Two cities, two different stages
South Korean folk singer and songwriter Kim Sawol will make her Taiwan performance debut at Taipei's Wenchang House WHOA at 8 p.m. on November 5, 2026, before joining Kaohsiung indie rock band Shallow Levée at Vagabond Festival in Tainan on November 7. The appearances pair her with Taiwanese musicians in two different settings: a venue show with singer and songwriter Wang Pin Chun, followed by a festival collaboration built around the voices of two female lead singers.
Contents
- Two cities, two different stages
- A Taipei debut alongside Wang Pin Chun
- How Shallow Levée became a familiar name
- Two female voices at the centre
- From Epik High to RM's Indigo
- A return to Taiwan with a new purpose
- A festival making room for musical exchanges
- Dates, admission and the cost of two days
- Why the November setting matters
- Key Points
The festival organiser's official lineup announcement lists Shallow Levée featuring Kim Sawol on Saturday, November 7. The festival runs through November 8 on the grass field beside Guanhsi Platform in Tainan's Anping district, with the Anping remote controlled aircraft field given as a location landmark.
Kim, whose work has received recognition at the Korean Music Awards, may already be familiar to listeners through her collaboration with BTS leader RM on his 2022 album Indigo. Her Taiwan visit will bring attention to the songwriting career behind that appearance, which began in 2012 and has developed around literary lyrics, delicate phrasing and a distinctive voice.
A Taipei debut alongside Wang Pin Chun
Wang Pin Chun will share the November 5 bill at WHOA as Kim's guest performer. Wang received a songwriting grand prize at Taiwan's Golden Melody campus music competition, known as the Jinxuan Awards. Her debut album was overseen by Golden Melody Award winning producer Chen Chun Hao.
The Taipei booking puts two songwriters on the same programme before Kim travels south for her appearance with a full band at Vagabond Festival. Kim has said she wants to sing her own songs properly for Taiwanese audiences, making the first show an introduction to her work beyond the recordings through which many overseas listeners discovered her.
How Shallow Levée became a familiar name
Kim knew something about Shallow Levée before the musicians formally discussed working together. She had heard that the band planned to perform at a South Korean live music venue she knew. She then followed its YouTube channel and noticed that the band had added Korean subtitles to its lyrics.
Those subtitles gave Kim a way to understand the words as well as hear the music. For a singer whose own writing places considerable weight on lyrics, that offered a practical connection across languages before an invitation arrived.
Shallow Levée's recent appearance alongside South Korean band Broccoli, You Too? also made the Taiwanese group feel more familiar to her. The November collaboration grows out of those existing points of contact: live venues, shared bills and songs made accessible to listeners in another language.
Two female voices at the centre
Kim and Shallow Levée have been exchanging song selection ideas by email. Her strongest stated anticipation concerns the sound of their voices together, rather than simply the opportunity to appear at a large festival.
Kim, the South Korean singer and songwriter joining the band, described that prospect in comments translated from Chinese:
I'm really looking forward to the harmonies between the two female lead singers...!
Vocal harmony means singing different notes together so that they form a combined sound. Kim's interest points to a collaboration in which the relationship between the singers will be part of the arrangement. Her quiet, sometimes almost whispered delivery brings a different vocal approach to the Kaohsiung band's indie rock setting.
Shallow Levée also welcomed the invitation to create something together. The band described its approach in comments translated from Chinese:
Any form of collaboration is a completely new spark for us!
The song choices, set length, exact performance time and stage assignment for the joint appearance have not been announced. Ticket prices for the Taipei show are also not yet specified in the performance information released.
From Epik High to RM's Indigo
Kim's musical connection with RM, whose name is Kim Namjoon, began with Leica, a song by South Korean hip hop group Epik High. Kim contributed both vocals and songwriting. Her voice caught RM's attention, and he recommended her music on social media before inviting her to join his own album.
The resulting collaboration, Forg_tful, appeared on Indigo in 2022. Built around acoustic guitar, the song brings together RM's slightly rough vocal tone and Kim's softer, finely shaded singing. For listeners approaching her Taiwan appearances through that recording, it offers a clear example of how her voice works in conversation with another performer.
Kim had already been writing music for about a decade when Indigo was released. Since starting in 2012, she has built a reputation in South Korea's independent music scene through lyrics with a literary quality and singing that moves between a clear, bright sound and more intense emotion.
Her Korean Music Awards recognition is another part of that career. The Taiwan programme now offers two ways to hear her work live: alongside another songwriter in Taipei and within a band collaboration in Tainan.
A return to Taiwan with a new purpose
Kim's first performances in Taiwan will follow an earlier visit as a traveller. She has been to Taipei before and recalled enjoying Taiwan's vegetarian food and the pleasant November weather.
Tainan adds a new destination to this visit. Kim has said she hopes to explore the city while travelling there for the festival. Her itinerary moves from the capital's music venue setting to Anping's open grass field beside Guanhsi Platform.
The confirmed dates give audiences a straightforward sequence:
- 2012: Kim begins her songwriting career.
- 2022: She appears with RM on Forg_tful, from his album Indigo.
- November 5, 2026: Her first Taiwan performance begins at 8 p.m. at Taipei's Wenchang House WHOA, with Wang Pin Chun sharing the bill.
- November 7, 2026: Shallow Levée featuring Kim Sawol performs on the first day of Vagabond Festival in Tainan.
- November 8, 2026: Vagabond Festival continues for its second and final day.
A festival making room for musical exchanges
Vagabond Festival's programme places Kim and Shallow Levée among several collaborations. The November 8 lineup includes Taiwanese band Wendy Wander featuring Japanese group JABBERLOOP. Other joint appearances include Elephant Gym featuring someshiit and Sam, while the festival also schedules paired performances involving Taiwanese and overseas bands.
Festival organiser Hsiao Ta Chien has described a plan in which a Taiwanese band and an overseas band perform on separate stages during selected periods, creating a musical faceoff. He said the choices pair groups with strong playing skills but different styles. Kim's appearance, by comparison, is billed as a guest collaboration within Shallow Levée's performance.
Hsiao's programming decisions come amid what he describes as a difficult market for paid festivals. He has pointed to competition from free events, major concerts and overseas musicians holding their own headline shows in Taiwan. His response includes creating combinations that give audiences something different from another appearance by an individual act.
He has also argued that festivals depend on the health of Taiwanese bands. Kim's booking fits that approach in a concrete way: an overseas artist joins a Taiwanese group's set, bringing listeners toward a shared performance rather than appearing only under her own name.
Dates, admission and the cost of two days
Vagabond Festival lists advance admission at NT$2,200 for one day and NT$3,600 for both days. Two separate single day tickets would cost NT$4,400, so the pass covering both days costs NT$800 less. For someone attending both dates, that brings the admission cost to NT$1,800 per day.
Concession tickets are listed at NT$1,100 for one day and NT$1,800 for both days. Buyers using those tickets must present their original disability identification document. Each concession price is half the corresponding standard advance price.
Online buyers of single day tickets do not need to choose a date when purchasing. They exchange the ticket for an entry wristband on one selected festival day. Kim and Shallow Levée are scheduled for November 7, so that is the relevant date for listeners buying admission specifically for their collaboration.
The organiser lists six main stages and two DJ areas, alongside plans for talks, workshops and sporting activities. Standard festival ticket categories, excluding accommodation packages, are also eligible for Taiwan's Culture Points programme for people aged 13 to 22, subject to the ticketing conditions.
Why the November setting matters
Hsiao said the festival moved to early November after repeated concerns about typhoons around earlier editions. He also described a return to two days after finding that a third day left audiences physically tired. The changes affect the practical experience of attending, from the dates people reserve to how long they spend at the outdoor site.
Anping's open field requires substantial temporary infrastructure. Hsiao said the cost of building facilities at a site without existing power and comfortable indoor spaces has led him to consider other locations for future editions. He would prefer to direct more resources toward performances and programming if a venue already had suitable infrastructure.
For 2026, the confirmed location remains the grass field beside Guanhsi Platform. Kim's debut will therefore connect a Taipei venue show with a festival that is adjusting its schedule and format while keeping Taiwanese bands central to its programme. The shared set with Shallow Levée gives that approach a specific musical focus: songs selected together and two lead voices meeting onstage.
Key Points
- Kim Sawol makes her Taiwan performance debut at Taipei's Wenchang House WHOA at 8 p.m. on November 5, 2026, with Wang Pin Chun sharing the bill.
- She joins Shallow Levée at Vagabond Festival in Tainan on November 7.
- The festival runs on November 7 and 8 beside Guanhsi Platform in Anping.
- Kim and Shallow Levée have discussed song choices by email, with vocal harmonies a particular focus for Kim.
- Standard advance festival tickets cost NT$2,200 for one day or NT$3,600 for both days.
- Kim began writing music in 2012 and collaborated with RM on Forg_tful from his 2022 album Indigo.
