Tribune.
61. Web site: 2021-08-02. Singer Kalyani Menon passes away at 80. 2021-08-02. The Indian Express. en.
62. Web site: Wang Wenjuan Death. InsideEKO. August 6, 2021. Isaac Sunday. August 6, 2021. August 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210806191311/https://insideeko.com/wang-wenjuan-death-passed-away-wang-wenjuan-funeral/. dead.
63. Web site: Jagjit Kaur, veteran singer and wife of composer Khayyam, dies at 93. August 15, 2021. Outlook India.
64. Web site: Tabla maestro Subhankar Banerjee dead. 26 August 2021. Priyanka Dasgupta. Times of India. 26 August 2021.
65. Web site: JB Tuhure, who sang revolutionary songs, dies at 78. 26 August 2021. kathmandupost.com. English. 26 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210826123610/https://kathmandupost.com/art-culture/2021/08/26/jb-tuhure-who-sang-revolutionary-songs-dies-at-78. live.
66. Web site: สารพัดสัตว์ในเพลงฮิต "ธันวา ราศีธนู" ตำนานขวัญใจจิ๊กโก๋อกหัก . mgronline.
67. News: Kolappan. B.. 2021-09-08. Pulamaipithan, poet and M.G.R.'s image builder, is no more. en-IN. The Hindu. 2021-09-09. 0971-751X.
68. Web site: Veteran musician and radio DJ Chris Ho dies of stomach cancer. September 27, 2021. Asia One. September 29, 2021.
69. https://www.sanook.com/news/8458734/ "พรศักดิ์ ส่องแสง" เสียชีวิตจากภาวะหัวใจวายเฉียบพลัน แฟนเพลงร่วมไว้อาลัย
70. News: Musician Bruce Gaston dies aged 74 . 17 October 2021 . Bangkok Post . 17 October 2021.
71. Web site: Скончался народный артист Азербайджана Джанали Акберов. trend.az. ru. October 24, 2021.
72. Web site: Syrian singer Sabah Fakhri dies aged 88: 'The light of music went out in the Levant'. National News. November 3, 2021.
73. Web site: Veteran musician Lakshman Wijesekara passes away. Daily News. 12 November 2021. 26 November 2021.
74. News: Bagga. Neeraj. Punjabi singer Gurmeet Bawa dies at 77. 21 November 2021. The Tribune. en.
75. Web site: Ушла из жизни композитор Ася Султанова. 22 November 2021. Vestikavkaza. 26 November 2021.
76. News: ലേഖകൻ. മാധ്യമം. 26 November 2021. മെലഡികളുടെ തിരുമല Madhyamam. 26 November 2021. Madhyamam. ml. 26 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211126131543/https://www.madhyamam.com/entertainment/celebrities/interview-with-bichu-thirumala-879772. live.
77. Web site: Lyricist Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry passes away due to lung cancer - Times of India. 2021-11-30. The Times of India. en.
78. Web site: Veteran singer Thoppil Anto passes away. 4 December 2021. mathrubhumi.com. 4 December 2021.
79. News: တစ်သက်တာ ရုပ်ရှင်ထူးချွန်ဆုရှင် ဗိုလ်ကလေးတင့်အောင် ကွယ်လွန် . Radio Free Asia . en.