“Developing an artiste is like building a brand,” says Belinda Ang, manager of regional artiste Joi Chua 蔡淳佳.

Ever wondered what is the role of an artiste manager? How is it different from being a mere promoter and what it means to manage an artiste’s career?

To find out, we spoke to Belinda Ang, artiste manager of Joi Chua, a homegrown songbird from Singapore who has delivered hit songs including 陪我看日出, 有一天我会，依恋，庆幸有你爱我，and 隐形纪念. Joi was also nominated for the Best Female Vocalist in Taiwan's prestigious Golden Melody Awards in 2008. Together, they conceptualized, marketed and released an independent EP "视界观 PERSPECTIVES" in Singapore & China in late 2012, and the album topped the charts more than 93 times, with 300 Top 3s and countless Top 10s over more than 500 charts in China alone.

During the in-depth interview, she shared on how a manager could value add to the entire process, how she succeeded in maximizing the limited resources she had to create a successful launch for Joi’s latest album, and her vision for her artiste. Even though she is unpaid, Belinda still puts in up to 70% of her time in this job, because she has absolute conviction in her artiste and friend, Joi Chua.

“I always think she can be better. And why I chose to dedicate myself to this role is because when I told her, 'Hey I think you can be better,' her reply was, 'That’s what everyone says.' So basically many people said the same thing to her but they would just say it as a passing remark. No one stepped up to say that they wanted to do something about it. At that split moment, I decided that I didn’t want to be one of those people, because it wasn’t a passing remark, because I truly believe in what I see in her, and this was further affirmed when I saw her perform on stage, for I felt that I was so lucky to be working with someone like that.”

Belinda Ang, social media consultant and artiste manager of Joi Chua 蔡淳佳

Describe your relationship with Joi. How do both of you work together?

My relationship with Joi is quite unique in the music circle today because we are exclusive. I do not manage any other artistes. It’s more like the relationship of the manager and artiste back in the ‘80s where it’s one to one. There are pros and cons, but this allows me to focus on her career. Apart from managing the label, there is also the career management portion. A lot of managers these days do not manage careers. They manage gigs, and it’s up to the artistes to market themselves. They are more like agents and earn commissions in between. They don’t manage careers because it’s more like a start up, and you never know when your ROI is going to be. Agents these days make a living connecting artistes to gigs and are more concerned with monetary returns. They are also more likely to manage a label and sign artistes under the label.

I have been managing her for three years. We started out as Internet friends. We knew each other on Twitter. Later we met up at Warner Music and became fast friends. At that time, I had a full time employment. After six months, she mentioned briefly about the potential of working together, so I planned towards my independence. It all quite a destiny thing, because I was her first Internet friend in 10 years, as it was not usual of her to make friends online. At that time, I wasn’t even her fan, and wasn’t familiar with her songs. It was only after knowing her that I realized that a lot of the songs that I know are sung by her, because a lot of her songs were in TV dramas.

How were you involved from the conception to release of her self-funded EP “视界观 PERSPECTIVES”?

I basically cover the entire discipline of the traditional label, apart from the music production. We had partners in China, which were newly established, as I wasn’t originally from the music industry. It was my first time working on a music album. Although I studied film in China previously, the music industry and the movie industry are totally different. Moreover, China changes so quickly that a lot of the contacts that were established previously are not around anymore.

How did you make inroads into China’s music market?

There was a lot of work done in establishing contacts in the earlier part of the year before we successfully knew who are our partners. Fortunately I’m a social media consultant, so that’s my strength, and social media is my primary form of networking. Every night, I would spend time deciding who I want to talk to. I talked to as many people as I could, and I flew to China in May, just to visit the social media companies in China, because with very limited resources, no manpower, no label in China, it is quite difficult to do an onground launch. So our only and fastest avenue was through the Internet. And with so many web companies in China, or main social networks like RenRen. Sina, Baidu, they operate very differently from Western social media owners.

I flew there to say hi and to understand their business operations and how they could support us and what are the resources available. I also spoke to some managers in China, and strategized my launch from there. We launched on Sina Weibo exclusively for 48 hours, and the deal came together with free placements of banners and picture links on the other sites that they owned including Sina Music, Weibo Music, Sina News, and it was quite a challenge negotiating for those placements which otherwise would have earned them revenue. Because of our exclusive terms and special relationships that we and our partners had with them, we were able to garner many featured spaces. It was purely a digital launch during the first phase. They linked to the music sites in China. Sina owns their own music site, just as Baidu and QQ too. So we need to provide exclusivity to each of these giants so that they do not discriminate you, because if you only work with one of them, you may end up discriminated and they may not play your new songs. We have to be fair to everyone and give each owner a different form of exclusivity, for example, to keep different images for different sites.

How did the launch turn out?

We topped the 24-hour charts in Sina, we also topped many other radio charts. In China there are the live charts and the 24-hour charts, and ranking is measured by the number of listens within that specific time frame. To be honest, anything can be bought, including listens, so to be able to achieve that kind of results with zero marketing budget, we were quite surprised and very happy. But we knew that we could do more if we were under a label. There will always be tradeoffs for that. Without resources from the label, we are forced to become more creative, and we were fortunate to be able to find partners who were passionate enough about your product to work with. Our partners are also not paid. We all came together with a vision and the same passion. The entire team worked 24/7 just for a vision.

What was it like working with your China partners?

We were working with DP Music, which is a small independent label in China, but they do work with some big names, promoting concerts for Sandy Lam, and they have been around in the market for a long time, previously under another label and eventually they came out and started their own company. They see our vision, and they are as passionate about Joi as I am, so they committed the entire team to the project. This meant that the owner had to feed the entire team without profits in mind. They worked on the project for close to 9 months:  we started in May 2012 and only finished the China promotions only in November. Their specialization is in A&R and promotions. They helped us cover a lot of on-ground work, including sending our songs to over 800 radio stations, clearance with publishing because foreign companies cannot claim publishing rights in China hence a local publisher is required. We worked with them to clear legal requirements.

Contrary to the thought by most people that there is a lot of piracy in China, actually all the major online sites that you see are legal, but there is an entire process of clearing your copyright, and every platform requires a unique clearance. In China, there is no one-stop service, because they are not united, so even if you are from the publishing house, you still need to go to each media owner individually to clear the rights.

There are agents who have access to X number of companies, and you need to pay these agents. If you were to go through agents, you would be able to distribute your music but we would prefer going to media owners individually so that we can negotiate for marketing resources or better placements in the different platforms. We might talk to their marketing staff and not the distribution staff. But of course, it is a very tedious and long process, and I was burnt out. It took me six months to recuperate from then!

What was the biggest challenge that you faced?

Publishing rights were the biggest challenge and it was the one thing that took me a really long time to understand. There was no mentorship or help out there on understanding publishing rights. Publishing rights differ from one country to another. They are different in different platforms. Contracts come in all shapes and sizes. I asked a lot of questions, begging them to explain to me what the clauses meant. Clearing the rights for CD, digital and via a thumbdrive had different implications. We had to authorize our publishing rights to our partners in China, and in turn, they had to authorize the rights to the local platforms, and the distribution had to be cleared through the COMPASS equivalent in China.

Joi is a writer under Warner Chappell (WMC) Taiwan. WMC will clear the publishing rights for the writers for Joi Music, and Joi Music will authorize the rights to WMC in Taiwan. WMC handles our distribution in Taiwan. Joi Music is a label that Joi started which handles production and artiste management. I manage the business part of Joi Music. The company is set up for accounting purposes and collect royalties. It also allows us to better structure our contracts.

 

What are your thoughts on consumers buying music?

If you are not a fan, you will not spend a single cent to buy music. Even if music was within reach in legitimate digital platforms, you would simply download it for free. But if you are a fan, even if I charged you $100, you would still buy it. So we were willing to spend quite a bit in creating a box set for Joi’s EP. It included a lyric book, a thumbdrive, a set of 7 cards of quotes that were written by Joi on perspectives of life. We wanted to make it a collectible for fans, something that adds value to them. We chose the thumbdrive because of a few reasons. No point using a CD because nobody uses this format anymore and they would simply rip the tracks off and put them into their phones or mobile players. The thumbdrive was in a shape of a pair of spectacles, which links back to the concept of “Perspectives”. inside the thumbdrive we included an entire suite of content: the mp3s, ringtones, SMS message tones which were recorded with her own voice, lossless formats for the tracks, exclusive videos that has not been exposed, desktop wall papers, iPhone wall papers, Facebook covers, Weibo backdrops and more. So when the fan receives the package, it’s very big and exciting for them. The great thing about selling the box set to fans is that they don’t leak the content out. The content was so confidential prior to the launch that we hired our own line of production because other factories refused to sign an Non-Disclosure Agreement. It’s definitely more expensive, and I deeply discourage anyone from following so. But I was stubborn because it was my first album.

We had a run of 3000 copies, but each copy was sold at a premium price. My point of view: music should not be cheaper, it should become more and more expensive. The difference lies in adding value. If a Starbucks Frappuccino can be sold for seven dollars, or an empty notebook can be sold for forty dollars, I don’t understand why you can’t buy music for more. I think the only difference is that there needs to be a re-education into the entire system. Music formats have changed, but the re-education does not come overnight. No one thought that we would sell a single copy, and although we did not manage to break even, I think we need to start changing the perspectives of people. It’s how you add value to your fans. It’s not about how you should price your music. Music is a product on its own, but people don’t sell products, they sell brands. Yes, there are instances that good music can go very far, but how often do we see that? We also see terrible music going very far. Why? It’s because they have terrible products but good brands. And if the good brand comes with a very good product, then the sustainability is longer. If I were to sell you an aluminum can with cola inside for 10 cents, you still wouldn’t even buy it, but if it had a red label outside that says Coca-cola, I could sell it to you for a dollar. I come from a branding background, so I deeply believe in creating brands, and I see Joi as a brand; all her songs are products. So creating an EP or box set is basically packaging the product, but it needs to bring up my brand, that’s why I’m spending so much effort in it. Joi feels the same way, but obviously it’s quite painful for her because there is a lot of money involved! haha

We sold the box set for USD28, exclusively online from her website www.joichua.com . In China, we worked with the e-commerce sites to sell the box sets at RMB149 each. We kept the quantity very small because we did not expect it to sell like hot cakes, especially at such a high price. I’m very grateful that there are many supporters from Singapore, and surprisingly we had orders from Japan, Spain, Australia. So the great thing about doing your own distribution is that you get to know where your fans are from. The interesting thing is that the box set was selling at USD28, but the postage to Japan was USD30, so the total for that box set was USD60, and they still didn’t think it was expensive.

What is it like managing Joi without the backing of a major label?

Prior to our stints in Singapore, no one thought that, without a label, we would not be able to step out of Singapore. Most people would think, why don’t you sign with a major label, especially since there are labels coming to her? But she has certain insistence with the quality and ownership of the music. She wants better control over her music. So when she were to join another label, that would be part of what she would negotiation terms. Joi is not a 18 year old girl, so she is at the part of her career that it is time to make decisions for herself. Although running her own label would be a lot harder, especially since we did not attempt to find investors or VCs. We wanted to work with brands but did not have the time to do so. There are some business decisions that weren’t the smartest to make, but we did not want to compromise the quality, and that was the one agreement we knew we had.

We clearly understood that you could not have one EP and, boom, you make it big. Brands need to be built over time, but at least we have started somewhere. For me, if I’m going to invest X dollars to create three songs and launch it for Singapore’s market, the cost is going to be the same even if I include the China market. So I might as well create the album for 3, 4 ,5 markets. Similarly, if I’m going to spend three months marketing the album in market, might as well spend the same time marketing in several markets. So it doesn’t make sense to be localized, especially when I know that the local market it small, and the sad truth is, we do give more respect to musicians who make it out of Singapore. It’s the truth that a lot of us don’t want to admit, but that’s the truth. However, we do not compromise with the Singapore market. We work very closely with the local media, and to be honest, I’m really touched by the local radio stations who have given us a lot of support although we have nothing to offer.

What were your considerations when deciding which market to focus on promoting her album?

Because of time and resource constraints, I was making my bet on either focusing on Taiwan or China. I could only choose one of the two. The reason why people go to Taiwan is because if they are popular in Taiwan, they would be able to sell in China. So to me, it does not make sense to go to Taiwan, because the end destination is still China. We actually bypassed the entire Taiwan for this particular launch. A lot of people think it’s quite silly because many of the music awards like 金曲奖 are all based in Taiwan, but the ballgame is very different in Taiwan as compared to China, and I had more confidence in China because of my previous experiences and personal network there.

My experience in doing business in China is more robust than my experiences dealing with the Taiwanese. The Taiwanese and the Mainland Chinese are quite different when it comes to business negotiations. The way they communicate is different. When I communicate with Mainland Chinese, the experience is a lot richer. When they speak, I am aware of their communication nuances. But I don’t understand the Taiwanese. They are faster, smarter and quicker than Singaporeans. Both countries are. But if I cannot guess what they are trying to say, I’m definitely on the losing end. On the other hand, the Mainland Chinese have a lot of respect for Singaporeans, and they love working with us because we are a man of our words. Their perception is that Singaporeans are very organized and systematic, we mean what we say, and we are very honest folks. So when they are talking to us, they try to do that as well. Personally, I am more at ease dealing with the Mainland Chinese than the Taiwanese. Hence, I feel that I would have a better chance in dealing with the Mainland market.

Of course, it’s also because the Taiwan market is very saturated. Its population and media would be limited, as compared to China, which is so huge that there are no rules to it. No rules seem to be a bad thing to many Singaporeans, but it’s a very good thing for business, because you can create your own rules. There will be gaps and loopholes which are opportunities that you can use to penetrate the market. Even if you cannot make it to the top 3 stations, you can always make it to the fourth, fifth and sixth station because there are over a thousand radio stations there! There are so many ways that you can plan to succeed in China, whereas in the limitations of an island-city, there will always be monopolization.

As an artiste manager, how did you bring out the best in her? What was your value add?

The success of artiste depends on how the manager can make things happen, so you would feel guilty if you are not working hard enough. We analyzed the gaps based on whatever was established earlier, and we recognized a few flaws that needed to be filled, including the need for people to recognize her face. Her songs are popular in China, people recognize her voice but we found that there was a lack of recognition of her face, and it’s a very big problem for artistes. Her previous songs have been used in many dramas, even in Taiwan and China, so we did not have to re-introduce her songs, and we could use the songs as a penetration point, but people don’t know much about her: what she does, what’s her background and her personality.

Hence, we tried to arrange for promotions or work that she had the opportunity to talk about herself, and not about her voice or the songs. We also structured our press kit in such a way that it focused all towards her perspectives of life. Most of the interviews that we did were focused on her personality. We capitalized stronger exposure on magazines for visibility. We had some magazine coverage such as Cosmopolitan and covers on a few other local publications. However, we did not have time for TV because TV promotions were blocked off in slots. TV recordings are usually done back to back in three days, and they would do record all the episodes for the month in one shot. But our previous promo schedule did not allow us to make it for TV, so it is something that we are hoping to do in the months to come, together with events.

Our partners in China are very well connected to the media, but no company should be totally dependent on their partners. I created an entire list of DJs and I talk to them every night on Weibo during that period to ask them if everything was ok, and whether they have received the songs, and asked if there was any help that they needed, and they came back saying, “You know what, no other managers have done this.” It is the type of connection that you create: through the familiarity of the connections from our china partners, coupled with the level of personalization through the effort you put in, then they are more willing to push your songs, and when they play your songs, they would say a little more about you. When they need a favor like recording a radio ID, they would just come straight to me, and I would get it done for them. These are very small favors, but it’s very important to show sincerity, especially when you are not a diva, people don’t come begging at your knees, but at the same time, you are not a new comer, so we are somewhere in between. The DJs know her, but we just wanted to humanize her a little.

How do you arrange her promotional work?

When we travel, it’s always starting with Beijing first, because that’s where all the major media companies are. Shanghai houses the major fashion brands, so you need to know what you are up for, then you would plan your route that way. When we plan our route, other than Beijing, we would also plan some work in other cities, and the other promotions that are alongside those work. There are hundreds of media platforms in Beijing alone, and two weeks are not even enough to cover Beijing alone.

We try to promote her material with movie companies, but a lot of them have exclusive relationships with labels, so it’s a little tougher, unless the director happen to like her song so much. This is a totally different track to take, and it also depends on how much time I have!

Any advice for someone who’s interested in becoming an artiste manager?

A manager’s job is actually full-time, yet I do not invest 100% of my time to her career, just as she doesn’t either. I have my own company to handle as well, partially because of bread and butter, and partially because of my passion (as a social media consultant). But if you wanted to be a manager, you would really have to be whole-heartedly devoting 110% of your time in this, because there is so much networking and conceptualizing to do. I spend a lot of time thinking, strategizing, and talking to people. You have to buy the air ticket, fly over, and just spend the time renewing yourself with the market and your networks.

For anyone who wants to embark on a career managing artistes, there is a lot of thinking involved behind. Artistes are usually more passive, you cannot expect them to go out and meet these people, so that’s why she hires a manager for all this. I need to make those visions come true. Whether an artiste performs well depends a lot on her team. An artiste’s report card comes when he/ she performs on stage, but that passageway to the stage is a long route that depends on the efforts of the entire team.

Building relationships need time. It’s the same for all businesses. You don’t create your networks when you need them. Create your networks before you need them. You can’t have an agenda then go meet people. They would be more willing to see you. When I went to visit the social media companies in China (Youku, Sina, NetEast, Baidu), I simply brought my bakwa (roasted pork) and pandan cake to them just to say hi and simply just understand who I’m talking to and how we can help each other. You need to add value to people, and even if you don’t get to work with each other, never mind, in the end you get to know a friend. And if you ever get to work together in the future, you wouldn’t be strangers by then. Today, many of the business contacts that I have are people whom I got to know from ten years ago. Trust is also built with time, and hence networks need to be built ahead of time, and not when you need it.

In Singapore, people are generally brought up in a system to follow, and not to lead or initiate. Yet in the entertainment industry, there is no system, and you have to create it. So you will need to be flexible and versatile. There are many musicians with ideals and dreams, but are not willing to work hard enough to fulfill them. If you’d to compare ourselves to those in China, you would feel so guilty and absolutely embarrassed. If anyone were to step up to say they are willing to learn this, I would be happy to teach, but I can tell you it’s not easy at all. You carry bags, clear the shit, do the things that the prince and princesses in Singapore are not used to doing.

Locally, there are simply not enough talents to support these musicians so that they could concentrate on honing their craft. I feel that musicians should be left to do what they do best. They should not deal with things like accounting, book keeping, or drafting of contracts. They should share their ideas, then let other people do it for them.

What is your vision for Joi as an artiste?

Joi’s vision is very simple. She just wants to continue singing to a lot of people and she wants to spread her positive messages to them. I have larger visions for her.

My vision is to put her in front of an audience of 10,000 people. It’s not hard, but for her, she is not ready yet.  We want people to come because they want to listen, not because of a marketing stunt typical of that from a big label where concert tickets are given out to sponsors. I want her to be a household name not only in Singapore, but also in China and Taiwan. I’m not saying that I can make it come true, because for every singer, at some point in time, they may need someone else to bring them higher. I’m not saying that she needs to stick by me. Funding may be a challenge, but It’s not impossible. I can’t tell you the odds yet, until I spend time working on that part. I’m more of an idealist though, and as long as I see there’s a potential, even if the chances are slim, I would still do it. Opportunities are there for people who are prepared. Even if it doesn’t happen, so what? At least you don’t ponder in your life, what if?

What do you think of the future of the music industry in Asia? What are the top three trends that you’d predict?

I may not have enough experience to make a very impactful statement on this, but my take on the top three trends is:

     1. Digital  - the popularity of buying digital music will increase with the maturity of the market. I feel that those who don’t buy digital music yet is not because of its cost but because of the maturity of the market, and that will improve.

     2. We will all go back to the basics of A&R and conceptualization. People will start to realize that it’s pointless making seven filler tracks and three good tracks, and you’d rather spend more time on that three tracks, and that’s why in Japan and Korea, EPs and mini albums are more popular, rather than full albums. You can see that trend happening in Taiwan and China now.

     3. There will be more popularity on live performances. So people who can’t sing are gone. People who don’t improve themselves will be taken over by the market. There won’t be any more of the 偶像派 Idol types. If you want to be in idol type, you would need to be an 偶像实力 artiste with real talent, so there is a lot of stress on musicians trying to better themselves, and only the strongest can survive. The market will become like what it used to be, it’s going to narrow down, rather than expand. The expansion will come from your Youtube stars and other options of entertainment, but if you are talking about the music industry as a career, there would be a cleaning up of trash in the market.

Stock broker-turned-entrepreneur Alan Chan sets sights on investing in not just Kpop, but the “Asian pop” entertainment business.

Singaporean Alan Chan had been a stock broker for over 20 years. When he was first introduced to K Pop by his daughter, coupled with the nudging of his Korean associates who mostly have their own entertainment companies, he decided to invest in something entirely different - the currently red-hot K Pop industry, and eventually became the founder and CEO of Alpha Entertainment, which launched the five-member girl group, SKarf.

5-member Kpop girl group, SKarf, formed and managed by Alpha Entertainment

We spoke to the entreprenuer on what it takes to make it in the highly competitive Kpop business, and though he may be relatively new in the industry, he knows that in order to survive in the long haul, he cannot simply just ride on the the Kpop trend, but to see it as part of something bigger from Asia.

Mr Alan Chan, Founder and CEO of Alpha Entertainment

“(The Kpop wave) will always be there like the J Pop and C Pop. It will tapper off from the peak. That is why we will never focus just on K Pop. We want to be more Asian Pop that includes J Pop, K Pop and C Pop,” Alan explains, and this is perhaps why SKarf now consists of 5 members of different nationalities i.e. Singaporeans, Koreans and Japanese. The company undertakes a glocalization strategy of the band members in order to increase the group’s ability to adapt faster and reach out to big Kpop markets like Japan.

Describe your risk appetite. Is it more risky to invest in the seemingly fickle entertainment industry or in stocks? How has your investment worked for you?

I have been a stock broker for more than 20 years and I know all about risks. To be able to enter into K Pop by a foreigner is itself an achievement. It will take time but we will see decent returns. Don’t forget, we have the best training director and artistes manager in Korea working for us now. Together these two have trained and managed artistes like TVXQ, SNSD, SHINee, SJ, SJm, F(X) and Rain.

You’ve started Alpha Entertainment since 2010. How has been the journey like so far? What are the company’s major milestones?

It is not easy to break into Korea whether it is the entertainment or any other industry. They are very closely knitted. So far it has been quite smooth. Different countries have different cultures and ways of doing things. You have to adapt. The major milestones in Korea I would say is the first Singaporean in K Pop and also first Singaporean to host any TV shows. Winning The Raising New Star 2012 within 3 months of launch is also a major achievement. And of course the latest appointment of SKarf by Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) as Global Ambassadors. All these are recognition of what we have done so far.

Recruitment, training, production, marketing/ promotion, distribution: What is Alpha Entertainment’s focus and how does it balance all this?

We focus on casting, training and management. All other promotions will be taken care of by CJ, they are our Global Distributors. Experienced staff is not difficult to find in Korea. We have just setup a training school in Singapore and it is doing well. We will probably focus a little more time into it. Financials will always be the biggest issues. Just to launch a mini album can cost anything from US half a million and this is expensed off.

You have offices in Singapore, Korea and China. How has this helped you in expanding your business in Asia?

China is a huge market and it is near to HK, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. Take for instance, the Luv Virus MV on Youtube has about 120,000 hits whie in China’s yinyuetai has about 1.05m hits. That is about 10 times. We are planning for a Chinese album next year. Surprisingly, SKarf has good following in South America as well.

What does it take for a Kpop group/ band to be successful?

It is a combination of everything and of course luck. With SKarf, our next group will be slightly easier. It is still a long way to where we want SKarf to be. It takes time but will come eventually.

What are the main revenue streams for a kpop band like SKarf?

Performances and endorsements.

SKarf first released a single, followed by a mini album this year. Was this intentional to minimize risk? Why not a full album?

It is not a practice in Korea. Even those from Hong Kong now realize this. It is better to have 2 to 4 mini albums followed by a full one.

How can SKarf stand out from the cookie clutter of Kpop bands?

It’s in their concept and songs. It is back to the early days of K Pop. Too many female groups are going for the “sexy and aggressive” image. SKarf has to be different to stand out.

Other than SKarf, are there any other artistes under the group? Previously in another interview, you mentioned that there were plans to launch a girl group and a boy band every year. How has that worked out so far?

That was our plan and we still hold to that except that we need to make sure SKarf is where we want it to be, among the top. This will make the launch of other groups easier.

What do you think artistes of other genres or backgrounds could learn from their Kpop counterparts?

Must always work extremely hard and continue to train even after debut. Forget about sleep and freedom. You have now become a public asset and many youths look up to you for inspiration and belief. It is never a smooth passage, learn along the way and always remember your roots. There is no place for Prima Donnas.

TypeWriter: First Singapore band to perform at Liverpool’s The Cavern Club

Whether is it for a new act or an established artist, performing live these days is an essential way to not only reach out to more fans, but also as a source of income. Many artists or bands would love to be engaged for an overseas gig in order to increase their exposure to a wider audience. However, touring costs can be high, especially for overseas stints, and while there are grants available from various organizations such as the Media Development Authority and National Arts Council to cover partial touring costs, many Singaporean artists and bands find it a challenge to continue doing so. Nevertheless, it has not stopped Singapore acts such as local powerpop band TypeWriter who are seasoned performers from pushing themselves and exploring foreign territory.

As how guitarist Patrick Chng explains, “For an indie band like us, I don't think it's sustainable to keep touring overseas because it is expensive and the grants or funding only covers a small percentage of the cost. We did it for the experience and to see and meet other musicians in their own backyard. We've definitely learned a lot and it was an amazing experience. It has brought the band closer and opened our eyes to a lot of things. You can't put a price on that.”

Playing seven shows in 12 days in the UK, TypeWriter became the first Singapore band to perform at one of this year’s International Pop Overthrow Festival held in Liverpool from 14^th to 21^st May. In particular, TypeWriter had the opportunity to perform at The Cavern Club, where the legendary Beatles played in the early 60s as the club’s resident band.

We caught up with the band after their return to share more on their “English Breakfast” experience.

How did the opportunity to play at IPO come about? Was there an intention to play IPO all this while?

International Pop Overthrow is a powerpop music festival that's been around for over 10 years. We love powerpop music and I think TypeWriter's music is aligned to the sensibilities of the genre. When we came under KAMCO Music management last year, we talked about playing overseas and IPO was a festival we thought would be perfect for us. So our manager Kevin Mathews wrote to them to check us out and they wrote back with an invitation to perform at IPO Liverpool.

How did you manage to arrange for the other gigs other than the one at IPO? Did you work with a local agent over there?

We just wrote to a lot of people and venues for the other gigs. It wasn't easy at all. We know a friend in Cornwall who arranged a gig in Plymouth and Cornwall for us.

What was the whole experience like, especially since this is the first time for TypeWriter to perform overseas? Was there additional pressure? 

We went without any expectations as we knew that we're totally unknown in the UK. Let's be honest. I don't think anyone in the UK will be excited to watch an unknown band from Singapore. The pressure that we put on ourselves was to perform well at every gig.

How did the audience take to the band's music? What was the size of the crowd like? Did you have the opportunity to sell your music or merchandise there?

We were pleasantly surprised by the response. Apart from Liverpool, most of the places we played at were small venues averaging about 20 to 30 people at each gig. Yes there were opportunities to sell our merchandise. We brought our CDs over and gave them away free at IPO. We wanted to spread our music so we thought the best way is to just give out our CDs to people who are interested.

What was it like meeting other bands who were performing at the festival? Any interaction of sorts on or off stage?

Actually I think we met more artists at the other venues than at the IPO festival. We had dinner with Axel Loughrey who supported us at 12 Bar Club in London. We met a really talented jazz guitarist Cy Brandl and other singer-songwriters at The Vauxhall Quay in Plymouth. A few of us met Pugwash and Farrah when we went to watch them at a small venue in Brixton. We did chat with and checked out a few bands at IPO Liverpool. It was really inspiring to watch the other performers.

How was the tour funded? How was NAC and Gibson involved? Was getting funding challenging? What were the sponsors' expectations? Any advice to other bands who would like to do the same?

We got a grant from NAC which covered almost 70% of our airfare. The rest was funded by us. Gibson supported us by lending us guitars in London. Yes, it was challenging to get funding and we're grateful to the NAC for their support. Bands who would like to do the same must be prepared to fork out most of their money.

What are TypeWriter's future plans? Will TypeWriter be actively looking at having more overseas gigs? If yes, which ones? Will you be focusing on touring in Asia?

We've just roped in a fifth member Alan Bok into the band so our immediate plan is to rehearse as a quintet. We plan to record an EP by end of the year so we're not thinking of touring overseas at the moment. We have contacts in Beijing but the opportunity for IPO Liverpool came up first. Maybe next time.

Photographs courtesy of TypeWriter/Lennat Mak

About TypeWriter

Formed in 2001, the band has journeyed through the years with various line-up changes and a vast catalogue that has been reworked with different contributions by its changing members, culminating in the two-CD debut album Indian Head Massage (2010).

With its current line-up of Yee Chang Kang (vocals, guitar, harmonica and keyboards), Patrick Chng (guitar, vocals and keyboards), Desmond Goh (bass and vocals),  Redzuan Hussin (drums and percussion) and Alan Bok (guitars, keyboards), TypeWriter will continue to pursue its passionate dedication for song-craft and heartfelt honesty. 

http://typewriterband.com

http://www.facebook.com/typewriterband

http://typewriterband.bandcamp.com

About International Pop Overthrow

International Pop Overthrow (IPO) is a pop music festival which has been held for the past fourteen years in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Boston, San Diego, Phoenix, Detroit, Milwaukee, Portland, Seattle, Austin, Dallas, Vancouver, and Toronto, as well as in Liverpool (at the world famous Cavern Club), and London, UK. Each IPO features between 25-180 of the best pop bands from around the world.

http://internationalpopoverthrow.com

"Opportunities are everywhere. It's what you make of it," says Wu Jiahui, multi-award winning Malaysian singer-songwriter

With more than 150 songs under his belt and multiple award wins, including the Malaysia Outstanding Artist Award at the recent Global Chinese Music Awards (全球華語歌曲排行榜) 2012 held in Singapore, Wu Jiahui (伍家辉) is arguably Malaysia’s fastest-rising singer-songwriter.

He has written songs for some top artistes such as Jacky Cheung 張學友 (Black and White 黑白畫映), Stefanie Sun 孫燕姿 (Wish you happiness 祝你開心), Leon Lai 黎明 (Man with Love 有情郎) and Jerry Yan 言承旭 (One metre一公尺), and sang the hit song “One-Half” from movie “881” original soundtrack that sold more than 13,000 copies in Singapore.

Jiahui first started as a songwriter writing for other singers, but eventually became a full-fledged recording artist and performer, singing his own material. However, it’s still songwriting, as Jiahui admits, that gives him the kicks.

“I definitely prefer being a songwriter, because I started out behind the scenes. But today, being a singer and a producer allows me to exert more influence and control over the music. Although being a singer definitely brings in more revenue from performances as compared to the efforts put in as a producer or songwriter, ultimately it’s still songwriting and producing that brings me the greatest satisfaction.”

Multiple award winning Malaysian singer-songwriter, Wu Jiahui

“When I first started, I already felt contented just merely by sharing my music through songwriting. Later when I took part in a songwriting competition, I was discovered by a publisher, and was later signed as an artist by renowned Singaporean musician Eric Ng (Funkie Monkies Production). Actually, I feel that as long as I am able to sing for one more day, I would grasp that opportunity and continue to make the music I love and share it with others, because music is my dream and an indelible part of my life.”

We understand that you did not renew your contract with Funkie Monkies (FM) Productions and decided to become independent. Could you share why you made this decision? How different is it having your own label?

Actually, I’m very thankful and grateful to FM Productions for grooming me all this time. My decision to set up my own company was because both the label and I share the same consensus that it’s time for me to step out on my own. I’ve been signed to FM since 2006, and during all these years we’ve experienced so much together, and have built a lot of camaraderie. Our relationship is not just simply that of a label and its artiste, it’s more like a family, and now the parents are very happy to see their child take flight.

The new label starts out with signing myself. It’s called “Dreammy Studio”(吾梦工作室), which means finding one’s dreams. Currently there’s a manager running it for the moment, but later, when the time is right, we will slowly expand or work with other companies who are interested.

The difference between having my own label and being signed to a bigger label is that having my own label gives me a lot more freedom and control to exercise my thoughts and opinions, while a bigger label would have more financial and human resources.

What's the music industry in Malaysia like? Are there more opportunities as compared to Singapore, Taiwan and China? Where does the majority of your fan base come from? Is the media more supportive in your home country?

There are several segments in the music industry in Malaysia. There’s Malay music, English music and Chinese music, and within the Chinese music market, it’s split between local and overseas Chinese music. Actually I feel that the level of opportunities is equal everywhere, it’s all a matter of how you target the market and where you stand. Basically, my fans come from Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, and I’m thankful that the media here supports me very much.

How many performances do you do typically in a month? Are they mostly in Malaysia or overseas? Now that you have won the Most Outstanding Artiste Award (Malaysia) in the Global Chinese Music Awards, do you see anything changing for you?

On average, I do about three to four performances in a month, out of which usually one is from overseas (but it depends on the market, sometimes we could have more requests towards the end of the year, all at the same time). I feel that winning the award is just a form of recognition, and perhaps a platform for more friends to know me, and maybe because of that there are more performance requests.

Other than the Most Outstanding Artiste Award (Malaysia), your song <我們怎麼LOVE> has also been awarded as one of the Top 20 Songs. What do these two awards mean to you?

I’m very happy because I never thought that <我們怎麼LOVE> would win an award, because when I was writing it, I didn’t have too many considerations or further thoughts, I was simply just writing what I had wanted to express and record down my feelings at that moment. So now it’s really great that the song had won.

What do you think of the future of the Chinese music industry in Malaysia and in Asia would be like?

Malaysia’s music industry has been creating waves and is now on a surge. In the Chinese music industry in general, Malaysian artistes make up a considerable number; and now, as long as we stay united and work hard together, we can definitely achieve even greater success and reach higher levels. I hope that all musicians will put in their very best and their upmost sincerity in every song and every musical note, to move and to encourage more and more people out there.

After note

In the midst of arranging this interview, another of Jiahui's works, 《灰》, has won Best Television/ Movie Soundtrack at the PWH Music Awards 2012. 《灰》，together with another recent work, 《香火》, written for a TV serial by Malaysia’s NTV7 of the same name, are nominated Best Theme Song in the upcoming Asian Television Awards 2012.

Certainly a wave-maker himself.

 

Ranked No. 1 in Singapore on Reverbnation, Eli T. sets to take on both Asian and Western markets.

With his 2009 major hit song “Record Breaker” sung by multi-platinum selling Filipino artiste Sarah Geronimo, 2 award nominations "Best Singer/Songwriter" & "Best Solo Artist" in the 2012 "All Indie Music Awards" held in Hollywood, CA, and more than 33,000 likes on his Facebook page as of writing (an impressive number for a Singaporean artist), Eli T. is an upcoming electro-pop act certainly worth tuning into.

Born in Singapore and grown up in Canada, Eli reveals that his East-meets-West identity as an artist poses many challenges for him. Nevertheless, with the love and support from his fans “which mean the world to (him)”, he continues to stick true to himself.

 “It was pretty tough for me when I first got back to Singapore. I just didn't fit in. Collectivistic culture is an interesting thing that doesn't take well to sore thumbs. I was told to chisel away aspects of who I am to be more accessible. I sing, write, produce, arrange, perform and am extremely particular about the execution and presentation of my art form. Critics have tried so many times to box and compartmentalize what I do. Thankfully my fans see the larger picture and stick by me because they understand that I view the entire process as part of the art form too.”

Eli T. - Voted Female magazine's 50 Most Gorgeous people in Singapore and Cleo Magazine's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors in Singapore

You started out as a producer behind the scenes. What made you decide to step into the limelight and become a performer instead? Was it something that you were always working towards? Tell us more about this journey and what you have learnt.

Yes, I got my start professionally as a producer. Stepping into production was a growing phase in my career. There's something special about taking a song in for a good "buff and shine". Writing, producing, arranging and re-mixing bring me large amounts of joy and satisfaction.

That said, I've always been performing but it was only in 2011 that performing took precedence. I've always been an Artist (learnt that the hard way, haha) and I needed a larger outlet for expression.

There's something cathartic about flushing your thoughts, emotions and experiences into a song and production. Performing it just takes it to a whole other level. There's just nothing like it.

I feel like I'm always learning, which is great, cos I never want to be stagnant as an artist. Travelling down this road has also hardened me a fair bit. Artists are sensitive creatures but anyone who decides to go for a spin in the industry will have to learn that business and art are mutually exclusive.

What made you decide to leave a bigger label and become independent?

For me it's all about the art. I wanted to have the ability to create and deliver my best. It was exhausting - trying to be moulded into the "next so and so". I am much happier just being me.

For now, I want to make art on my own terms.

Could you tell us more about your fan base and how you stay connected with them?

I love my fans. They are a huge source of strength and encouragement. I talk to them on Facebook and Twitter whenever I can and it always brings me such joy to see them.

We've been touring/performing extensively and the power of social media has allowed us to connect. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a workaholic. I aim to give my fans the best.

Apart from the many social platforms that we have, there's an app for the fans to get instant updates about shows as they get come in.

You have released your debut album "Revolt" in March this year. How has been the response so far?

It is a really exciting time for my team and I as well. We released the record at our show for Mosaic in March. Truth be told, I can only say that we feel extremely blessed for everything to have come together the way the way it has. Just this year alone, we've travelled to so many places and played at major festivals and venues like M.E.A.N.Y Fest (New York, US), Mosaic (SG), City Showcase (Napier, NZ), Singapore Arts Festival (SG), Music & Mens Fashion Week (SG), Indie Week (Toronto, CA) etc.

The album is now available in multiple countries and across all major online platforms including iTunes and Amazon. In June 2012, we signed a distribution deal in Korea and the album is currently distributed across all Korean online portals like Mnet and Olleh Music. We currently rank #1 in Singapore on the Reverbnation music charts and we couldn't be happier.

Right now we're in New York getting ready to go on tour again. This leg of the tour will see us through, New York, L.A. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. There's just so much more to come. It's going to be an amazing experience.

How do you and your management team work things out, artistically and financially?

My team and I are really close and we function like a family. It's all part of the art form for me and I feel deeply blessed to have a manager that is so patient and understanding. We sit through long team discussions to learn together and make decisions.

I am also so grateful that my team entrusts me with the creative vision. It's not often you get a bunch of crazies working so great together. haha

You are not only a producer, singer, songwriter, but also a model and actor. What do you enjoy doing most?

I would say that I am a musician who can act and I was lucky when I was younger to stumble around a little bit of modelling. Music is definitely the heart of me. Acting comes a close second, but music is so all-encompassing that it's a whole different world than acting for me. I would say that they are all rewarding but the best part about all of this is that it keeps me on my toes. I keep learning and I keep getting inspired to put new elements into my music.

What do you think of the future of the music industry in Singapore and in Asia? Is Asia also a place where you will be focusing on too?

The music industry in Singapore is growing. It is my opinion that it is not near as flourished as the Philippines, Japan or Korea at the moment (which is surprising cos Singapore is so forward with so many things). That said, a number of talented artists released records this year and that is a huge sign of growth and that makes me super excited.

North America shaped a large part of who I am but it was in Asia that I got my professional start as a musician. I also feel really close to my asian fans and I can't wait for 2013 to come around so that I can see them again.

We're in the 2nd leg of our North American Tour, among other things but I try as much as possible to live in the moment.

The journey's so much more enjoyable that way.

My dream is to connect with as many people as possible through my craft and every day I feel grateful for being able to do just that.