Mixtape vol 1 : lion city rock 'n' roll

• Main Authors: Raguraman, Anjali, Tan, Amelia Hui Fang
• Other Authors: Duffy Andrew Michael
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Visual arts and music::Music; DRNTU::Social sciences::Journalism::Reporting on popular culture
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/52585
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

For the past nine months, we have met people involved in the Singapore music scene to better understand what it takes to put together a band in Singapore. It has been an education in how music works here; the typical definition of rock star does not apply to a Singaporean artist. But the common things we hear about what makes an artist in Singapore successful would be: honing your musical craft, being hardworking when pushing your music, and increasingly, being savvy about the business of music. Still, making music and having the passion for it takes precedence over all over things. Most musicians we have met have the same urge to create iconoclastic, groundbreaking music. There are still some musicians who are comfortable with just playing covers at a bar, but we have noticed more of them who set their sights on international audiences, and are not just content with just a local fan base. There is a growth from the self-taught ‘bedroom’ musician, to a more proactive approach where they ‘hustle’ and ‘pay their dues’ to be a full-time musician. The music community can be described as a clique, an exclusive group of people with different expertise banding together and promoting each other. Yet, that like-mindedness also enables things to happen – they all share a common goal of wanting to make a name for themselves and for Singapore artists. Hence, they are ready to help each other and share experiences. Their different backgrounds and expertise then comes in handy as producers polish up music from bands, or members of bands in the 90s give advice to the current generation of musicians. Rather than trying to find a “Singapore sound” or infuse local vernacular into their music, they are looking further ashore, ultimately reflecting the growing global outlook of music here.