Taipei, June 23 (CNA) Musicians from Japan and Thailand will perform at the 34th Golden Melody Awards (GMA) on July 1, the first edition in three years where social distancing is not imposed due to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the awards' broadcaster Taiwan Television (TTV) said Friday.
The 2023 awards show will center around the idea of "without borders," a theme that will be embraced by enlisting the participation of musicians from other countries.
The two international artists featured are Japanese rock band King Gnu and Thai singer-songwriter Phum Viphurit, TTV said in a statement.
Founded in 2013, King Gnu is mostly known in Taiwan for performing theme songs for Japanese anime and television drama.
The four-man band was also invited to perform twice in three years at Japan's annual NHK Red and White Song Battle, a New Year's Eve TV music special that has been broadcast for over seven decades, with their debut in 2019 and their latest appearance in 2022.
King Gnu's upcoming appearance at the awards will be the first time the band performs in Taiwan.
Members of the band promised two songs that completely contrast with each other and said they were also looking forward to showing off their progress in Mandarin.
Viphurit, meanwhile, has performed in Taiwan before, including a concert in April 2023 in which he collaborated with local band Sunset Rollercoaster (落日飛車) and singer Julia Wu (吳卓源).
The Thai singer said he was excited to be visiting Taiwan again, especially because he will be performing at an awards show for the first time.
Like King Gnu, Viphurit will be performing two songs during the ceremony, but he said they will be a kind of a mashup that he has never tried before on stage.
