Sony Music Entertainment and Tencent Music Entertainment Group on Wednesday announced the launch of electronic dance music label Liquid State.
The label will be discovering, showcasing and developing the abundant existing local talent to create original content, while providing support for international artistes in Asia.
It will further enhance the growth of dance music in Asia, which hosts numerous EDM festivals.
Liquid State will feature original content through the global record label expertise of Sony Music with Tencent Music Entertainment’s marketing and digital services including QQ Music, Kugou Music and Kuwo Music.
In addition, Tencent media channels such as WeChat, QQ, Tencent Video and QZone will also support Liquid State and its artistes.
Norwegian record producer and DJ Alan Walker, who entered the global music scene with his breakthrough single “Faded” in 2015, will be an integral part of Liquid State. He is set to release a string of exclusive collaborations on the label in 2018.
“Asia has always been such a special place for me so I am thrilled to be here to help Sony Music and Tencent with the launch of Liquid State,” Walker said in a statement.
“I’m convinced that Liquid State will grow to play a significant role in breaking new artistes from Asia on a global scale, as well as enabling international artistes to unleash the huge potential that lies within the Asian market.”
Three of Asia’s superstars have signed on as ambassadors for Liquid State across the region, with Chinese pop superstar Chris Lee as ambassador for Chinese mainland, internationally acclaimed singer and actor Nicholas Tse as ambassador for Hong Kong and Taiwan, and multi-talented phenomenon Seungri as ambassador for South Korea.
In addition to Walker, Liquid State’s initial roster sees more talent from across the electronic music spectrum, with Grammy-nominated global star ZHU, and multi-award winning Dubai based duo Hollaphonic, both set to release music through the label in the coming months.
China’s DJ Lizzy and Korean duo Junkilla are the first artistes from the Asia region to be signed to Liquid State.
Denis Handlin AO, Chairman and CEO, Australia and New Zealand and President Asia, Sony Music Entertainment, said: “These are exciting times for the music industry and Liquid State has been created to support and enhance the discovery and development of electronic and EDM talent across the Asia region.”
“Together we will make Liquid State the destination for a wide range of highly talented new and established global and local artistes.”
Cussion Pang, CEO of Tencent Music Entertainment Group, said: “With the formation of Liquid State, our goal is to create an unmatched culture exchange between the East and the West through the power of electronic dance music.”
