Masia One brings Singapore’s sound to Rototom Sunsplash 2026 while representing the Lion City on Emma Dilemma’s global single “Neighbourhood.”
Singaporean artist Masia One, known internationally as the “Far East Empress” of Southeast Asian hip-hop and sound system culture, is taking Singapore’s sound to a global audience.
The rapper will perform at Rototom Sunsplash 2026, one of Europe’s biggest reggae festivals, on August 21 and 22. At the same time, she appears on “Neighbourhood,” a new international collaboration by New Zealand artist Emma Dilemma. The single is now available and connects artists from Christchurch, Auckland, Singapore, and St. Louis.
A Decade of Building Southeast Asia’s Reggae Scene
Masia One will appear on two stages at Rototom Sunsplash. She will perform solo on the Dancehall Stage on Friday, August 21, alongside King Addies and Lady Leshurr. The following day, she will join Indonesian soundsystem pioneers Yella Sky Sound on the Dub Academy Stage.
The performances mark an important milestone in Masia One’s work across Southeast Asia. Through Singapura Dubclub, she has spent more than a decade helping develop the region’s reggae and dub communities.
Her work has also helped create connections between artists and soundsystem communities across Southeast Asia. Now, that journey brings her to one of the world’s most prominent reggae festivals.
“Rototom is the largest reggae festival in Europe,” Masia says. She describes the festival as a long-time dream because of its focus on music, culture, art, wellness, peace, and human rights.
Performing two stages makes the experience even more meaningful. She will represent Singapore while sharing the stage with Yella Sky Sound, an act that has played an important role in her journey through Southeast Asian music.
Masia One’s connection with Yella Sky Sound goes back to 2015. That year, Singapura Dubclub organised the Bintan Dub Club on Indonesia’s Bintan Island. The event helped establish a lasting creative relationship between the two acts.
Both artists now arrive at Rototom after busy international schedules. Yella Sky Sound recently performed at the International Dub Gathering in Tarragona. Meanwhile, Masia One performed at Glowball Festival in Taipei and the Love & Nature Reggae Festival in Mongolia.
In addition, their appearance at Rototom reflects the growing connections between Southeast Asian artists and the international reggae community.
Representing the Real Singapore on “Neighbourhood”
Masia One also brings her Singaporean identity to “Neighbourhood,” the latest single from Emma Dilemma. The track brings together artists from four cities across three continents and focuses on authentic stories from their respective communities.
For Masia, that meant moving away from familiar, polished portrayals of Singapore. Instead, she wanted her verse to capture the everyday character of the city.
Emma initially approached Masia to represent Singapore on the track. Masia first submitted a more conventional verse. The team rejected it because they wanted something more authentic.
That feedback pushed her to rethink the song. She drew inspiration from everyday Singaporean life, including local slang, neighborhood characters, familiar sounds, and the quirks that make the city distinctive.
Her verse references figures such as the “kepoh uncle” and “ah beng,” along with the unmistakable sounds and sights of everyday Singapore. She also wanted to capture experiences that often disappear from polished portrayals of the city.
For Masia, “Neighbourhood” became another opportunity to represent Singapore without filtering its identity for an international audience.
Both the single and her Rototom performances reinforce the same message. Masia One wants to bring Southeast Asian culture to global audiences while keeping its character, humor, and authenticity intact.
Press Release
