The non-competitive music showcase event was hosted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as part of the 58th General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).

The program, as well as the entire general assembly, was held virtually for the second year in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[2] The show was presented in-studio by TV and radio host Azura Zainal and commercial voice-over artist and emcee Sharizan Borhan.

[3] The pre-recorded performance, also produced for the Tokyo Jazz Festival,[4][3] was aired between the entries from Japan and Kazakhstan, the second and third participating acts, respectively.

Ten countries were represented in the ABU Song Festival 2021, the lowest number of participants to date.