'Taipei Music Never Stops' Announces Top 20; Semifinals to be Held on First Weekend of June

The '2026 Taipei Music Never Stops' event announced its top 20 finalists today. The semifinals will be held in the Xinyi District on the first weekend of June, with winners selected by Fire EX. drummer Ke Guang, Amazing Show keyboardist Guan You, producer Lin Chih-jen (Gao Chao), and DIZLIKE guitarist Manda. The top 20 list includes Collar Wrapper, Resonance Effect, zhonzi, Berrymilkshake, Borome, Makise, Tsutsu, Shigurehime, Galaxy 1966, fernoiz, Echo Down, Soul Sorry, Bella Cry, blu mush, DoDo, henÿ, Jazzweed, Marswalk, T.chiii, and Wimpy. Preliminary judge Zhong Yi-an stated that the entries covered a wide range of genres, from hip-hop, electronic, and rock to soul, jazz, R&B, and folk, and was impressed by the high creativity and generally stable production standards. Record planner Dai Ju noted that many bands' use of sound and arrangements possess market scarcity and high recognizability. Veteran musician Da Wei (Liu Che-lin) mentioned that he had to 'painfully let go' of some creators because their singing and instrumental interpretation were not complete enough.