FIRSTLY, sorry for the delay with this instalment.loveI was dreaming beneath a desert sky in Dubai last week, and it’s made me all forgetful and stuff.love
ButloveI’m back with our column featuring some of Singapore’s brightest musical sparks that we think will light our way into the future. (Thanks to our good friends at Walk On Music for their help.)
THIS WEEK: INCH CHUA
Inch Chua is a 21-year-old singer-songwriter who “indulges in cathartically expressing herself through music”. While not being an arts management student at LASALLE College Of The Arts, she fronts pop rock outfit Allura, but recently released her solo EP, The Bedroom, as a free online download. According to her, the music is inspired by “personal experiences and sometimes contains a message for the audience”.
love
love
Why did you become a singer? I always did enjoy singing while growing up, (but) I never thought of becoming a singer solely because I never thought my singing was anything special. When I was in primary school, however, I was very aware that I enjoyed performing. I didn’t care if I was good enough; I just really enjoyed expressing myself to an audience. Eventually, at 14 I discovered the local music scene and gradually grew to love doing music more and at 16 I started “seriously” singing when I decided to start a band.
love
Who are your influences? I basically grew up listening to my mum’s records, which pretty much are artists such as The Carpenters, The Bee Gees, Engelbert Humperdinck, The Beatles, Boney M, etc. Today, my influences are a combination that and music that intrigues me, such as Bjork, Aphex Twin, John Mayer, Electric Light Orchestra, Mutemath and Nine Inch Nails – a mix of electronica and folk acoustic. Folktronica, if you will.
love
Is Allura over? Allura’s not over. The guys are currently taking turns doing National Service. Matt went it last year, Aaron just got in and Han Quan will be enlisting next year. The band’s not completely stagnant because we still do write and meet up weekly to hang out and stuff. We’re friends and family, after all.
love
Why do this solo EP? It’s always been something I wanted to experience for myself but I never really had the confidence to do so. I guess you could say that I wanted the world to know that there’s a different side of me, other than that rocker chick persona most people associate me with. So now that the band is on a short hiatus because of NS, I thought this would be the best time to test the waters and pass some time. A lot of people usually assume that the guys feel upset about me going solo, but in reality, they were most encouraging and supportive about doing this. They helped me get over my insecurities.
love
Can you tell us more about The Bedroom? It’s named so because I recorded everything in my very own bedroom.loveThe recording and mixing took less than two weeks. The biggest challenge was finding the capital to do it. I wanted it to be a proper release, well mixed and mastered; hence I had to play more shows to get the extra cash for it. But recording the EP was a relatively smooth ordeal for me – it was really fun. I think it was much more nerve-wracking waiting on the public response.
lovelove
Even singers need to rest before they take over the world
So has the response matched your expectations? I really didn’t know what to expect. After all, it is my first time revealing another side of me. The download count is now above 4,500 – both overseas and local. I’m quite happy for now, but it wouldn’t hurt to have more! Ha-ha!
love
What’s your plan for world domination? Well, so far I’ve gigged in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, but I intend to venture more overseas. Till then, the Internet is probably the closest thing you can get to world domination, and it’s the best tool a modern day artist has for promotion. Nevertheless, another strategy I believe would be good old fashion talent. I don’t know if I have what it takes, but I’m sure as hell going to try!
Download Inch Chua’s album here http://www.inchchua.com/Wallflower/Downloads.html; and catch a video of Inch performing here http://www.walkonmusic.net
More...
ButloveI’m back with our column featuring some of Singapore’s brightest musical sparks that we think will light our way into the future. (Thanks to our good friends at Walk On Music for their help.)
THIS WEEK: INCH CHUA
Inch Chua is a 21-year-old singer-songwriter who “indulges in cathartically expressing herself through music”. While not being an arts management student at LASALLE College Of The Arts, she fronts pop rock outfit Allura, but recently released her solo EP, The Bedroom, as a free online download. According to her, the music is inspired by “personal experiences and sometimes contains a message for the audience”.
love
love
Why did you become a singer? I always did enjoy singing while growing up, (but) I never thought of becoming a singer solely because I never thought my singing was anything special. When I was in primary school, however, I was very aware that I enjoyed performing. I didn’t care if I was good enough; I just really enjoyed expressing myself to an audience. Eventually, at 14 I discovered the local music scene and gradually grew to love doing music more and at 16 I started “seriously” singing when I decided to start a band.
love
Who are your influences? I basically grew up listening to my mum’s records, which pretty much are artists such as The Carpenters, The Bee Gees, Engelbert Humperdinck, The Beatles, Boney M, etc. Today, my influences are a combination that and music that intrigues me, such as Bjork, Aphex Twin, John Mayer, Electric Light Orchestra, Mutemath and Nine Inch Nails – a mix of electronica and folk acoustic. Folktronica, if you will.
love
Is Allura over? Allura’s not over. The guys are currently taking turns doing National Service. Matt went it last year, Aaron just got in and Han Quan will be enlisting next year. The band’s not completely stagnant because we still do write and meet up weekly to hang out and stuff. We’re friends and family, after all.
love
Why do this solo EP? It’s always been something I wanted to experience for myself but I never really had the confidence to do so. I guess you could say that I wanted the world to know that there’s a different side of me, other than that rocker chick persona most people associate me with. So now that the band is on a short hiatus because of NS, I thought this would be the best time to test the waters and pass some time. A lot of people usually assume that the guys feel upset about me going solo, but in reality, they were most encouraging and supportive about doing this. They helped me get over my insecurities.
love
Can you tell us more about The Bedroom? It’s named so because I recorded everything in my very own bedroom.loveThe recording and mixing took less than two weeks. The biggest challenge was finding the capital to do it. I wanted it to be a proper release, well mixed and mastered; hence I had to play more shows to get the extra cash for it. But recording the EP was a relatively smooth ordeal for me – it was really fun. I think it was much more nerve-wracking waiting on the public response.
lovelove
So has the response matched your expectations? I really didn’t know what to expect. After all, it is my first time revealing another side of me. The download count is now above 4,500 – both overseas and local. I’m quite happy for now, but it wouldn’t hurt to have more! Ha-ha!
love
What’s your plan for world domination? Well, so far I’ve gigged in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, but I intend to venture more overseas. Till then, the Internet is probably the closest thing you can get to world domination, and it’s the best tool a modern day artist has for promotion. Nevertheless, another strategy I believe would be good old fashion talent. I don’t know if I have what it takes, but I’m sure as hell going to try!
Download Inch Chua’s album here http://www.inchchua.com/Wallflower/Downloads.html; and catch a video of Inch performing here http://www.walkonmusic.net
More...
