The Sydney transplant of the iconic SWXW Festival continues to gather life and momentum after two successful years with the preliminary announcement of the program for 2025. With 62 new international and domestic artists (including our much beloved Holly Hebe) and a host of new speakers joining the lineup, along with the reveal of the first Music conference sessions, this promises to be another amazing event.
As always, the program is a cornucopia of stunning musicians that cover a wide range of genres along with some fascinating presentations and sessions. Check out our coverage of previous years here.
The international contingent includes Indian singer-songwriter and Diplo collaborator Rashmeet Kaur; rising US electronic Mom+Pop signee Vandelux; Indonesian rapper and producer duo Tenxi & Jemsii, pioneers of the Hipdut sound with their viral anthem “Garam & Madu”; Filipino neo-soul artist August Wahh; New York City-based psych-garage rock band The Thing and many more.
The Australian cohort expands with noise-drenched and dreamy Meanjin/Brisbane crew blue diner; celestial Naarm/Melbourne indie-folk Holly Hebe; Munan, the lo-fi psych-pop solo project of Korean-Australian artist Peter Lee; mainstay of Eora/Sydney’s r&b and jazz underground Yasmina Sadiki and a myriad of other local up-and-comers.
Joining them are artists including Beryl, Birdsnake, Bump2Soul (KOR), C.O.F.F.I.N, Charlie Ivan Band, Charlotte OC (UK), Cold Heat, D.D. Mirage, DC Maxwell (NZL), Denzel Kennedy, DOOR PLANT (THA), EZUZ (KOR), 花溪 Flowerstream (NZL), Fresh Hex, GAZAL, Geography, GRXCE, Haley Holgate, heartholder, Hey, Love, Holy Void (CAN), Jaal, Jasmine Thompson (UK), KAI CULT, Kidskin, Last Quokka, Letters to Lions, Lucy Sugerman, Lyric, MANAGONA草本藥師 (TWN), Mariae Cassandra, Micah Heathwood, Nate G, No Life (NZL), O.M.R., Paulina, Puff Punch (IDN), RESORT (MYS), Robert Baxter, Rovv (KOR), Scratching, Sesame Girl, SHN (MYS), Sir Echo (USA), Tash, Thy Howler (SGP), Tiana Khasi, Tripov (IDN), Ullah, Virgin Vacation (HKG), Womb (NZL), Worm Girlz.
The speaker lineup expands with another round of impressive global talent buyers Bryan Duquette – Founder Outsidelands/Another Planet Entertainment (US), James Cheney – VP Creative, Reservoir (US), Rachel So – Festival Manager, Goldenvoice (Coachella and Stagecoach)(US), Chris Fraser – Head of A&R, Partisan Records, Royden Bangara – Chief Business Officer, Skillbox (IND), Dani Deahl – Head of Communications & Creator Insights, BandLab (US), Stacy Nam – Director of Domestic Marketing, Warner Music Korea (KR); Chantelle Georgiou – Head of Label Relations and Marketing ANZ, Amazon Music (AUS); and Theo Seffusatti, Director of Warp Publishing / Founder of Heard & Seen (NZ).
SXSW Sydney’s Head of Music Claire Collins says:
The breadth of talent joining SXSW Sydney this year speaks to our growing role as the premier destination for music discovery and professional development in the Asia-Pacific. With some of the world’s most respected talent buyers and industry leaders in attendance, SXSW Sydney has become a truly global meeting point — a place where careers are launched, collabs take shape, and real deals are done.
These new additions join an already stacked lineup from home and abroad, with plenty more announcements still to come. Visit here to view the full list of artists, speakers and sessions confirmed as part of the SXSW Sydney 2025 Music Festival.
Tickets and passes are available here.
New artists announced: August Wahh (PHL), Beryl, Birdsnake, blue diner., Bump2Soul (KOR), C.O.F.F.I.N, Charlie Ivan Band, Charlotte OC (UK), Cold Heat, D.D. Mirage, DC Maxwell (NZL), Denzel Kennedy, DOOR PLANT (THA), EZUZ (KOR), 花溪 Flowerstream (NZL), Fresh Hex, GAZAL, Geography, GRXCE, Haley Holgate, heartholder, Hey, Love, Holly Hebe, Holy Void (CAN), Jaal, Jasmine Thompson (UK), JUPiTA, KAI CULT, Kidskin, Last Quokka, Letters to Lions, Lucy Sugerman, Lyric, MANAGONA草本藥師 (TWN), Mariae Cassandra, Micah Heathwood, Munan (KOR/AUS), Nate G, No Life (NZL), O.M.R., Paulina, Puff Punch (IDN), Rashmeet Kaur (IND), RESORT (MYS), Robert Baxter, Rovv (KOR), Scratching, Sesame Girl, SHN (MYS), Sir Echo (USA), Tash, Tenxi & Jemsii (IDN), The Thing (USA), Thy Howler (SGP), Tiana Khasi, Tripov (IDN), Ullah, Vandelux (US), Virgin Vacation (HKG), Womb (NZL), Worm Girlz, Yasmina Sadiki
Plus previously announced: BADASSMUTHA, Cardinals (Ireland), Freak Slug (UK), Jamaica Moana, Jasmine 4.t (UK), JJ4K, RICEWINE, Ristband + Pivots (UK), Sacred Hearts, Serebii (NZ), Slowwves (Thailand), Suichu Spica 水中スピカ (JPN), Swapmeet, Tusekah (NZ)
Music Speaker Lineup:
Bryan Duquette (Co-Founder, Outsidelands and Another Planet), US
Theo Seffusatti (Director of Warp Publishing / Founder of Heard & Seen), NZ
James Cheney (VP Creative, Reservoir), US
Rachel So (Festival Manager, Goldenvoice – Coachella and Stagecoach), US
Royden Bangara (Chief Business Officer, Skillbox), IND
Chris Fraser (Head of A&R, Partisan), UK
Dani Deahl (Head of Communications & Creator Insights, BandLab), US
Stacy Nam (Director of Domestic Marketing, Warner Music Korea), KR
Chantelle Georgiou (Head of Label Relations and Marketing ANZ, Amazon Music), AUS
Joining already announced:
Alex Berenson (Senior Director of A&R, All Flowers), USA
Andrew Batey (Founder & Co-CEO, Beatdapp), USA
Brian Hobbs (VP of Music Festival, SXSW), USA
Daphne Berry (Podcast Host, Airing Your Dirty Laundry), AUS
Hallie Anderson (Co-Founder, Rareform Agency), USA
Jashima Wadehra (Founder, Ode), USA
Jen Malone (Music Supervisor, Black & White Music), USA
John Watson (President, John Watson Management / Eleven Music), AUS
Jono Harrison (Music Industry Consultant), AUS
Justin Sweeting (Co-Founder & Music Director, Clockenflap Festival), Hong Kong
Kartini Ludwig (Founder, Koup Music), AUS
Lucy Atkinson (Booking Agent, ATC), UK
Macarena González (Live Talent Coordinator, Apodaca Group / Pal Norte Festival), Mexico
Dr Marcus Collins (Culture Academic and #1 Selling Author), USA
Mardi Caught (Head, The Annex), AUS
Meng Ru Kuok (Group CEO & Founder, Caldecott Music Group), Singapore
Patrick Daniel (Project Manager, Reeperbahn), Germany
Priya Dewan (Founder & CEO, GigLifePro), Singapore
Roochay Shukla (Head of Creative Marketing India and South Asia, Believe), India
Sally Dunstone (Partner and Agent, Primary Talent), UK
Conference Session Highlights include:
AI is Here to Stay, So How Do Artists Stay Ahead?
Overcoming Procrastination: A Workshop for Creatives
From Streams to Stages: Breaking Artists into Global Markets
How To Crack the Code of Creator-Led Music Marketing
Building Global Superfans: How Artists Can Use Direct-To-Fan Engagement To Break Into New Global Markets
Breaking out of your Geobubble
Next-Gen AI Music Creation Workshop
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