Transcript of interview with Mayte Lee (conducted by Amanda Lee), 3 October 2016, 4.30 pm, Skype.
Mayte is a 22-year old female Chinese-Peranakan-Thai-Irish Singaporean and is a student at Singapore Management University. Mayte listens mainly to funk, motown, R&B, and soul music. She also listens to English pop music and likes Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran, Jess Glynne and Tori Kelly. Mayte also enjoys rock music by bands like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith. She thinks that classic pop and rock music has more originality and authenticity as compared to contemporary pop music. Mayte feels that she identifies more with funk and soul music rather than English pop rock. Mayte does not listen to much Western classical music, and only does so when she is studying as she finds that it helps her to focus. She likes to listen to Beethoven, and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. She thinks that it should be preserved as it is a form of art and the foundation of music. Mayte has seen musicals like Chicago and Meenah and Cheenah. She would like to catch more as she thinks they are worth watching. Mayte does not listen to any Irish or Pernankan music, but listens to a few funk and soul Thai songs. Mayte listens to a bit of Chinese pop music by Wang Lee Hom as she finds that his music is different from the usual Chinese pop music offerings, and also because he is authentic and true to himself. Mayte does not listen to Cantonese pop music but hears it because her mother listens to it every day. She thinks that there is a cultural connection of Singaporeans with Taiwanese and Hong Kongers because they listen to and watch the same shows. Mayte does not listen to traditional Chinese music but thinks that it is still important to preserve it as it is part of the Chinese heritage. She enjoyed the sample of Chinese crossover music as it changed up the original song and added elements of Chinese music into it. However, she did not like the sample of Chinese experimental music as she found it boring. Mayte listens to Singaporean English pop music and counts Dru Chen, Nathan Hartono and Bitty Macbeth amongst her favorite artists. She thinks that there is no Singaporean style in music and that most artists get their inspiration from elsewhere. Mayte thinks that Singlish comedy songs are Singaporean music but does not know if they will be appreciated by a global audience. She thinks Kit Chan’s Home creates a sense of group belonging among Singaporeans.
“Um, generally I think I’m more, um, old school in a sense. I prefer – I’m more inclined towards motown, funk, soul, R&B. Er, a bit of jazz here and there.”
“Ya. Ari – Arianna Grande, but she’s a bit of R&B as well. Um, Sam Smith, Jessie Ware ... er, Jess Glynne, Tori Kelly, er, let me check ... Ya. But like older ones, I do listen to quite a lot of Prince. But I mean, that’s older. But he’s not entirely pop as well, but he has some pop hits.”
“But generally rock – I mean, I use to listen to a lot of rock but like – okay, maybe – are you talking about like AC/DC kind of like that classics? AC/DC, Aerosmith? Ya, a bit of AC/DC, Aerosmith, er, Led Zep[pelin] is a little bit, um, ya that’s mainly it for me.”
“I like how authentic it is, basically for – for these [rock] bands. Like, um, I feel like these bands – whatever they play in terms of risk, in terms of musicality and everything can’t really be replaced, in a sense. Like as compared to what you see nowadays in most mainstream songs, they all try to follow, er, a certain way – a certain way of writing music lah.”
“Um, I used to listen to a bit of Beethoven, but that’s only when like I study – or Vivaldi – especially the Four Seasons (1725). But that’s ... I think mainly for – when I study sometimes. Because I can’t concentrate with, er, song that have like lyrics and stuff when I study.”
“Er, to be honest – I think – ya. I don’t think I appreciate [Western classical music], it’s more like I don’t register it. I only listen to it only because it doesn’t register to me.”
“I think [Western classical music is] has a lot of values and – as in – I think it has a lot of values in itself in that it’s a bit sad that people can’t appreciate it. Ya, I think classical music – is – it’s – it is a form of art, and I think that it should be preserved.”
“Er, eh, maybe – okay, for Thai music I only – I’ve only heard a couple of Thai music which – I mean, a couple of videos which were like funky. But that’s about it. I don’t – ya, I don’t – I don’t really – I – I identify the most with being a Chinese, so – ya, I don’t really listen to much Thai, or Irish music. Um, I don’t know about Peranakan music. So – ya.”
“As in, in terms of English versus all the other ethnic, er, types of music? Ya. I grew up listening mainly to English music. [Be]cause my household is pretty much, er, English-speaking. So it’s – ya, I rarely – ya, my dad doesn’t even listen to Chinese music and everything. Or my mom doesn’t either, so – wait, but she listens to Cantonese music.”
“Mm, I think Western [classical] music for me also. Because, um, I – I do play it. My dad loves it. And – ya, it has relevance to me. It – it did sort of form a part – a part of my childhood, whereas this kind of Chinese music has never been sort of a part of my childhood. So – ya.”
“I’m not inclined to listen to Chinese music because I think – to me – it sounds the same. Except if you’re like, um, Wang Lee Hom, or this other guy, I forgot – who’s pretty soul and R&B. Which I think is pretty different from the mainstream, typical Chinese music, lah.”
“Ya, I still think it’s pretty important to preserve [traditional Chinese music]. I mean, similarly for like, er, [Western classical] music, I think it is still like a part of so – it is a part of who we are, I mean we are all Chinese and everything. So it has ties to our cultural roots, so I guessed it should be preserved for when we wanna – for – when – for, I don’t know, maybe in the future, for when we might wanna listen to it?”
“Ya, I guess in a general sense. Um, ya. People ... I guess like when I listen to [Chinese opera] and stuff sometimes, I’ll be like “Oh ya, that’s probably like from China, like where I have my roots ... ya, somehow.” But it’s not very strong, it’s just a – ya, a very faint, I guess.”
“Wow. But it’s pretty dope though. I actually dig [Chinese crossover music]. Ya. Like I think the – the elements of Chinese music added a different kind of feel to the song? Ya.”
“But like for the crossover Chinese one, it’s about taking, um, it’s about adding value, I guess? Adding value to like a current song to give it like a different feel, that like – that I really identify with because that’s how I try to do things musically. Ya. Sometimes when like I, er, jam and stuff or like – ya, have – ya ... gigs on or something, ya.”
“I don’t really feel like much for [Chinese experimental music]. Ya. But I – I – I only like one part where it was building up, after that it – ya, after that it was just – ya ... I couldn’t really appreciate it.”
“Ya, [among Singaporean singers], I like – I pretty much like Drew Chen, er, Bitty MacBeth, er, Nathan Hartono, Gareth Fernandez. Ya. Mainly these people, ya.”
“I think [the Singaporean English pop artists’] music is – is – is more authentic? And like it’s different like as compared to mainstream pop stuff. Like they really do pursue what they like. And also is because like it’s more inclined towards the genre that I typically listen to like funk, soul, R&B kind. Ya. And I think their music is pretty interesting.”
“For example, The Sam Willows and all, I don’t think they have a personal style, Singaporean style. Like I know everyone’s talking about them, and how representative they are as like Singaporean musicians, but I don’t think so. I think they mainly get their influences and inspiration from elsewhere.”
“The – oh you mean those kind where they actually pretend and sing like a proper song, but insert like Singlish terms inside? Oh, that’s similar to Meenah and Cheenah (2006) thing, the musical. Like, ya – I think it’s – honestly, I think it’s pretty funny. I will say that is more representative I guess of like a Singaporean kind of song.”
“I would say for most National Day songs – no, except for Home (1998) because everyone always sings and, I mean, for that particular song there is a strong sense of emotion like it is your song, like it’s a Singaporean song. But for like the rest of the other songs, not really.”
“And I think nowadays, with technology and everything, it’s harder to appreciate music. As in, in terms of any forms of music because you can have it so easily accessible, that it becomes like, “Oh, just a normal thing.” Whereas compared to like the past where you had CDs and everything, you truly treasured like the stuff you listen to.”
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