Transcript of interview with Ariz Ansari (conducted by Amanda Lee), 27 September 2016, 4 pm, Singapore Management University.
Ariz is a 23-year old male Malayalee Singaporean and is a social science student at Singapore Management University. Ariz enjoys listening to metal, funk, blues and soul music. His favorite band is called Dance Gavin Dance, and they perform post hardcore music. He likes them for their creativity and originality. Ariz rarely listens to English pop music, and thinks that it is commodified and lacks soul. As he plays the guitar and performs, he has to learn English pop songs and has recently started listening to Sia and Ariana Grande. Ariz does not think that English pop music expresses his identity. He does not think that it expresses a cultural connection of Singaporeans with other English-speaking countries as he thinks that Singaporeans are able to shut out different ideas presented in the English pop songs that are supported in other English-speaking countries. Ariz does not listen to Western classical music but enjoys it when it is blended or adapted to metal music. He also does not think that Western classical music originated from the West as the music has been influenced by various sources around the world. Ariz has not seen many Singaporean musicals but thinks that they are great. His favorite musical is Phantom of the Opera as the story is timeless and tragic. Ariz is trying to reconnect with his heritage and culture by listening to Sufi music. While he does not listen to Malayalee pop music or traditional Malayalee music, he listens to Pakistani music by Coke Studio Pakistan. Ariz thinks that Malayalee music does not truly express who he is but it does make him feel more whole than other types of music. He feels that the music by his favorite band, Dance Gavin Dance, expresses his identity best as their music is soulful. Ariz does not listen to Chinese pop music and only knows one Chinese song from primary school. However, he has since forgotten the title of the song. He thinks that Chinese pop music is clean, too perfect and very mellow. Ariz use to play in the Chinese orchestra in primary school and felt forced to participate in it. However, Ariz likes traditional Chinese music and enjoys the sound of the guzheng. Ariz likes the Chinese opera Sun Wu Kong [The Monkey King] and enjoyed Chinese opera because of that. Ariz thinks that traditional Chinese music should be preserved by reforming it and blending it into new kinds of music for the younger generation. Ariz enjoyed the sample of Chinese crossover music and found it to be easy on the ears. Ariz liked the sample of experimental Chinese music more than the crossover music because of the dissonance. Ariz does not think that experimental Chinese music expresses contemporary culture as the contemporary culture consumed by most people are popular music which is not similar in any way to experimental Chinese music. Ariz listens to and knows some local bands. However, he feels that Singaporean music has selective amnesia as not many people know about the different genres of music that were popular during different eras in Singapore. He thinks that there is a distinct Singaporean musical style in that most of the local pop music sounds the same. Ariz thinks that Singaporean music is a blend of Asian instruments and vocals with styles and elements of other foreign genres. He thinks that there is some Singaporean soul that has not been tapped into and cites the aunties selling tissue as an example.
“I think I’m kind of like the annoying one that always criticizes it. But at the same time like I appreciate the catchiness of it, and like I just feel that, um, today’s [English] pop is missing soul. Like – okay, like one of my favorite music is soul music and is a – a lot of the early rock has a lot of soul.”
“With regards to rock [music], to be honest, it’s not even prevalent anymore. Less and less are actually playing instruments especially in Singapore. Most people just like pop. And if there’s any rock, there’s a momentary like guitar thing.”
“So like Dance Gavin Dance, I just like the messiness, the creativity, the originality that I find just lacking in every – most genres nowadays like they just take stuff from every genre. They just mash it to something crazy.”
“Hip-hop – I mean, hardcore hip-hop, underground hip-hop, blues, er, metal – varying kind of stuff besides – I mean, I don’t listen to much death. And, er, post-hardcore which is like Dance Gavin Dance, and all the weird, er, screamo kind of bands and, er, I listen to that pretty much every day.”
“Recently, I’m trying to reconnect with my heritage so I’m listening to a lot of South Asian – I would call it South Asian soul. [Be]cause, er, do you know what is Sufi? Sufi is the kind of like ... Ya, like some spiritual, um, Muslim tradition.”
“Like [English pop] music from someone who actually like – is singing about supporting, er, let’s say gay rights, or something like that. Just an example. Like they can listen to it, they can know what’s going on, and they can take it off, and just completely separate. So the cultural connection is not there.”
“So sometimes [Western] classical music is nice because they resolve, I guess but I don’t – personally I like it when it does not resolve. Like it ends on like a nasty note and ... just keeps you tense, lah.”
“There are bands like Pergamum and they have this cover of a lot of classical music called classical metal X, and that is just awesome. So I can relate that way, ya.”
“I wish more niche music would be converted into musicals, because it would be interesting to see a metal musical, a post-hardcore musical, for like all the emo kids. A hip-hop musical. Instead of just like the same old style, but I – I love – I love musicals.”
“Most of the Indian music I listen to is not Malayalee music. Ya, just to clarify. Actually a lot of it is Pakistani. Coke Studio [Pakistan], it’s called Coke Studio [Pakistan], ya – that’s the only thing I know. Sorry.”
“But for Malayalee music whether it expresses – when I hear it, I feel nice lah, because I’m like this is ... this was – you know – like what I could have been. But whether it truly expresses who I am – not really because – not fully I would say. But it makes me feel more whole than other music.”
“That’s how I feel it can express my identity. I don’t know why, but something, some link I guess. A lot of people have felt that way. Just one word lah, soul. That word describes everything to me. That’s what music should be and that’s – [Dance Gavin Dance’s] music is just full of it.”
“There’s only ... when I was young, when I just only had – when I just only had Chinese friends, lah. Primary school I can still remember that – I still like lah. Er, I can’t even remember the name [of the Chinese pop song] but I know the tune. Something like that. But it was damn nice, I like it.”
“Like everything is perfect. Too perfect. Like I can’t – [be]cause that’s how soul is to me. Like I can – I just enjoy it more that way. But – so a lot of Chinese pop music I would say is very, ah, mellow. I like mellow music. It’s perfect – like very perfect sounding, I don’t hear much so. It’s mellow.”
“And the opera right, there’s the Chinese opera? I enjoyed that of Sun Wu Kong. I always found – I just laugh, lah. I found it – I found it like a sat – like a funny kind of thing, like he’s making fun of people. So I like the tricks, the aspect. Ya.”
“So traditional people need to realize that people like to reform music, blend it, play [traditional Chinese music] in new ways. People will like it. Cultural hybrids like me can relate to it.”
“The problem is Singaporean Chinese people – I feel – do not want that connection with mainland China. So that – that’s why that – the only reason there isn’t one is not because of the music. It’s because they are xenophobic. And I feel is a very – there’s a lot of defensive mechanism.”
“This one – the soul isn’t really there of each culture, but [Chinese crossover music is] a good blend. Sounds very nice. It’s very easy on the ears, I like it. It’s enjoyable, easy listening. Great. Great stuff. The video also. Very nice. Ya.”
“I really enjoy [experimental Chinese music]. Not something I’ll listen to all the time. Not – that’s the thing lah, it’s not that easy listening as just now. Um, I really like the dissonance. Like – like you know that’s I guess – some of like – one of the soul factors maybe that I like other kinds of music.”
“I’m just thinking of a contemporary music listener – people don’t, people listen to – I mean, just [to] be frank like people just listen to commodified nonsense. This [experimental Chinese music] is not a commodity.”
“I feel Singaporean music suffers from selective amnesia. And like I realize that people don’t realize that we had a – even I don’t listen to much of it, so I’m guilty. People don’t realize we had this like stage of like rock stage, metal stage. It’s like – right, we skipped everything and jumped straight into trying to be indie, white kids.”
“The pop music – yes, it’s distinct because it sounds the same. That’s not a bad thing but like ... The Sam Willows right, when they sing it’s very like ... very – okay this sounds stupid – very not dissonant, you know. Very like so good, like – but, er, it’s almost like perfection ... kinda thing?”
“I enjoyed watching I Not Stupid (2006) or whatever, I took Chinese I had to watch the show. I had to cry, I had to do my PSLE well. I had to do all the bullshit. But, um, I watched all his shows right, then people will say why – “Why you care so much whether there’s minorities inside?” But it doesn’t feel like it’s my Singapore, lah. It’s your Singapore – not mine, you know.”
“I’m sorry, the current [National Day songs] are really – have to just be honest, it’s not nice. I don’t even care. But when I was young right, it’s weird [be]cause I can criticize a lot of stuff in Singapore but I do feel like I’m a patriot because when I hear a National Day song, the old school style, I feel like suddenly I’m a son of Singapore.”
“But there is such a thing as Singaporean soul. Like I’ve always thought of it as you know, the tissue paper auntie woman as she’s singing. To me it’s actually quite beautiful in its own way. Ya. Not trying to romanticize her plight, her plight is bad. But there’s a certain kind of Singaporean thing that hasn’t been tapped to – tapped into over there, ya.”
“The other one – that [experimental Chinese music] really for me – it encapsulates my Singapore. I don’t know about someone else. But for my Singapore, I know it’s not the majority Singapore. The majority Singapore was a bit more like the [Chinese] crossover one, very clean, very well done. Well blended.”
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