The collaboration between the Goethe-Institut and COLORS was first ideated in 2019, when the two organizations met during a German delegation trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where they recognized the strong alignment in their missions and goals: both aim to promote exchange and diversity in the arts and cultural sector, and to present extraordinary talents to new audiences. Through extensive conversations about each party’s expertise, ideas, and experiences, a regional exchange connecting the cultural scenes in Southeast Asia, the Pacific and Europe was envisioned.
In November 2022, the Goethe-Institut invited COLORS to visit Vietnam and feature local artists in the region. Setting up a COLORS studio in Ho Chi Minh City, regional artists were able to showcase their talents and engage in meaningful exchanges without having to take a long distance flight to Europe.
The regional artists were chosen by COLORS’ curation team, who considered 800+ creatives before reaching the final selection. The process included extensive research, calls and conversations with relevant individuals and networks, discussions with COLORS’ international community, and social media call outs inviting people to recommend their favorite artists.
So far, COLORS has released shows by India-born, Sydney-based
Jitwam , emerging Thai artist
Flower.far, Kuala Lumpur-based
Lunadira , Ho Chi Minh City rapper
Suboi, Hanoi singer-songwriter and producer
My Anh and multitalented Vietnamese rapper and dancer
Low G.
During the production week, COLORS and the Goethe-Institut also hosted an
international panel talk exploring the region’s relationship with global music culture. Artists and industry experts were invited to discuss how societal, cultural, and market factors influence creative processes and shape the identities of musical artists around Southeast Asia. The challenges faced by artists to promote their music out of their home country were also explored.
As a fast-growing region with an increasingly young population, Southeast Asia is bursting with energy and musical creativity. The Goethe-Institut and COLORS’ collaboration—and the panel talk in particular—aims to nurture this dynamic by connecting creative talents, inspiring reflection and education about the music market, and integrating regional creators into a global discussion about future developments.
COLORS and the Goethe-Institut also teamed up to create
a series of editorial content spotlighting contemporary Vietnamese culture. The featured articles and videos will be released on the Goethe-Institut's website, and COLORS’ editorial platform which is home to articles, interviews, and multimedia content that digs deeper into the cultures COLORS artists come from.
All of the content will be released through January and April 2023 on the respective media channels of COLORS and the Goethe-Institut.
Head to colorsxstudios.com and follow @colorsxstudios and @goethe-institut ho chi minh city on social media platforms to stay up to date on the series.
COLORSxSTUDIOS (“COLORS”) is a unique, aesthetic music platform based in Berlin. Showcasing exceptional talent from all around the world, COLORS is focused on promoting the most distinctive new artists and original sounds. Publishing content across
YouTube (6.5M subscribers),
Instagram (1.3M followers),
Spotify, and
the COLORS website, the brand’s core viewership is based across the U.S., France, Mexico, U.K., and Brazil.
The
Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany, promoting cultural exchange and social discourse in an international context and supporting the teaching and learning of German language. Active in 98 countries, The Goethe-Institut connects people worldwide and keeps close relations to its local partners and cultural scenes. Together, we look at global opportunities and challenges, and bring different perspectives into a trusting dialogue.
Press Contact:
Goethe-Institut Ho Chi Minh City
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan
Lan.NguyenThiPhuong@goethe.de
Tel. +84 28 38326716 – 22
