Borders, Beats, and Beyond with Jianbo

Last month, we hosted artist Jianbo in Sweeties for his album launch, EVERYTHING FOR THE FAMILY. Jianbo is a compelling figure in contemporary UK hip-hop. A creative rooted in his diasporic experience, he fuses grime, jazz, post-punk, and cultural storytelling into an expressive, genre-blurring sound. From his debut EP 'Yellow Peril' to his heartfelt album *Everything For The Family*, his journey is defined by community, grief, resilience, and artistic reinvention. Through Eastern Margins, Jianbo not only crafts impactful music but fosters a shared cultural space for East and Southeast Asian artists.

Jianbo's album launch inspired us to find out more about his experience in South Asia, so we sat down to chat about his go-to spots in the region. Scroll down for more. 

What’s your all-time favourite beach bar in Asia — and why?

My #1 beach bar of all time is Sundowners on Palolem Beach, in Goa, India. It’s been shut for a little while now I’ve heard, but it remains for me the perfect beach bar experience - bonfire on one side, waves on the other, an unpretentious experience quietly tucked away on a little island rock. During high tide, you’ll have to swim back to the beach. It’s nothing like a typical noisy beach bar - you’re sat under moonlight, serene and perfect. And the sunsets you get on Palolem beach are unrivalled, the Indian sun looks so big in the sky and you get to watch it crash through the sky as day turns to night. Sublime and unrivalled. I came for 3 days and stayed for 3 weeks.

The nightclub you’d fly across the continent for?

The place to be right now is Arcan in Saigon. The atmosphere, location, sound-system and general club spirit are on point. I think overall Vietnam is having a youth culture moment in time, and Arcan encapsulates that perfectly. I actually have friends in Asia who do fly across the continent to visit on occasion.

Go-to supermarket snack and where to find it?

Japan is home to the best supermarkets (aka “konbinis”) in the world - if you’ve never tried the fried chicken from 7/11 in Japan, you’re missing out. My personal favourite item though is the Oreo ice cream mochi balls you can get from the freezer at Familymart - those are genuinely next level.

Hangover cure that actually works (location optional)?

The best hangover cure in the world is the broth of a pho, preferably eaten on a tiny chair and table-set in the streets of Vietnam. The best for me is probably in Hanoi - but that’s a matter of preference of South vs North flavours.

City with the best late-night food scene?

I’d say it’s a close-call but my favorite is probably Kuala Lumpur - there’s something about the fusion of three cuisines, Malay, Chinese & Indian that just hits different. Their food court scene is insane and they got dessert game to boot.

Which Asian city has the best-dressed crowd?

This one has to go to Tokyo. If you ain’t coming out in your finest clothes, you’re gonna feel it. Kids in Tokyo don’t play with their fashion, everyone - and I mean everyone - is on job. Even the janitors and construction workers got stylish uniforms!

A spot that feels like home away from home?

Nowhere really compares to London in its essence, but I’ve always felt comfy in Hong Kong. Maybe it’s because it’s Cantonese-speaking, or because my best friend moved out there but there’s something strangely normal to me about being over there. The best time of the year to visit is during Art Basel - even if you don’t get tickets to the show, there’s always plenty of parties on around then to really get a feel for the city.

Best place to write or clear your head?

This is a hard one because I think variety helps when it comes to writing and extracting thoughts, but I’ve written a lot of music in Bangkok. I think Chinatown there is the greatest place on earth to eat (make sure you try the deep fried custard buns there), it’s an exciting place to be, and also a convenient place to make music from because of the combination of the weather and local culture. There’s some pretty sick spas over there, plenty of parties and a nice mixture of locals and international people. It also helps that it has a relaxed attitude to cannabis compared to most of Asia!