K-pop, love songs and beatboxing: Eurovision launches its first edition in Asia

The world's biggest live televised music event is coming to Asia. On Saturday November 14, 2026, the Eurovision Song Contest will export its unique blend of music, kitsch and geopolitics to Bangkok. Eleven countries will compete in this first Asian edition, from Laos to Mongolia via the Philippines. But India, Japan and China will be absent from the event.

“It’s brand new in Asia,” acknowledged the show’s executive producer Assaf Blecher. “It’s a window open to other countries, to music, to people, to costumes.” Initially planned for 2017, the Eurovision project in the most populous region in the world was relaunched in 2025. The finalists were selected following national competitions. There are of course favorites: the Vietnamese Tóc Tiên, a star at home, is seeking victory with her pop-dance title Em Tiên, which celebrates the strength of the women of her country.

Some artists will sing in their mother tongue, others in English, a choice made by Malaysian Aina Abdul to reach a wider audience. South Korea will be represented by K-pop singer Junhee, Bangladesh is sending a male a cappella singing collective, Beatmosphere. The Thai duo Mang x Daou, formed for the occasion, will play Aroma at home, recounting the pain of living far from a loved one, while Pratik Himal Rai will sing Ananta Maya, which means “infinite love” in Nepali.

The songs featured at Eurovision Asia, which unlike the original contest is organized by commercial channels, are mostly love songs. Dean Vuletic, author and Eurovision expert, deplores this. The show "lacks a certain provocation or a strong message likely to resonate with international audiences," he told AFP. But kitsch and decibels will be there, if we are to believe the presentation video of the 11 candidates posted online by the organization.

As in the European version, votes will be counted by participating country, half by a jury and half by viewers, and no country can vote for itself. Votes are therefore often cast based on relations between nations. Which could lead Cambodia and Thailand, which clashed over their border last year, to vote against each other.