by Lydia Tan
Ask the average Singaporean how much they know about local music talent and at most, they might list one of the more popular names, like The Sam Willows or Nathan Hartono, but some might not even be familiar with many local artists.
A 2017 National Arts Council (NAC) survey shows that while two in three Singaporeans are proud of our local music scene, only one in three actively seek out new homegrown singers or music. Out of the 29% who said they don’t listen to local music, the most common reason was a lack of exposure or awareness (43%). So here are some new rising homegrown stars that you should check out, from a range of different genres.
Rock
Emo-rock – Made with Monsters
If you’re a fan of experimental music genres, you might be into this band as well. Their music combines “elements from emo, grunge, post-rock, shoegaze and pop punk” with meaningful lyrics to touch the hearts of their listeners. Their latest single The Transient State, describes the state of loneliness while everyone else is changing and is about the pain of heartbreak and unrequited love.
Another of their singles, Cherry, is named after the now-defunct Singaporean nightclub and is based off frontman Jovan’s personal experience with depression and suicidal thoughts. The band will be releasing an EP, titled warmer, in the coming months so do look out for them!
Pop
Pop-rock – Falling Feathers
Falling Feathers, aka JJ Ong, might seem like a fresh face to the local music scene, having debuted in 2016, but he’s been dabbling in music longer than you think. JJ fronted the pop-punk band JJ and The Paperplanes with some of his polytechnic coursemates, which disbanded in 2015. JJ is known for his unique vocals and lyrics with “relatable narratives”; his most recent tracks Through The Night and Monsters explore themes of dealing with ostracism, depression and anxiety.
JJ was handpicked to be a part of the 2016 NOISE Singapore Music Mentorship programme, where budding artists are mentored by experienced musicians and producers in the industry. He was also the opening act for international acts like Mayday in 2016 and Before You Exit in 2017. You might have even heard his 2017 hit Why So Serious featured on Korean variety shows like Youn’s Kitchen, Return of Superman and GOT7 Hard Carry 2.
Pop-rock – Rene Ann Wong
This singer-songwriter is not afraid to experiment with genres. Her 2018 debut single Lonely is a slow rock track slightly reminiscent of Paramore’s The Only Exception, and it’s about the solitude and regret after a breakup, whereas her latest single Cheese on Toast is a complete 180 with its “joyful and energetic tune” about the hopeful feeling of meeting someone new.
Despite her recent debut, Rene is no stranger to the music scene; she’s been performing since 2015 and in 2017, she was awarded first place in Noise Singapore’s The Great Singapore Replay Open Call.
Pop-funk fusion – RABCDE
Debuted in January this year, RABCDE’s (pronounced ‘rhapsody’) first single Would U is a unique mix of retro pop-funk and contemporary pop, and is about believing in yourself despite “the troubles and insecurities that you face now” and “encourages you not to give up and to press on”. The band consists of six friends from Singapore Management University (SMU) and the song was motivated by a tough time the band went through balancing music and their studies.
The band was the winner of Stärker Music Jams 2017, earning them a fully-sponsored residency programme with Stärker Music and a one-year management deal with Cross Ratio Entertainment. They got the chance to perform at the Stärker Music Carnival with local acts like Disco Hue and Jasmine Sokko as well as international acts like A-Lin.
Synth-pop – Disco Hue
If you love throwback retro hits, you will really like Disco Hue’s music. From their styling to their sound, Disco Hue fully embodies the 80’s and 90’s aesthetic. This self-produced band (synth player Zie is also the band’s producer under the moniker THIEVVES) has been touted as the ‘CHVRCHES of Singapore’ for their experimental sound and their retro music style is something pretty refreshing to the local music scene.
The band recently released a new single Call Me Back (their MV is due to drop this March) just a day after Valentine’s Day, dedicated to long-distance couples. The song is on the slower, more emotional side and sings of the longing and conflicting feelings between two lovers in a struggling relationship. They’ve also been on a roll lately, releasing two singles last year – Can’t Be Mine and Right on Top (Back to You) – and they’re putting the finishing touches to their debut album, The Yearbook, due in June 2019.
Rap/Hip Hop
This multi-cultural band are known for their comedic and tongue-in-cheek rap lyrics, which draws similarities to American hip-hop trio Migos. The band is slowly rising in the Asian hip-hop scene, with their breakout 2018 hit Broke AF making it to Spotify’s SG Viral Top 50s playlist. You can also clearly see some Asian influence in their music; for example, their latest single Fengshui, released during the Chinese New Year period, has some oriental beats added to it.
Some of the members have also ventured out to do their own solo projects; Rush Martines debuted with his solo LOCK in December last year and Afro Junior had a short stint with local comedy YouTube channel Wah!Banana last year as well under the character name Obama. However, the band says that with the four of them together, each member combines their different genres to form a common sound.
In a generally male-dominated music genre, J.M3 (pronounced ‘Jamie’) stands out with her music that aims to empower and rebel the convention. You might recognise her from the 2015 Sing50 concert as part of the line-up that included Black Eyed Peas’ Apl.de.ap and homegrown rappers like Shigga Shay and The Lion City Boy. She also performed with acts like Jay Park during Day 1 of the 2016 Shine Festival.
For her latest song Try, she visited Tiny Toones in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, a hip-hop NGO that aims to keep kids off the streets away from drugs, to learn more about the stories of the people living and working there. Her experiences inspired the lyrics for Try, which is about not giving up despite hardships.