Taiwan’s live music scene is thriving, but the gap between international pop dominance and declining local influence has never been clearer. On November 22, TWICE filled the Kaohsiung World Games Stadium with tens of thousands of young fans, while at the same time, the Taipei Dome hosted the seven-hour Folk Song 50 concert for an older audience. The contrast highlighted a deeper cultural question: Where is Taiwanese pop music going?
TWICE’s Tzuyu, originally from Tainan, gave an emotional homecoming performance, telling fans in Taiwanese, “I missed you so much.” President Lai Ching-te praised his success as proof that “Taiwanese people have money and free time.” In reality, the financial pressure on young fans tells another story. Since concert tickets often cost several thousand Taiwanese dollars, many students rely on their parents for the allowance, while young workers earning 30,000-40,000 Taiwanese dollars a month save up for weeks or months just to attend.
For young people, idol worship has deep emotional meaning: idols symbolize aspiration, discipline, and sometimes idealized romance. Pop music is the cultural engine behind these fantasies. However, Taiwan’s low wages have long reduced the number of young people who can take part in these experiences. South Korea, with similar ticket prices, enjoys an average income 1.5 times higher.
Tzuyu’s journey is both inspiring and thought-provoking. She left Taiwan at 13 after being discovered by a street dance video, trained intensively for three years and debuted with TWICE. His story is rare: many Taiwanese trainees return home quietly after failing. Two decades ago, the flavor of K-pop invited ridicule; Today, K-pop idols dominate the imaginations of young Taiwanese people.
A stagnant local industry
While South Korean pop skyrockets globally, Taiwan’s pop music production is stagnant. No new superstar on the level of Jay Chou, Jolin Tsai or Mayday has emerged in over 20 years. Taiwan’s annual pop music revenue is approximately NT$30 billion, ironically the same amount BLACKPINK earned from just one world tour.
Even as Taiwan celebrates the tourism and economic boost from TWICE and BLACKPINK concerts, the reality is stark: Profits flow overseas and Taiwan’s music ecosystem is struggling. Without stronger talent development, marketing infrastructure and international strategy, the “next Tzuyu” will likely continue to seek success abroad.
Two generations, two musical worlds
At the Taipei Dome, the Folk Song 50 concert brought together middle-aged and elderly fans who passionately sang classics such as “Autumn Cicada” and “Grandma’s Penghu Bay.” Taiwan’s campus folk movement, born in 1975, once encouraged audiences to “sing our songs” — a cultural awakening that has shaped Taiwanese identity. But many of those songs may struggle today due to heightened political sensitivity.
The contrast is stark: the younger generation embraces Korean pop, while older audiences cling to nostalgic Taiwanese hits. The middle ground, the new Taiwanese pop, has become thinner.
A golden age long gone
In the 1970s and 1980s, Taiwanese icons such as Teresa Teng and Fong Fei-fei dominated East Asia. Campus folk songs shaped youth ideals and social consciousness. But in the 21st century, Taiwanese listeners increasingly prefer K-pop or older classics, leaving local pop artists limited space to innovate or expand. Many attempt to build careers in mainland China, only to face political scrutiny upon returning home.
On the surface, Taiwan is hosting more concerts than ever before. But behind the boom in ticket sales is an undeniable truth: Taiwanese pop music is stuck in a bottleneck.
The question for the future of Taiwan
As the lights dim and the cheering fades, a difficult question remains: How can Taiwan rebuild a thriving pop music ecosystem, where young people can once again “sing their own songs”?
Until this question is answered, Taiwan will continue to enjoy concerts, but not shape the global music landscape like it once did.
Sources: Yahoo News
