As one third of the Taiwanese super girl group S.H.E for the past 10 years, Hebe Tien is definitely a familiar household name around Asia. Born on March 30, 1983, Hebe first came to fame when she joined the “Universal 2000 Talent and Beauty Girl Contest” organized by HIM International Music. Despite some technical vocals difficulties, Hebe was able to stand out from the crowd with her personality and powerful vocals. Together with Selina Jen and Ella Chen, Hebe formed S.H.E. and gained massive popularity in the years to come, with 12 albums under their belts and over 15 millions records sold. Together with the help of her record company, Hebe decided to forge a solo career and released her debut solo album titled To Hebe in 2010.

We caught up with Hebe for a quick chat via email. Read on to see what she has to say about her solo ventures and more!

Since releasing their debut album, Conditions, in 2009, London-based Australian band The Temper Trap has been wowing about music fans and critics alike with their soaring and atmospheric tunes such as “Sweet Disposition,” “Love Lost” and “Fader.” Cutting their mettle in London, the band – Dougy Mandagi (vocals, guitars), Jonathon Aherne (bass), Lorenzo Sillitto (guitars) and Toby Dundas (drums) – has played various major music festivals in both the U.K. and U.S. and at the 2010 ARIA Music Awards, the band also bagged home Best Group and Most Popular Australian Single (“Sweet Disposition”). Suffice to say, The Temper Trap has definitely arrived in their own terms.

It is 11am in the U.K. and Yannis Philippakis has just gotten up. Starting his day with breakfast and a phone interview with MTV Asia, the frontman of Foals sounds upbeat and recharged with the current break that the band is currently on, having just completed a tour back home in the U.K. in November.

Clearly, 2010 has been a good year for Foals. Their second full length recording, Total Life Forever, charted at No. 8 in U.K. and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Yannis describes 2010 as “amazing” for the band and mentions their five-and-a-half week tour of the U.S. as being a very memorable highlight in promoting and performing the album.

Text and Interview: Madeleine Chong

2010 is turning out to be a stellar year for British soul-pop artist Roxanne Tataei, otherwise known as Rox.

Her debut album Memoirs, released on June 7, 2010, garnered praise from the British press, and Rox’s collaborators Commissioner Gordon (Grammy-winning producer of Lauryn Hill fame) and Al Shux (co-writer behind Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ massive hit “Empire State of Mind”) would be any aspiring R&B-pop starlet’s dream team.

The half-Jamaican, half-Iranian singer’s velvety vocals and accessible soul music propelled her onto eminent “to watch for” lists such as BBC’s Sound of 2010, and she was also recently nominated for Best UK & Ireland New Act at the 2010 MTV EMA.

Accolades aside, singles such as “No Going Back,” “My Baby Left Me,” “I Don’t Believe,” and “Rocksteady” are easy on the ears, but also come with plenty of heart – proof that this 21-year-old is no mere shooting star.

In an email interview with MTV Asia, ROX talks about digging deep into her experiences for Memoirs, meeting the irrepressible Grace Jones, and why all she wants for Christmas is a driving license.

When one discusses on the subject of innovative, shape-shifting dance music, one must take note that Underworld – pioneers in this field of music, who have been playing since 1980 – must not be excluded. Karl Hyde and Rick Smith continue this 3-decade old legacy (and counting), with their deck full of energy and spirit. With the release of a new album titled Barking, it seems like there’s no stopping these guys despite of age; only with experience to gain and music to share with and to inspire the rest of the world.

We hooked up with Karl Hyde via email and found out more about the band, the new album Barking, the future of dance music and more!

Hailing from South Korea, Beast - Doo Joon, Hyun Seung, Jun Hyung, Yo Seob, Gi Wang and Dong Woon – has been steadily rising up on various music charts and capturing the hearts of teenage girls around the Asia region. Since their debut in 2009, the band has released two EPs titled Beast Is The B2ST and Shock Of The New Era that fully showcased their unique and commanding sound they dubbed as “rocktronic.” We caught up with the boys via email and found out more about their style of music, the biggest hardship they faced since their debut and the most touching gesture that a fan has done for them!

While their name may be taken from the title of a Sum 41 song, there’s no doubt that Bunkface are definitely making a name for themselves in Malaysia’s music scene. Made up of lead vocalist Sam, Paan on guitar, and bassist Youk, the Klang trio are out to show they’re not just a flash in the pan.

The band’s popularity took off with “Silly Lily” in 2007, an adrenaline-fuelled number from their first EP (Lesson of the Season) complete with jangly guitars and a banging tune. The single shot to the top of the Malaysian charts and paved the way for accolades to come.

“Through My Window,” a song sung by Bunkface for a TM advertisement campaign took on viral proportions online and Bunkface found themselves with a whole new legion of Bunkers (an affectionate term for their fans). In March 2010, the band released their debut full album, Phobia Phoney, honing their pop punk sound on catchy numbers such as “Prom Queen,” “Situasi,” “Revolusi,” and the aptly titled “Bunk Anthem.”

The band has come a long way from their casual jamming sessions during their secondary school days to representing Malaysia at MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia 2010, where they shared the same stage with international artistes such as Katy Perry, Tokio Hotel, and the Wonder Girls.

We find out more about their latest album Phobia Phoney, whose windows they would love to look through, and why their hit single “Silly Lily” would be perfect for Guitar Hero.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past two years or so, it’s hard not to have heard about a song titled “Nobody” by the Wonder Girls. We’re not surprised if you have memorized all the dance steps and lyrics (even the Korean version) to the insanely catchy number that has taken Asia by storm, for this is the phenomenon known as the “Nobody” dance craze.

Kids, office workers, clubbers, inmates and even Jordin Sparks have gotten in on the action, and the countless covers and spoofs all over the Internet only highlight the fact that nobody does it quite like the Wonder Girls.

One of South Korea’s biggest pop exports, the Wonder Girls have had a busy year, with English releases of their previous Korean hits making their rounds in the US, and a tour with the Jonas Brothers in mid-2009. “Nobody” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2009, making them the first Korean group to enter the chart. And now, here they are at MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia 2010, delighting fans with tracks both old and new that everyone can dance to.

We find out more about Sun Ye (Sun), Ye Eun (Yenny), So Hee (Sohee), Yu Bin (Yubin), and Hye Rim (Lim), as they talk to MTV Asia about their personal style, choice of superpower and So Hee’s trademark “Omona” expression.

Less cute and more sexy. According to Katy Perry, that’s what upcoming album “Teenage Dream” (due for release on August 30) will sound like compared to her 2008 smash debut, “One of the Boys”.

But that doesn’t mean she’s ditching all things whimsical though. In her “California Gurls” music video, Katy takes a romp through a psychedelic landscape filled with all manner of sugary confections, and Katy Kats will even be treated to a candy-floss scented album cover for “Teenage Dream”. If anything, the doe-eyed pop princess is all about fun, and that means making an entrance on a giant banana split (we can’t wait to see this!) for her performance at MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia 2010 tonight.

In Malaysia for the first time, Katy was naturally excited, and the perky singer’s personality sparkled as much as the glittery sequined silver and black dress she had on during our interview. We find out more about Katy’s teenage crushes, what she wouldn’t be caught dead wearing, and what it means to remain true to yourself even in the entertainment industry.

Chart-topping singles, platinum-selling albums, electrifying gigs, and a slew of awards – these are the hallmarks of the Tokio Hotel empire. Waking in different hotels every few weeks and being surrounded by hordes of devoted fans showing up at every turn have become staples for the Tokio Hotel boys, and the Kaulitz twins haven’t even turned 21 yet.

With their irresistibly catchy glam rock sound, the band certainly knows how to “human connect to human,” captivating not just Europe, but the rest of the world as well. And now, they’re in Malaysia for MTV World Stage Live In Malaysia 2010.

The boys were relaxed as they lounged around on a plush sofa, dressed casually for the tropical weather. Bill was striking as usual, his slender frame clad in a red and black striped top with layered chains adorning his neck and his hair swept up into a perfectly coiffed quiff.

Throughout the interview, Bill was the chatty one, Tom was the cheeky one, Gustav was the attentive one and well, Georg was the sweet one –he smiled a lot. We find out more about what Tokio Hotel have up their sleeve for tonight’s performance, Bill’s septum piercing and the much-missed Jumbie before the boys had to be whisked away for rehearsals.