MYX Global Presents 1MX Music Festival in Toronto

MYX Global hosted the 1MX Music Festival for the first time in Toronto, Canada on September 10th, 2023! The festival showcased Asian artists including: BGYO, Justin Park, RUSSELL!, Guapdad 4000, UMI, thuy, Ben&Ben and Dabin.

The event took place at the Budweiser Stage and fans filled the seats, excited to see the lineup.

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MYX GLOBAL – 1MX Music Festival Lineup: BGYO, Justin Park, RUSSELL!, Guapdad 4000, UMI, thuy, Ben&Ben, Dabin

BGYO

BGYO is a Filipino boy group making waves with their Canadian debut at 1MX. The members, Gelo, Nate, Mikki, Akira and JL kicked off 1MX with their dedicated fans in tow.

The boys performed upbeat songs, “Magnet” and “Extraordinary,” which are accompanied by skillful choreography. During their quick water breaks and interactions, JL was often seen sending hearts and kisses into the crowd. Of course, this brings the screams and giggles from the audience.

Seeing BGYO backstage after their set, they’re breathing heavily and sweating but still glowing with smiles. It’s a sign of not holding back for their first Canadian show. When asked how they feel after performing, Nate responds, “the energy was amazing, the crowd was beautiful… and it was just a really smooth set for us.” Nikki thanks their fans, referring to them with the fandom name as ACEs, for flying out just to see BGYO.

Justin Park

Justin Park is a Korean American, R&B singer and songwriter, known for his smooth voice.

The artist is next to perform at 1MX and kept the energy up. He immediately stunned the crowd with the fast paced love song, “Adore you, Dior you” which originally features Ted Park. Justin is comfortable in letting loose and having fun with the crowd. Specifically when performing a short cover of Usher’s “My Boo,” Justin asked the ladies in the audience to sing along, as he further encouraged everyone to wave their hands in the air.

Later, Justin shouted out BTS Jungkook for posting “On the Low” via Instagram. Justin was very appreciative and followed up by singing and dancing to Jungkook’s “Seven.” Unfortunately, his set was coming to an end and there was not enough time to perform “On the Low”. Though, he did leave us with a 5 second acapella which had the crowd cheering for more.

After his set, Justin was still full of energy and spoke to anyone who approached him as if they were friends catching up. He greeted us at HypnoticAsia with enthusiasm and shared how thankful he was to be at 1MX. Justin also mentioned RUSSELL! was next to perform, and is an artist he looks up to. 

RUSSELL!

RUSSELL!, a Filipino Canadian artist known for his experimental R&B tracks was announced as the last artist in 1MX’s lineup. Previously going under the moniker PRYDE, from 2017-2020, he resurfaced as RUSSELL! a couple of months after his album boy lonely and has continuously released singles since.

RUSSELL! filled Budweiser Stage with his melodic vocals, a staggering difference from his physical appearance of tattoos covering every inch of his skin. Before heading out, RUSSELL! shares the sentiment that the stage is where he belongs and hopes to be back soon.

We spoke to RUSSELL! and asked which songs of his are best for those who want to get to know his music. He recommended “SCARLETT’S WEEKEND”, a “not too aggressive, easy R&B listen.” As well as “FMU” for those with a diverse taste, and “R U UP” which is perfect for a late night vibe.

Look out for RUSSELL!’s soon to be released single “Just Like Candy” and new album “sweethartt” out next year!

Guapdad 4000

Born to a Filipino mother and African American father, Guapdad 4000 proves to be one of the most exciting rappers in the scene to witness. Known for his iconic features with Rich Brain, Destiny Rogers and Thundercat as well as several Dreamville tracks, Guapdad electrified 1MX.

He performed his catchy verse from Dreamville’s “Costa Rica (with Bas, JID feat. Guapdad 4000),” jumping from one side of the stage to the other, hyping up the crowd. The artist had no problem filling Budweiser Stage with his vibrant presence as he continued to perform “MONEY.” 

Guapdad left the stage beaming, his performance leaving an impressionable impact on everyone in attendance.

UMI

UMI, which translates to “ocean” in Japanese, comes from an African American and Japanese background. Just like the ocean, she flows on soulful beats and lyrics about her identity and life experiences.

She opened her set with a burst of energy, dancing and jumping across the stage during “Love Affair.” Next was “sukidakara,” one of her songs almost entirely in Japanese. UMI explained the phrase is said to someone you have a crush on and asks the crowd to say “sukidakara,” in which UMI joked, giggling “You have a crush on me?” 

At one point, UMI suddenly jumped down from the stage to run along the barricade, and fans reacted by reaching out their hands which UMI gladly took and sang to a few lucky fans. UMI’s infectious energy drew everyone in, from those who may not have known her until the day to venue staff watching in awe. 

As her time at 1MX came to an end, UMI expressed she loves everyone in the audience. She believes the planets and stars aligned for us to meet in that moment, without each person in the crowd there would be no festival and for that, she was so thankful.

thuy

thuy (pronounced twee) is a Vietnamese American artist with multiple R&B hits and gaining new found popularity off TikTok for “girls like me don’t cry me.”

She began the night with “in my bag” and “vapor rub,” energetic R&B songs where thuy can demonstrate her powerful but melodic voice. thuy took a moment to express how amazing it is to be part of something like 1MX showcasing Asian artists. She was incredibly thankful of the opportunity to perform that night.

To close out her performance, she did a short stripped version of “girls like me don’t cry” to warm up the audience before putting her all into the full song. thuy never failed to engage with the crowd, from pointing the mic into the audience to finish the lyric and signing merchandise for her fans. If anyone in attendance that night did not know thuy before, she would have definitely left an unforgettable impression on them. 

Ben&Ben

The 9 piece band immediately brought a comforting warm feeling with their music and presence in Toronto. The Filipino pop band is led by twin brothers, Miguel and Paolo Benjamin as lead vocalists and acoustic guitar players. Alongside them is Poch Barretto (lead guitar), Jam Villanueva (drums), Agnes Reoma (bass), Andrew De Pano (percussion), Toni Muñoz (percussion), Keifer Cabugao (violin) and Patricia Lasaten (keyboard).

It became clear their performance was to be a one of a kind experience the moment they stepped foot on stage and the entire venue erupted in cheers. “We really feel the energy from all of you and we really appreciate each and every one of you”! Miguel expressed this to the crowd before the band performs a few more songs for their loving fans.

Dabin

The JUNO nominated, EDM DJ Dabin closed out 1MX. His high energy music is paired with mesmerizing screen visuals of various patterns and colors. As well as fighting scenes from different animated pieces of media, his music serves as the soundtrack for the characters and story. The venue floor was packed with fans dancing until the very end.

The first 1MX festival in Toronto was a success thanks to all the artists who worked hard while showing their appreciation of the audience and MYX. Including the fans themselves cheering and singing along all night.

Photos & Article by:  concertswithsaba