yung kai is coming back to Manila.
The Chinese-Canadian singer-songwriter behind the viral 2024 hit "blue" will perform at the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City on November 9, as part of his "stay with the ocean, i'll find you: Asia 2026" tour.
The nine-city run opens in Shanghai on October 30 and closes in Tokyo on November 19, with stops in Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Seoul. It is his biggest tour in the region to date.
"Asia don't you worry... yung kai is back!!!!!" the artist said in the tour announcement.
Tickets go on sale to the public on August 9. Here are five things to know about him.
His real name is Max Zhang
He was born in Burnaby, British Columbia in 2002, grew up in Shanghai, and later moved back to Canada. He is now 24 and based in Vancouver.
His older brother got him into the drums, piano, and guitar as a child. He began producing beats on the side in 2018, and started uploading covers of himself singing to TikTok in 2022.
"blue" was written in about two weeks
The song was inspired by the 2023 Chinese series When I Fly Towards You, which he was watching over Discord with a girl he liked at the time. He has said he finished the track in roughly two weeks.
He wrote and produced it alone in his bedroom and released it in August 2024. It went viral on TikTok months later, largely as background music for montage videos.
Filipino listeners were among the first to push it up the charts
"blue" peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Philippines Hot 100 in February 2025 and was still sitting in the top 10 two months later – unusual staying power for a debut single from an independent artist.
The song also topped the chart in Indonesia, reached the top 10 in Malaysia, Singapore, and India, and peaked at No. 39 on the Billboard Global 200. It is certified gold in the United States and platinum in Canada.
His first Philippine performance was at Wanderland Music and Arts Festival in March 2025, only the second festival set of his career. He returned to the region that August for shows including Kuala Lumpur.
He is still a bedroom producer at heart
His sound draws from Wave to Earth, keshi, and Laufey, and he has named the first as his biggest influence, saying he would listen to their songs and read the lyrics before sitting down to write.
He debuted in 2022 with "listen to this when you're down <3," and has since worked with fellow Vancouver artist bbno$. In April 2025, he released a new version of "blue" with Minnie of the K-pop group (G)I-DLE. His debut album, "stay with the ocean, i'll find you," followed on September 26, 2025.
He was a JUNO nominee this year
He was one of 10 acts nominated for Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year at the 55th JUNO Awards, held in Hamilton, Ontario in March. Country singer Cameron Whitcomb won the category.
His first headlining world tour sold out, and he played North American dates through April before turning back toward Asia. Fans in Manila can expect "blue" and "how do you dance?" among the songs on the setlist.
How to get tickets
Tickets for the Manila show go on sale to the public on Sunday, August 9 at 12 p.m. through ticketnet.com.ph and TicketNet outlets.
Three presales come first: an artist presale on Thursday, August 6, from 12 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. through yung kai's Discord server; a Mastercard cardholder presale from Friday, August 7 at 10 a.m. until Saturday, August 8 at 10 a.m.; and a Live Nation Philippines members' presale on Saturday, August 8, from 12 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Membership is free at livenation.ph.