Beyond the Stage: Asian Pop and Cinema Stars Connect with Europe in Paris

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Artists THE A FESTIVAL (C) Elisa Cutullè

 

The Paris Event Center hosted the debut edition of The A Festival on October 24–25, 2026, bringing together international press and a wide roster of Asian pop, hip-hop, and screen artists for two days of media encounters organized by Envol Production and Emmanuelle Amelin, CEO of 5 Oceans Group. Across the weekend, accredited European journalists attended sequential press sessions featuring multi-national talent, exploring their latest projects, European debuts, and creative journeys.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Gelboys: The Thai group reflected on their first trip to Paris and Disneyland, discussing their most challenging acting scenes and sharing the comfort snacks and spicy sauces they carry on international tours.
  • Jinn Jinna & Sky Sutthinan: The acting duo shared their admiration for Parisian architecture and fashion, discussing how music anchors their acting prep and previewing their upcoming BL series Ocean’s Heart.
  • DOLLA & TOBII: The Malaysian girl group and Swiss-Thai soloist revisited their viral collaboration Bad Girls Like You, highlighting their bilingual music and desire to explore genres like Amapiano and Afro House.
  • MYYU & Chanya: The AI Girl co-stars reflected on how portraying their characters shaped their daily relationship with artificial intelligence, expressing deep gratitude for bringing their GL series to European fans.
  • ATLAS: The Thai boy group emphasized that strong vocals and tight performance are their baseline, sharing that their main goal on stage is expressing authentic energy and connecting naturally with the audience.
  • IRONBOY: The Thai hip-hop artist and The Rapper Thailand winner detailed his journey from filming low-budget street music videos to bringing his autobiographical album PARTYNARY to Paris.
  • Oak Soe Khant & Jacob: The Myanmar pop artist and Korean-Canadian soloist discussed their creative growth, sharing how music transcends language barriers to create universal connections with global fans.
  • James Prescott: The Thai-New Zealand actor and former athlete spoke on how sports discipline fuels his acting career, reflecting on his role in 14 Again and revealing his ambitions in music.
  • Top & Chan: Thai actors Top (Piyawat Phongkanittanon) and Chan (Chan Jitt-Itsara) previewed their vertical short series and Muay Thai workshop, highlighting the close-up emotional intimacy of vertical video formats.
  • Leslie & Wang Yunkai: The Chinese actors reflected on building their chemistry through a month of shared living before filming their costume drama, expressing a desire to share traditional Hanfu culture in Paris.
  • TRENDZ: The K-pop group shared how their single On My Knees was conceived while touring Europe, detailing their ambition to perform in every major city worldwide by their 10th anniversary.
  • ALAMAT: Introducing themselves in six Philippine languages, the P-pop group highlighted their mission to celebrate regional linguistic diversity and explained the dual meaning of their name Alamat.
  • POW: The K-pop group recalled exploring Parisian landmarks and described their signature easy-listening pop sound, which pairs memorable melodies and band instrumentation with distinct vocal colors.
  • 4EVE: The Thai girl group embraced the Parisian autumn rain, discussing their shift toward incorporating English lyrics into tracks like Girls Like Me and sharing the team communication behind their longevity.
  • 7!! (Seven Oops): The Japanese rock band recalled their sold-out Paris show, discussing their iconic anime soundtracks for Naruto Shippuden and how their native Okinawa naturally infuses warmth into their music.
  • Orm & Folk: The Thai GL actresses introduced their dramatic series Love Bound, reflecting on how their deep familiarity creates a safe zone on set for natural emotional performance.
  • Sunny Lukas: Speaking directly in English and French, the multilingual artist discussed filming a visual for his Christmas single in the Parisian rain and compared his versatile music style to sushi.
  • AM8IC: The Chinese boy group shared lighthearted moments from their Paris trip—from Eiffel Tower rain to culinary mishaps—and wrote messages to their future selves 10 years down the line.

(Note: For JASP.ER, no general press conference was held; instead, an exclusive, closed collective interview was conducted for four selected outlets only- us included). You can find the interview here.

Moderation: Marie-Pierre Medouga (Head of European Press & Media Office – The A-Festival)

Overall Translators / Interpreters: Sirikul Mou & Séverine Tran (FINNWR); Amy Shen (PR Officer, European Public Relations Office of 5 Oceans Entertainment); Ko Dae Young; Ciel Molina

Participating Outlets: ActuKoncerts, Chingu Lab, GONG TV, Jason Edwards, KFm, Kpop Concerts Europe, Kpop in Germany, KstationTV, NuguSquad, Outsider, Run with K, The A to the Pop, View of the Arts, ViviSaar, as well as open questions from the audience.

 

Elisa Cutullè

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