Transcript of interview with Jennielee Decanay (conducted by Amanda Lee), 3 October 2016, 7 pm, Skype.
Jennielee is a 42-year old female Filipino permanent resident and is a financial consultant. She enjoys listening to country music as there is a story in the songs, and the music is very simple in terms of just vocals with a guitar playing. She enjoys English pop music but does not follow any artistes or bands. She thinks that while she enjoys English pop music from time to time, she will always go back to listening to country music. Jennielee finds more value in country music compared to pop. Jennielee does not listen to much Western classical music but she thinks it is peaceful and would listen to it in a quiet environment. She listens to it mainly at home as she prefers listening to country music while commuting. Jennielee has seen musicals like Les Misérables and High School Musical and she enjoys them because they are lively and entertaining. Jennielee does not really listen to Filipino pop music but hears it when she watches TV or when someone else plays it on the radio. She listens to it and enjoys it, but does not think about or delve further into the meaning of the songs. Jennielee does not listen to traditional Filipino music but used to when she was younger. She thinks she does not do so now as she is busy with her family and there are too many musical genres to choose from. She thinks traditional Filipino music best represents her as a Filipino. Jennielee does not listen to Chinese pop music but hears it from time to time through her friends and colleagues. She thinks it sounds alright but thinks that knowing the meaning of the lyrics will help her enjoy the songs better. Jennielee enjoyed the sample of traditional Chinese music and found the instruments interesting. She also enjoyed the Chinese crossover music sample. Jennielee is neutral about the experimental Chinese music sample but finds some parts interesting and some parts boring. She thinks it encourages one to listen closely. Overall, she enjoyed the traditional Chinese music sample the most as she found it livelier than the rest. Jennielee does not listen to any Singaporean music but thinks the crossover Chinese music and the experimental Chinese music best represents Singapore.
“I mean, there’s a story in the [country] music. And, er, er, I like that it’s – it’s not loud, okay – there’s no, er, not so many instrument. Ya. Just playing the guitar is a – that would be fine with me. I like that way.”
“But I’m not really into, um, what kind of – what – who – which band they belong to, or who the singer – but maybe, er, pop – English pop, ah, maybe I could go with, er, er, right now – okay, for – for – for the moment is, ah, I like Adele.”
“In [country [music] there’s always a story, and then in the [English] pop it’s like, er, they just – they just emphasize on the certain words. And then it’s up to me to apply what can I – I, er, I mean I have to – it’s up to me to see whether I can apply this words into a – into my situation.”
“[N]ow, er, a lot of Singaporeans are adopting this cultures from the foreign places. And now the generations they – they – they use – they are now going overseas for education. So they tend to adopt what the – what the music are popular in those countries. And then when they come to Singapore, ya, they can – they will – they will bring it here.”
“It’s very difficult to – because I’m not really into artists. Maybe I could say, um, um, Beethoven. Mm.”
“It gives you peace when – for example, you want to be – to be alone, you want to be in a peaceful surrounding, then maybe I could turn on to this music, ya. I want quiet – I mean the environment is – I want a quiet environment like that.”
“Sometimes you can see their expressions because when they sing [in musicals], they also dance with it or they make some, er, mm, like gestures that could express – ya – when they are singing. Which is – which is good lah – it’s like entertaining, really.”
“I listen to [Filipino pop music] but not, er, in a way that I have to, um, to listen into it, or I have to play it. It’s – it’s – it’s just, er, when it happen that someone is, er, playing or someone is – or someone has turn the radio into this Filipino – Filipino music, I will hear, I will listen into it.”
“Of course they feature also some Filipino [pop] songs and I could listen into it, but it’s not that I really think into my heart, into my mind. Ya. Because, um, I like listening but it’s not that I have to take note of the title, who the singer is and blah, blah, and so forth.”
“It’s only that – I really don’t have time to go into [traditional Filipino music]. But I don’t – I – I – I may miss – I still go back, but not really – ya, maybe because of other priorities in life now. That’s why. I – I tend to forget about it already. Then – but if I came across some, er, music, I – I still give some time to listen into it.”
“[Traditional Filipino music] talks more about, er, how – how the Filipino, er, live their live, especially before – which I could see from my grandparents, and I really appreciate it compared to the modern times. Because I choose, er, if – if, er, I still prefer – I mean, I still want to – to apply [this music to] myself.”
“No. No because how can I enjoy [Chinese pop music] if I don’t know what they’re saying? Ya, maybe their words that – it’s not appropriate. Ya, so I don’t – I don’t really – even though the – the instruments is very nice. Sometimes, er, there are times that I will try to see what are the English version.”
“Ya, I – I almost, er, don’t want [the traditional Chinese music extract] to stop. Mm, mm. Because they’re – you see, they’re showing – they’re using different kind of instrument so it’s very interesting.”
“Er, okay they were able to, um, do a mixture of Adele song using all these, er, er, instruments. It’s a mixture of Chinese and Western. Mm. Which they – they were able to do it.”
“Maybe there are some parts [of experimental Chinese music that] I may, I may find it boring. And there are some parts that, er, like – it’s interesting. Ya, it – it pulls you. Ya, like that. Yes. So it’s, er, it’s so-so. Ya.”
“Mm, [experimental Chinese music] – it’s have a calming effect. It’s, um, I mean – it’s a peaceful, peaceful one. Ya. That you really – it encourages you to pay attention, ya and, er, listen to it.”
“Mm, I still prefer the English pop music. What [is it] important, ya. Oh for me, ah? Personally I go with the Filipino traditional, ya.”
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