Warner Music Group’s ADA Asia partners with Lilystars Records


Lilystars Records’ Clem Castro (left) and ADA Asia’s Chee Meng Tan 

ADA Asia, part of Warner Music Group’s independent artist and label services division, has formed an alliance with Lilystars Records, a Philippine independent record label.

Under the agreement, ADA Asia will support Lilystars label in collaborating on new releases, catalogues and brand partnerships; live and synchronization deals including marketing and distributing its artists’ music in Southeast Asia and beyond.

Lilystars Records, one of Manila’s most successful artist-owned independent record labels, was founded by Clem Castro, the frontman of alternative rock and indie pop band Orange & Lemons, which led the revival of Original Pilipino Music in the early 2000s.

Currently, Lilistars’ roster of artists includes ADR, Bryan Estepa, Day & Dream, Dey Rose, Dragonfly Collector, Dustybuns, Galaxy Lodge, Hey, Jane!, Kubra Commander, Lily On The River, Orange & Lemons, Paper Satellites, Parasouls, Project Orange, The Bernadettes, The Camerawalls, The Geeks, The Gentle Isolation, The Midnight Greetings, The Sun Days, Them Bloody Royals, Sunflower Station and Svvell. 

The Singapore-based ADA Asia was established in September 2020 as part of ADA Worldwide’s global expansion strategy. Since its launch, it has inked deals with leading music companies in different countries including Malaysia and Indonesia. 

It has also aggressively built out a global leadership team focused on serving the Asian market with tailor-made offerings. Lilystars Records is the first partner in the Philippines that ADA Asia has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with. 

“Since our inception, we have always intended to offer a home for kindred spirits in indie pop to grow, learn and be heard. Over the years, we knocked on obscurity with an against-the-flow-mentality, as we pledged to become the support system, curator, and community builder for local musicians with a global bent. Our collaboration with ADA Asia will enable us to accelerate our efforts in putting the Philippines on the map with the type of music we create,” said Castro. 

Chee Meng Tan, ADA Asia managing director, said, “I am really excited to be partnering with the team at Lilystars Records. Just like Clem, we are deeply committed to connecting artists with their fans globally. We understand that each artist, creator and label are in a different phase of their careers and have different needs. Our cutting-edge technology and deep understanding of the markets will enable us to distinguish the needs of our partners and offer them bespoke solutions. We look forward to working with Lilystars Records and spreading their music around the world.”