local music vs. foreign music

kerplunk182

kerplunk182

New member
Anyone saw the ad on tv where hossan leong goes around asking people if they prefer local or foreign music. They only showed those who said foreign but i'm pretty sure they had people who prefered local. And what they did was let them hear 2 songs, 1 local and 1 foreign to see if they can differentiate which is which/which they prefer. Anyway, catch the show on arts central 930pm, 26th November. I believe the show's called front.
 
Making Music Out Of Singapore

One Of The Greatest & Most Exciting Challenges I Had Experienced When I Got Out Of Music Making In Singapore Was To Stop Singing Or Doing Cover Versions In Clubs With My Band.

And It Applies To All Genres.


On A Personal Note : In Singapore, The Only Time Most Musicians I Could Gather To Collaborate With Doing Originals Were For Competitions...And I Got Tired Of Competitions As I Had No Sense Of Direction Regarding My Individual Sense Of Identity As A Singer Or Musician As I Had To Kow-Tow To The Competition Organizer's Agendas, Regulations & Rules.

Even Most Sound Recording Engineers, Music Mixers or Deejays create their own original Compositions After Their Official Working Hours After Serving Their Employers.

When You Get Out Of The Boundaries Of Singapore, You Will Realize That Just About Every Singer or Musician Does Originals and Are Always Progressive About Discovering Their Own Individual Sense Of Identity.

When You Are Exposed & Dive Into The Groove Of Music Making Out Of The Boundaries Of Singapore...You Can't Sing or Do Cover Versions Anymore As You Will Realize That Originals Simply Taste Too Much Sweeter Than Cover Versions.

If Music Be The Food Of Love ... Do Originals & Love Will Come Seeping At Your Door!

What Love You May Ask?

Love & Respect For Yourself.



And That Ponderous Classic Singaporean Question & Statement :

Do You Or Would You Only Respect Your Own Singaporean Singer Or Musician Unless He Makes It Out Of Singapore?

And the Irony Is That It Is Very Often That Singaporeans Are The Last To Know About Their Own Talents.

And When That Singer or Musician Gets Some Recogniztion Out Of Singapore...Your Own Singaporeans Are Like :
'Huh? Who Is She Or He Haaaar? How Come I Never Hear Or Heard Of She or He... Haaaaar?' 'Why Like That Huh?' 'How Come And Why Like That Huh?' 'Why We So Like Dat Huh?' (Thanks To Siva Choy & Gang With Their Song :Why You So Like Dat? )

** Do We Singaporeans Still Enjoy Being 'Players' Of This Emulating Game be It Music Sitcoms Like The American Idol That Came To Our Shores As Singapore Idol? **

In America, Just About Every Singer & Musician I Know Will Never Bother To Take Seriously Music Sitcoms like The American Idol or Bother To Participate In Them As They Have Deep Sense Of Respect For Their Own Talents & Creativity.

If you mention American Idol to them...They will look at you like you came from another planet called 'The Emulator & Player Market ' Planet and you will never ever forget that look or expression on their faces...as it will haunt you the rest of your music making existence.
 
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Local Or Foreign Music? Huh? What's That?

And in regards to the question about music sounding 'Local Or Foreign'...honestly...if you sound original, good and honest...it does not matter at all...irregardless of your genre or your accent or be it Singlish.

It Takes Another Matured Individual To Attract Another.

I do respect Dick Lee a lot more these days than what I felt about him in the past...as Dick chose a sense of direction which he was familiar which is Singapore's culture and he stood by his beliefs and he made it big overseas in Japan!

Cheers! To Dick Lee!

And I do respect Corrine May as she chose her own sense of direction be it ballads, acoustic, moderate or Christian music, etc.

And the same for great Bands like Walking On Water (Christian Music), Chris & Moses Vadham, Matthew & The Mandarins, The Crescendos, The Thunderbirds, The Quests, Naomi & The Boys or Heritage as they did originals!

Matthew & The Mandarins created the song 'Singapore Cowboy' and it could had been marketed as an anthem for country and western music to the outside world regarding tourist promotional agendas but sadly...the local tourist organizers in Singapore could not see, hear or understand the precious creation by Matthew & The Mandarins.

The biggest music market genre in America is Country & Western Music! No Kidding!


When are they ever going to wake up and market the precious talents staring in front of their faces everyday!


And the list of talented Singaporean born singers and musicians goes on and on...be it different genres, different accents or Singlish as long as they are originals!

And I am sure that a matured audience cannot be fooled or misled for too long as they can tell the difference between a singer or musician who only emulates or one that has a sense of direction and individuality and respect for themselves and their creations.
 
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Tom Waits : Singapore

Wow! Tom Waits Actually Wrote A Song About Singapore!

Tom Waits : Singapore

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_OiO_OHc6s

http://lyrics.astraweb.com/displayp.cgi?f=tom_waits..rain_dogs..singapore

Artist: Tom Waits
Album: Rain Dogs
Title: Singapore


We sail tonight for singapore,
We're all as mad as hatters here
I've fallen for a tawny moor,
Took off to the land of nod
Drank with all the chinamen,
Walked the sewers of paris
I danced along a colored wind,
Dangled from a rope of sand
You must say goodbye to me

We sail tonight for singapore,
Don't fall asleep while you're ashore
Cross your heart and hope to die
When you hear the children cry
Let marrow bone and cleaver choose
While making feet for children shoes
Through the alley, back from hell,
When you hear that steeple bell
You must say goodbye to me

Wipe him down with gasoline
'til his arms are hard and mean
From now on boys this iron boat's your home
So heave away, boys

We sail tonight for singapore,
Take your blankets from the floor
Wash your mouth out by the door,
The whole town's made of iron ore
Every witness turns to steam,
They all become italian dreams
Fill your pockets up with earth,
Get yourself a dollar's worth
Away boys, away boys, heave away

The captain is a one-armed dwarf,
He's throwing dice along the wharf
In the land of the blind
The one-eyed man is king, so take this ring

We sail tonight for singapore,
We're all as mad as hatters here
I've fallen for a tawny moor,
Took off to the land of nod
Drank with all the chinamen,
Walked the sewers of paris
I drank along a colored wind,
I dangled from a rope of sand
You must say goodbye to me
 
BIONICWOMAN said:
One Of The Greatest & Most Exciting Challenges I Had Experienced When I Got Out Of Music Making In Singapore Was To Stop Singing Or Doing Cover Versions In Clubs With My Band.
And It Applies To All Genres.
....................
Click to expand...

thanks, but wall of words + title caps throughout the entire article is really difficult to read.. :(
 
Society's Mindset

When I met musicians and singers who do music after their working hours as their hobbies after slogging tight hours...they could be forty or fifty years old and they still won't let their musical hobbies disappear or be made redundant or obsolete...I was overwhelmed.

They could juggle between their jobs/careers and yet be proud continueing and making music.

Music making was something that carried on into their adulthood and not just a short teenage or childhood span of time frame.

It was not about being and experiencing that teenage short termed flickering 'I wanna be a pop star' syndrome that catered to that short span of one's teen life.

It was not that old lame statement that goes 'I used to play the piano, guitar or violin when I was younger....'

And it is sad if parents enrol their kids to musical classes if they are only interested in music exam grades or security bonded mindsets that their kids could teach and earn a living being a teacher when they grow up, etc.

If only most parents could or would allow music making or listening to be part of a child's growing and nurturing tool for progress and something they carry with them throughout adulthood till they are taken up to Heaven.
 
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Singaporean Musicians & Music Workshops & Clinics

And there are many Singaporean musicians who jam during the evenings or at events and teach music in music schools...perhaps they ought to be provided some form of publicity and marketing by supporting them in organizing music workshops and clinics.

Not that a student can really learn too much in an hour's workshop but if the agenda is about supporting Singaporean musicians...then it is time we look at our own Singaporean musicians and not foreign celebrities who are hyped up for marketing and publicity agendas for the celebrity, their record company or organizer/s for that one hour.

And Singaporean musicians are the ones who do not just do an hour's clinic or workshop and fly off but are here to stay for a much longer span of time.
 
A Little Advice For Singers, Composers & Musicians

A Personal Advice for singers, composers & musicians regarding if you need to recruit or be involved or participate be it engaging a manager, concert organizer, A & R Manager (Artiste & Repertoire Manager), signing a record company contract (don't forget engaging an established music lawyer before signing) , participate in any online music newsletter organizers...be patient and do your homework about the profiles and agendas of these personae/s.

Though very often these individuals may create and start their companies with good intentions in supporting singers, composers & musicians but being earthy humans...when they do get a bit of support and data base of participants...they can be complacent and start to suffer from 'The Animal Farm' Syndrome whereby they start loosing grounds upon what their initial agendas were which is to support the singer, composer or musician.

And oh! The George Orwell's Animal Farm Syndrome is that 'Four Legs Good And Two Legs Bad But Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others' syndrome.

It becomes that quick to comment but would not lift a finger to assist or connect you with others who could or may help you get progressive.

More like 'Couch Potato Commentators.'


And that is why most artistes would rather register their own record company or publishing houses (especially for songwriters & composer) and sell their music online through their own personal websites.

Think Big And Feel Big as a singer, composer or musician and remember that there is a big world out there who would still support you and you start building your personal fan base if your own country does not support you.

Singapore is a tiny little red dot country...yes...it has the tendency to be manipulated by a few players in the music market or even music press write-up releases as we only have a few newspapers going around and being circulated...or editors whom we are not too sure if they really have a background in music and specialize in music write-ups.

It gets down to a few same-same players after awhile....and if they behave a bit snooty and hoity-toity about their positions...then we can understand why perhaps the music industry had not progressed too much after all these years.




Basic Guidelines I Had Learnt From Fellow Artistes :

Library Of Congress - Copyrighting

http://www.copyright.gov/

http://www.loc.gov/index.html



Associations For Composers/Artistes/Songwriters :

http://www.bmi.com/

http://www.bmi.com/join/?link=navbar


http://www.ascap.com/index.html

http://www.ascap.com/about/


Music Lawyers & Guide Books :

http://www.donpassman.com/

http://www.donpassman.com/about.html



** You can find many good guide books be it Donald Passman's at Border's Bookstore at Wheelock Place under Music Section Library that is near the CD sales section **
 
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if the market can consolidate into a regional english music scene local bands will up their game... and we will get better quality bands. the chinese and malay/indon music scene have proven that

there is a malay proverb called 'JAGOH KAMPONG' which mean village champion. we don't need village champions if it means they have no standard
 
Well...Look To The World And Not Just Asia

Well...Perhaps we should not just look at just Asia or Singapore but the rest of the World which exist.

I always felt and still do that A & R Managers for Asian Record Companies have a pathetic small scoped mindset whereby they do not think that any English Language music can sell from Asian singers/composers/songwriters...but ain't English the universal language all around the world?
Isn't English medium the largest pie in the world's market irregardless of the genre?
 
deep intensity core

my england sound like aisan salted fish, but i like sing song in england, i try sell my exotic accent/england song to caucasian. They say i must improved my england first. So i spend nites lighting candles and catching fireflies to provide light and used my cassette player to play those "how to speak and write better english" cassette tape to learn how speak england properly. After that i go write more deep intensified songs and with my better diction recording to sell. But hor, they very bad, they say although my england improved, they cant see no different in my england song coz what i do, they have more people doing the same thing and much longer than what i do and have been doing.

Since then, i tell myself. They can go burn in hell. They, are the evil cause of everything wrong in the music industry nowadays. So from there, i slowly slowly pickup myself, gotten into meditation and yoga, relief myself of anger and opinions. Strangly, i start to see music and hear music everywhere around me. It is the music of life and nature. The most basic form which touches my heart and have always wanting to do something like that.

6 years have passed since. Along the way, i continued to meditate, contort my body deep inside lim chu kang hill and area D plus various secret make shift hut round murai reservoir. On the day when i gotten internet access in my moble make shift hut while on a self searching trip to seletar hill, i found this site. And because of this site, all my hard work for the past six years, i want to share with everyone.

This piece, "quiet days of dusty road, by the 4th right turn within area D" is dedicated to all. Thanks for reading and supporting local music.

dont give up, if anyone is feeling down right now. I know how you feel. I have been thru that. Just be who we are and everything be fine. Even though my england might have gone down the hill over the last six years, i hope everyone be fine.

fun, laughter, peace, joy, love, harmony
I, bless me
 
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