Transcript of interview with Shen Ow (conducted by Amanda Lee), 9 January 2017, 6 pm, Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Shen is a 33-year old female Chinese Singaporean and is a freelance writer and actor. Shen likes rap, jazz, and country music. Shen likes English pop music artistes like Adele, Amy Winehouse, and Sam Cooke. Shen does not think that English pop music nor any genre of music expresses her identity as her musical taste is quite varied. Shen thinks that English pop music is a global trend because of the media in many countries all over the world giving the genre a lot of airplay. Shen does not know much about Western classical music but likes works by composers such as Vivaldi and Mozart. She likes them as they have many interesting layers for her to listen to. Shen thinks that Western classical music is global culture as she thinks that most people in countries around the world would have heard of it. Shen likes musicals as it combines her love for acting and singing together. She likes musicals as they are a form of escape for her and a wonderful way to provide people with a happy, heightened experience. Shen listened to Chinese and Cantonese pop rock music growing up, and likes music by Vivian Hsu and Alex To. She does not listen to it much now as it is relatively inaccessible: many public places do not play it. Shen finds this music enjoyable and thinks that the lyrics can be a lot more poetic. Shen thinks that this music expresses a language connection of Singapore with other Chinese countries. Shen does not listen to traditional Chinese music and considers herself ignorant on the genre. Shen liked the traditional Chinese music extract and thought that it is very cultured. She does not know much about traditional Chinese music. Shen liked the extract of Chinese crossover music as she already knows and love the tune of the original songs. She likened the extract to variations of the original songs. Shen liked the extract of experimental Chinese music and found it captivating and interesting. Shen does not know if it expresses contemporary culture, as she does not think she knows what experimental Chinese music is from only one example. Shen does not think that the she identifies with the Chinese genres of music as a Chinese person. But she thinks that she would identify with them simply as a person. Shen likes Singaporean artistes like The Sam Willows and Gentle Bones. She thinks Singaporean music consists of Singlish references and anything that Dick Lee has written. She does not think artistes and bands like Sam Willows and Gentle Bones are particularly Singaporean as they do pop music. Shen thinks that Singaporean musical styles in songs would involve elements like Singlish and Singaporean culture. Shen thinks that Singlish comedy songs can represent Singapore on the global stage as they are very different and unique. Shen thinks that National Day songs are relatable for some people. She thinks that songs like Home (1998) might not be specific enough as it does not have anything specific to Singapore or Singaporean elements in the song. Shen does not think that any genre of music is more important than another as they are valued differently by different people. Shen does not think that one musical genre expresses her identity as she is curious and likes exploring new genres.
“I have specific genres that I like to explore that are not specifically in pop rock category. Yeah, mostly like – you know – sometimes I like jazz, or little bit of – I do listen to rap sometimes, and then musical theater songs. And then country music is a big thing.”
“[Jazz music] just sounds good. I don’t have a – a – a very deep knowledge of jazz. Er, not like – not like country music, but – yeah. I just like hearing it every once in a while, it relaxes me.”
“That [rap music] appropriately ... expresses angst. I think. Um, rap is very expressive in a way that is – is – sometimes it can come off as quite aggressive, but a lot of times it encapsulates a – a – a heightened level of emotion that most other music don’t quite allow.”
“English pop rock favorite artistes – I like Adele. I like ... I like female power voices. Um, so Adele – I like Katy Perry – some of her songs. Not really her style, but some of – some of the songs are quite catchy. Um, and Amy Winehouse.”
“I would say, ya, it can be used to express identity and it has been used to do so. Um, but I don’t – personally I don’t really identify with – like, “Oh, I’m definitely English pop rock.” Or “I’m definitely this and that.” Er, I think my – my musical tastes, um, has been quite varied and – and – and wide so far.”
“[English pop music is definitely a global trend], and it – it depends on where the exposure is. Like for example, I think – I think ... radio stations do, er, the media plays a huge part. Because radio stations choose what to expose the national, er, audiences, er, to. So it’s more of that influence, rather than the genre of music.”
“My knowledge of classical music is as far as my intro to music class – my music 101 class in college. And that’s really not deep at all. So I’m not – I’m not a practicing musician but, um, I really do enjoy certain styles. Like – I like Vivaldi a lot, I like Mozart a lot.”
“I just prefer lighter [classical] music, faster-paced. I notice when I do listen to them they’re – they’re all very interesting. They have many interesting layers for me to – to listen to, and try and decipher which is coming from what instruments, or where the harmonies are and how they jive together. Um, and how that piece is composed in general.”
“I think it’s certainly – already is a part of global culture. Um, yeah. I don’t think there’s – there’s anyone who hasn’t heard of, er, at least in – in – in most wired countries, who hasn’t heard of Western classical music.”
“It’s been a long time since I listened to Chinese pop rock music. I think the last I recall is like – you know – when I was growing up, um, you know, all the Si Da Tian Wang [Four Heavenly Kings] stuff. And then, um, you know, the Zhang Xueyou.”
“What’s my impression of Chinese and Cantonese pop music? I really love the female voices. I think – I think – I don’t know, it’s a very different flavor. But it’s also very enjoyable. And I think for some reason, I think lyrics in Chinese can be so much more poetic.”
“I mean when we go to malls and stuff like that, we hear music. Or when we go to – like for example, if we go to an art event, or an art jam, or, um, um, like – I don’t know like in – in – in Singapore sometimes you have like street fairs. They’re not playing Chinese [pop] music.”
“I think [Chinese pop music] expresses a language connection. And within the language there are ... within the language, it expresses the culture that can be expressed within a language, yeah. Um, if they’re talking about universal themes like emotions and stuff like that, jilted love, you know. It’s – it’s pretty – it’s pretty – you know, um, it’s pretty identifiable.”
“From just from my impression of [traditional Chinese music], I feel like it’s a very practiced art, and it’s something that’s quite cultured. But, yeah. If I – if I heard it on the street I – I – I would be able to identify that that’s Chinese.”
“Do I think [traditional Chinese music] expresses a connection of Chinese Singaporeans and mainland China? Um, I don’t know, actually. I – I – I couldn’t say. Because one, I don’t know much about ... that music, that genre of music. And two, I don’t really know how other people feel about it.”
“I already like [Chinese crossover music] – like there’s no way for me to not like it because I already love the tune, right? So, er, it’s – it’s one of those things where the tune – the tune is there, and then it’s a different language.”
“[Chinese crossover music is] a different flavor, um, for – for sure, but that’s – that’s also – it’s almost like when the – when the radio stations play like a different version of the same song. Like there’s like a – there’s like a ... radio mix, or like a – you know – house mix, or just acoustics, or things like that, yeah.”
“I really enjoyed [experimental Chinese music]. I especially like the flute, I thought it was really captivating and like the fact that it’s contrasted with so many different other textures. It – it made it – it made it a very interesting piece, I think I liked it. Yeah.”
“This [experimental Chinese music] I quite like, but I can’t tell you if it’s because of the Chinese instruments, or because of the music – the composition of the music itself, yeah. But as a performance, as a whole – if I take it in like that, I quite liked it, yeah.”
“There are some [Chinese genres of music] where I feel I can identify with a little bit more – that’s easier to identify with, but I wouldn’t say I identify it as a Chinese person. I would say I identify with it as a person.”
“Everything that Dick Lee has written. You know like [Fried] Rice Paradise (1991) and things like that, or even Ba Ba Yao [881] (2007), that’s also very local. So those – those I feel are – are – then, yes, I can identify. But like, those bands that I spoke about like – you know – Sam Willows and all that they – I don’t necessarily see them as particularly Singaporean.”
“[Singlish comedy songs] might just be that one thing that’s so interestingly different that it catches on virally, or something like that. Um, but it – it definitely – I think it’s full of flair. I – I love it. Yeah because some – some jokes are – you know – it has to be within that language, within that culture. And nobody has this kind of – you can’t find it anywhere else.”
“National Day songs like the wildly popular Home (1998). I’m not confident and specific enough to say, “Okay, this is Singapore.” Um, if you take out the video, you take out the imagery, you take out the fact that the singer is Singaporean, um, the lyrics of the song and melody and the tune, it doesn’t really [apply to Singapore].”
“Which [genre] do I think is the most? Important? Um, all of it are. I mean, which do I think is the most important – answering the question would be imposing a value-judgement on the forms of music, on that art. But again we already established earlier, it’s one man’s treasure, one man’s trash.”
“[A musical genre that] expresses my identity authentically. Not specific ones, but maybe the fact that I listen to a – a wide range. Because I’m a very curious person and I like exploring and I think that things that are different are – are an adventure to – to discover.”
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