The world-renowned music media brand New Musical Express was launched in Asia today (Aug. 19) under the official name NME.com/asia. The site’s goal is to give a fresh take on the Southeast Asian music scene through pop culture news from Asia and around the world.
A core editorial team in Singapore manages a wide network of music journalists across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It tapped two seasoned Filipino journalists—Edwin P. Sallan and Aldus Santos. I spoke with my friend Edwin whose work I look up to myself. He’s a pillar in Philippine music and pop-culture writing. He said that getting the gig was, “as cliched as it sounds, is a dream come true.”
He shared, “Did I dream of writing for NME and Rolling Stone and all the other music mags of the time aside from Jingle? Yes, of course. Did I think I was a good enough writer then? No, I still had a long way to go. But 30 years and tons of experience later? I think I have made enough strides to maybe hold my own now. Maybe.”
That’s very humble of him. He’s a kind of guy who would tell you that the sound of George Harrison’s guitar on an obscure Beatles track is similar to that heard on a Rolling Stones classic. And then when you go back to both songs, you’d agree and realize you didn’t notice it all along.
Edwin was tasked to write about Island Records Philippines. So surreal for him was this pandemic break that he had to make sure the NME stands for New Musical Express. I have read quite a lot of music stuff myself and NME is simply an icon.
NME.com/asia is touted as a platform to celebrate homegrown talent, both established and emerging, across the region. New Music Monday features and guides on new music, gaming, film, and television are expected to be fun reads as every month, a chosen regional act will be put on spotlight.
This new site will follow the UK-born brand’s expansion in Australia last year which currently attracts over half a million unique monthly readers.
Edwin’s compatriot Aldus wrote for Pulp and was the editor-in-chief of the online music portal Pinoytuner.
NME (New Musical Express) became a popular print magazine brand upon its establishment in 1952. Its expansion to Southeast Asia is described as a “vote of confidence in the strength and potential of the music market in this region.” NME Asia editorial lead Iliyas Ong said, “Southeast Asia has a proud musical heritage and we’re thrilled to be able to tell their stories.”
Edwin recalled, “During my late teens and early 20s, NME was seldom available in National Book Store. So, from time to time I would go to the British Council with the hope that I could catch an existing copy and read it there.”
Journalists from other countries who had been given the gig include Daniel Peters (SG), Hidzir Junaini (SG), Adrian Yap (MY), and Chanun Poomsawai (TH).
