CENTRAL MUSIC FEST 2026 is making its way back to Kuala Lumpur. Following its debut in Malaysia last year, the Japanese music festival will return to Zepp Kuala Lumpur on 1 August with a lineup featuring KANA-BOON, Tatsuya Kitani, ReoNa, jo0ji, and opening act kiOra.
Born in Yokohama, CENTRAL was created with the aim of bringing contemporary Japanese music to the world. This year’s Kuala Lumpur edition continues that mission with a single-night programme spanning J-pop, indie rock, alternative rock, and anime-rooted music.
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Leading the lineup are Osaka rock band KANA-BOON, best known to anime fans for songs such as ‘Silhouette’ from NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, ‘Starmarker’ from My Hero Academia, and ‘Song of the Dead’ from Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead. The band recently released ‘SUPERNOVA’, the opening theme for the second season of Dr. STONE SCIENCE FUTURE.
They will be joined by Tatsuya Kitani, the singer-songwriter behind ‘Where Our Blue Is’, the opening theme for Jujutsu Kaisen’s Hidden Inventory / Premature Death arc. Kitani is also known for his work as a radio personality and as part of the unit GEMN.
Also on the bill is ReoNa, who made her pre-debut as the singing voice of Kanzaki Elza in Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online. Since debuting as a solo artist with ‘SWEET HURT’ from Happy Sugar Life, she has performed music for titles including Sword Art Online, Shadow House, Shangri-La Frontier, and Arknights.
Rising artist jo0ji will also perform at the festival. The singer-songwriter first gained attention after uploading ‘Fukutsu ni Hana’ to YouTube, and has since been selected for Spotify’s RADAR: Early Noise 2024. His first full-length album, Aeka, arrived on 9 July, and he also wrote ‘Yoake no uta’ for Jujustsu Kaisen The Culling Game Part 1.
Opening the show is kiOra, a four-member girl group whose name comes from “kiyoraka,” the Japanese word for purity. The group first appeared at 88rising’s Head in the Clouds in Tokyo earlier this year, carrying a “Japanese Heritage” concept centred on growth, transformation, and being “in progress”.
Tickets will go on sale from 25 May, 12 PM via Fantopia.io.
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