Transcript of interview with Ken Tay (conducted by Amanda Lee), 8 August 2016, 11 am, Gourmet East Kitchen.
Ken is a 50-year old male Chinese Singaporean and is a working in sales and marketing at a food processing company. He enjoys all sorts of music from Bollywood music to Middle Eastern music. He listens to music while he exercises, travels and even when he is sleeping. His favorite local artiste is Tanya Chua. Ken enjoys English pop music by Jennifer Hudson and Maroon 5. He enjoys attending musicals, concerts and plays. He previously worked in theater and would listen to musicals. However, he now views that genre as something that is meant for the elite. He also thinks that with age, one tends to be more interested in their ethnic history and music. Thus, he believes that it is one’s duty to preserve music from their own culture. He regards traditional Chinese music as something that is part of the culture rather than a musical genre, but in order for it to be preserved, more funding needs to be allocated to it. He thinks that the contemporary intercultural experimental Chinese music genre is nothing close to Singaporean music and does not think that Singaporeans will enjoy it. He also thinks that he does not need to appreciate it because it is part of mainland Chinese culture. Ken thinks that Singaporean music is unique as the artists are bilingual and the music covers different languages and genres and thus can stand out in the international market.
“I think it’s character [charisma]. Ya, mm, it resembles actually like the whole, mm, it’s like, um, I think if – it’s not only the music – is not only the tune is catchy, right? The [English pop music] singer itself must have a character actually.”
“Mm, theaters, musicals, all those, um, ya, I do, because [being] involved in that [line of work,] you need to know. Right now actually, no. I think is all, um, individual – as you grow older, some people will prefer to go back to the roots, you see. So I think I’m one of them.”
“[Traditional Chinese music] is culture, rather than traditional. So Chinese opera is just the culture and – but doesn’t mean that the Chinese opera only appears in Hungry Ghost [Festival] or throughout the whole year, you see. I will put it as a Singapore culture.”
“The – those English-educated, um, musicians and composers, all switch – because of surviving. Like Tanya [Chua]? When I knew her that time, she can’t even speak a Chinese word.”
“At least I find that, um, we are – it’s part of me that is Chinese, and it’s my duty to preserve Chinese than Western culture. Because, mm, your own culture will only grow in your own blood.”
“Also Singaporean artists, er, er, they give actually quite a good credit because of our bilingual. Our music are, so not so, um, traditional, or not so typical. So, ya, these are the unique things that – uniquely things that we should preserve, or we should promote.”
“Because it’s like – because we didn’t grow up with all these, um, Chinese orchestra, instruments, firstly. You can’t plant [contemporary intercultural experimental Chinese music] into – to be a, “Eh, this is your culture,” because we – we didn’t grow up, that kind of things.”
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