Transcript of interview with Sindhu Panicker (conducted by Amanda Lee), 22 August 2016, 5 pm, Skype.
Sindhu Panicker is a 20-year old Malayalee Indian Singaporean student majoring in banking and finance at Singapore Institute of Management (University of London). She enjoys English pop music and likes artists such as Jojo, Rihanna, DJ Mustard, and Yuna. She enjoys their music as it is relatable, meaningful, and catchy. Sindhu mainly listens to music while commuting. Sometimes her friends and her listen to music while catching up and she learns about new songs. Sindhu uses Spotify to listen to music and has since stopped listening to music on the radio. She does not listen to Western classical music as she thinks it is too slow, but thinks that she might be able to appreciate it when she is older. Sindhu sometimes listens to Indian pop music, and she likes artistes such as A.R. Rahman, and Anirudh Ravichander. She likes the songs as they are catchy and high energy. She does not listen to any traditional Malayalee music and says that she does not like it from the little that she has heard from her mother playing the music. However, she thinks the music should still be preserved for those who enjoy it, especially those in India. Sindhu used to listen to Chinese pop songs featured on the TV series, Hana-Kimi as she thought the songs were cute. She does not listen to them now, nor does she listen to traditional Chinese music. She thinks that getai [performances of songs in Chinese and dialects on makeshift stages during the Hungry Ghost Festival] is loud and does not think that the younger generation of Singaporean Chinese enjoys watching it. Sindhu does not listen to Singaporean music and is not interested in learning more about it. However, she thinks that both the Singaporean and Indian Singaporean music scene is improving perhaps because of influence from English pop music.
“I just like [Jojo’s] personality and like how she shows it through her music, because she comes and takes us through like her life journey in her music. It’s quite relatable.”
“Ya, I mean like in the way – how [Jojo] sings it, even though you haven’t gone through it but you feel like you’re going through it. Ya, because that’s how much of emotions she puts into her singing. Ya.”
“Like ... [Western classical music] just gets you into a very daze-y mood, doesn’t get you on your feet, hyped up. Ya.”
“Er, because I’m pretty sure there are still going to be people out there who appreciate [Western classical] music. Maybe when I get older I might appreciate it.”
“I don’t like listen to [traditional Malayalee music], but like I’ve heard to my mom listening to those olden ones. Ya, I don’t like it.”
“Not – I just don’t know why, it’s just ... I just don’t like [traditional Malayalee music]. No particular reason. Maybe because I just don’t understand it, but I also can’t use that reason because I don’t understand Hindi though, and I still do appreciate some Hindi music. So, ya. I don’t really know why.”
“It’s quite catchy. But I don’t really listen to [Indian pop music] very frequently, lah. It’s just that you know it, that’s all. Ya.”
“It’s like – I don’t know – the feel that you get from that. Ah, but it’s like, [Indian pop music] gets you on your feet, if you want to put it in a nicer way. Ya.”
“I don’t know, but I don’t really see young people sitting down there listening to [getai], or like sitting down through the performances, you know, I don’t see that.”
“[Getai]’s too loud, and like, there’s no rhythm to it, nothing. I just don’t see a need for that.”
“I’m just waiting for [the experimental Chinese music extract] to get nicer. Because some parts it’s like, “Hey, it sounds not bad.” Then like ... it didn’t get any better, lah. Maybe if you watch the whole thing.”
“But like, maybe because like you just get too comfortable in the Western culture, ya, that you don’t really want to give Singaporeans a chance.”
“Ya, I think there is a – I think they have been like – the industry have been improving quite vastly, as compared to years back. I think they’re doing quite a good job, lah.”
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