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Recording Academy President Panos A. Panay Talks Cross-Cultural Creativity at Taipei's Golden Melody Festival: ‘Your Truth Is Your Superpower'
At the 2025 Golden Melody Festival in Taipei, a conversation between Panos A. Panay, president of the Recording Academy (the organization behind the Grammys), and SXSW VP James Minor cut straight to the heart of where the global music industry is headed – and why it's never been more borderless.
Held as part of the festival's three-day conference lineup, the dialogue explored the Grammys' evolving global footprint, Panay's personal musical journey, and the creative potential of cross-cultural exchange. The festival served as a lead-up to the Golden Melody Awards, blending B2B matchmaking, live music showcases, and industry forums – all setting the stage for the awards ceremony.
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For Panay, growing up in Cyprus meant tuning into a cultural mosaic – Greek at home, but just as often French, Turkish, or Italian echoing from radios and street corners. That early exposure to a spectrum of languages and sounds shaped a lifelong conviction: music isn't bound by geography.
Now at the helm of the Recording Academy, he's pushing to make that philosophy more than personal. His goal: to bring more international voices into the spotlight and reframe the way we talk about what – and who – makes it onto the world stage.
'There's something exciting about Ed Sheeran linking up with Diljit Dosanjh, or BTS and Coldplay merging worlds,' Panay told Variety. 'Fifteen years ago, that kind of sonic, rhythmic and linguistic amalgamation would've been a rarity.'
Technology, Panay argues, is the great enabler. Streaming platforms and social media have radically expanded who gets heard and how far a track can travel. But it's not just access – it's openness. 'Audiences today are more willing than ever to embrace music in languages beyond their own,' Panay explains.
He urged emerging Asian artists to take risks, seek collaboration, and stay true to their roots: 'Be curious. Be real. Your truth is your superpower.'
'Be open to influences and perspectives and artists that are outside your own culture,' he adds. 'Listen to as many poly-cultural influences as you can – then blend, mesh, and stir them into your own and create something new.'
As for award shows, Panay says they're not relics – they're rituals. 'Contrary to expectations, award shows all over the world have enjoyed a renaissance in the last few years. So, whether it's the Grammys or the Golden Melody Awards here in Taiwan, no matter the culture, there's something enduring and, dare I say, human about the concept of an award. Provided that there's true integrity behind the honor.'
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