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Baybeats Budding Writers
Combating stereotypes in Singapore music
Lobbying for music as a career to gain acceptance in a culture of pragmatism
Shay is a Baybeats Budding Writer who was mentored by Eddino Abdul Hadi, music correspondent for The Straits Times and Daniel Peters, a freelance journalist and contributor at NME Asia and radio DJ at Mediacorp’s Indiego.
Cover image: Baybeats Budding Band Reserate performing at Baybeats 2022. Photo by Cliff Yeo (IG: @cliffyfly).
As a society, we tend to place great emphasis on how our future careers and side hustles could have value in our economy. Due to such a culture, stereotypes pertaining to the music industry imply that individuals who place themselves on such a career path would have a hard time surviving in a place like Singapore.
Music has always been a huge aspect of a community’s culture, and the kind of music produced by local musicians speaks volumes of a community’s history and people.
Making inroads over time
Throughout Singapore’s history, music has presented itself through many genres, artists, languages and mediums. Over time, local musicians have started making their mark in the industry as homegrown artists with songs that go beyond the themes of National Day and how far we have come as a society. These songwriters would release songs and soundtracks about their emotions, experiences and thoughts.
Musicals that depict stories relatable to Singaporeans such as Sing to the Dawn (1996) and Fried Rice Paradise (1991) consist of musical numbers and songs that have incorporated local flavours such as Singlish vocabulary and terms only we are familiar with.
Similarly, independent bands and musicians have also emerged over the years, releasing songs that appealed to global audiences rather than just their Singaporean listeners.
Beyond the rise of local plays and performances, independent and contemporary artists have also emerged in recent days. These artists have themselves inspired new generations of musicians and contemporary bands to start music careers of their own, gaining exposure through social media and online streaming platforms such as YouTube and Spotify.
Common stereotypes of pursuing music
One of the more common mindsets about becoming a musician in Singapore is that there is no sustainable future for anyone who attempts to pursue music full-time without the means to do so. This particular stereotype is often associated with Singaporeans born in a post-war Singapore, also known as Baby Boomers and even those from Generation X.
Another stereotype that many independent bands and musicians encounter is that pursuing music is a waste of time and does not add value in any way to individuals and society—usually mentioned by families or parents of these musicians.
Music as a sustainable career
It's true that Singaporeans tend to gravitate towards better-paying industries for their livelihoods. Music then, becomes either a side hustle or is ignored completely.
However, many musicians have taken inspiration from preceding artists and the kind of music they have been exposed to in life. One example of this would be singer-songwriter Marian Carmel, who was born in the Philippines and came to Singapore at the age of five. Her journey in music began when she was taken to the newly opened Esplanade in 2002 to watch a locally produced musical called Forbidden City.
From that point onwards, she remembers singing along to Kit Chan’s songs from that musical which fuelled her newfound love for music. Marian then went on to pursue songwriting and performed in multiple gigs through the years. Today, she continues to write songs based on her own experiences and emotions for her listeners to relate to.
Members of homegrown bands have also encountered these stereotypes. Singapore-based metalcore band Reserate, for example, is made up of members from varying music backgrounds, each of whom has been the recipient of remarks of concern on how their future as individuals would possibly look should they go down this specific path.
Reserate’s drummer, Ridwan, holds a day job as a drumming instructor. This is something he does as a full-time career aside from drumming for the bands he is a part of, including Reserate. He says that when he first started out, his parents raised some concerns over what a career in the music industry could offer him.
“At the start, the both of them weren’t really on board with the idea because of the common assumption of money being hard to earn in the music industry.” Ridwan recounted.
“When I got my first paycheck from my drumming career, I realised that I could show them that I could do something with my music. Over time, I’ve covered all my expenses with just the earnings of my drumming career, and that was when they saw that I was able to sustain myself and my family and beyond.”
Responding to stereotypes
Culturally, Singapore has definitely come a long way in implementing music into our communities and education. From offering platforms for local singers and musicians to showcase their talents and building multiple music-related interest groups, we are definitely moving towards a society that is more receptive to pursuing music full-time. There is greater appreciation of how a thriving music industry would be beneficial to us as Singaporeans, not just individually but as a society as well.
However, although we are progressively moving towards in our culture, we must continue to further promote education of the role music plays in our daily lives. By doing so, people will have a better understanding as to why we should be more open and receptive to embracing one’s pursuit of a music career, should they wish to do so.
