Transcript of interview with Lee Yiplin (conducted by Amanda Lee), 21 November 2016, 1.30 pm, Yiplin’s residence.
Yiplin is a 63-year old female Chinese Singaporean who is a retired teacher. Yiplin does not listen to contemporary English pop music now, but used to when she had to teach a music class and learned some songs from her students. Whenever her friends send her English pop music videos, she would enjoy listening to them. She does not think that English pop rock music expresses her identity as she finds the music too fast. Yiplin thinks that English pop rock music expresses a cultural connection of Singapore with the world as she sang along when a pop singer performed at the Olympics ceremony. Yiplin likes orchestral music by André Rieu, the Vienna Waltz (1799), and Fantasia (1940). She likes it as she can hear the different instruments coming together, and she likes that she can imagine cartoons or animations moving along with the music. She thinks that Western classical music can be considered as part of Singaporean culture as she – an average Singaporean – enjoys it. In addition to that, she thinks that Singapore is a globalized country and will enjoy listening to that music. Yiplin does not listen to Chinese and Cantonese pop rock music. Her only exposure to it is through Christian versions of Chinese pop songs with altered, Christian lyrics. She prefers English songs and she finds that she does not respond so readily to Chinese songs. Yiplin enjoys listening to traditional Chinese music and she finds some pieces catchy. However, she does not know how to go about looking for pieces to listen to. Yiplin used to watch Chinese opera as her parents enjoyed it. She thinks that if she were to hear a piece that she used to listen to when she was younger, then she would still be able to identify with it now. Yiplin thinks that traditional Chinese music should be preserved as it is the heritage of the Chinese people. Yiplin is not sure if this music expresses a connection between Singapore and mainland China as she does not know enough about the music. Yiplin thinks that traditional Chinese music expresses her best as a Chinese person as she can identify with it. Yiplin liked the beat and the different instruments featured in Chinese crossover music. She thought it was a contemporary piece, and did not think she would know it was Chinese if she was not told about it in advance. Yiplin did not like the extract of experimental Chinese music as she found it too slow. She thinks it would be better suited as a backing track for a performance. She thinks that this music may express contemporary culture as music is changing. Yiplin listens to the National Day songs and likes Kit Chan’s singing voice. She thinks the songs create an authentic feeling of group belonging. Yiplin likes Singlish comedy songs. She thinks that these songs can represent Singapore on the global stage as long as people know that that is not all the music Singapore has to offer. Yiplin does not have a favorite genre of music, but thinks that musicals and some orchestral music is important to her.
“If I hear [English pop music] over the air somewhere, say I’m, er, shopping, er, you know – going grocery shopping or something and they air something like that. And it’s not quite my generation – but it was my students’ generation – but I had picked it up from them, then I would have enjoyed it and hummed along.”
“I can’t say I keep up with the present [English pop music]. Because – simply because, er, er, there’s nobody listening to it, and I don’t know even where – how to tune in, you know.”
“I like orchestral. Because I can hear the different parts without being able to identify which one is the trombone, which one is the cello, but I know they’re all there. I – I enjoy it coming together, you know the different parts coming together sometimes softly.”
“[The Disney film] Fantasia (1940), ya, ya. Especially when I can imagine it like that, you know what I mean? Like I hear music – in some pieces of music I hear insects, and in some others I can imagine it – you know – dripping along, and very cheerful and light, you know. So when I – I can imagine and I can move along with it, I – I can respond to it, ya.”
“[Western classical music] as part of Singaporean culture, why not? Why not? If people like myself and I’m very typically Singaporean – ya, if I can enjoy them, why not?”
“I must have grown up on Nutcracker Suite (1892) without even putting a name to it. Simply because it was probably the introductory music of some program. I think so, you know. When I think about it – how did I identify so strongly? And I can only think of my mother switching on the Rediffusion, or the radio, she did that consciously, she played music, you know.”
“The only Chinese songs I listened to would be – you know – the ones that, er, my husband listens to – you know – spiritual songs, you know. And if it happens to be – there is one version of, um, Deng Lijun’s – you know – the typical one, the usual one, er, that’s been converted to – you know – Christian words, you know.”
“There’s something different between Chinese and English [pop] music. I don’t quite know what – I don’t know the seventh scale or the five scale, I don’t know. Something about it but, er, if I do listen to a Chinese music by itself, I don’t respond so readily, ya.”
“I think [Chinese and Cantonese pop music expresses a cultural connection of Singapore with other Chinese countries] because, er, um, the culture is quite similar. I think, er, probably the – the – the passions about the music would be similar as well. Ya, ya, and maybe the lyrics would stir up – I think – I think lyrics probably are common, you know, to all types.”
“I can identify with [traditional Chinese music]. Ya, I can. I can enjoy. I can enjoy, ya. I can enjoy it, and if they are familiar, I enjoy the pieces as well – you know – when the flute comes in and the whatever.”
“But, er, I can’t say I have googled. I guess I don’t even know how to google [traditional] Chinese music. Ya, ya. So I don’t have the skill to do that, ya. Ya. I – out of curiosity I might just do that, but I don’t even have the skill – you know – to do it in Chinese.”
“If I had been at – more exposed to [traditional Chinese music] myself, I’ll probably would appreciate it more, then it’ll last longer. I just came back from China, er, I just went on a short trip to China. And – and I realized there’s a whole lot of culture that we’ve lost, you know.”
“I think traditional Chinese [music] is more Chinese than [experimental Chinese music]. As in, very cultural, right? Er, ah, so it brings forth that greater sense of – if I can identify with that, and I can feel along with it then – you know – and that’s very traditional, then, er, that Chinese part of me – you know – it goes into that part of me that calls forth the Chinese-ness.”
“But the part where [Chinese crossover music] was distinctively Chinese, er, ya, I even liked that coming in. But the rest of it ah, I would say it’s very – very contemporary, very – very universal hor, ya. Ya, okay, because I wouldn’t have known it was Chinese if I hadn’t been told in advance it’s called the Chinese crossover.”
“If [experimental Chinese music] were played within a context, you know, like the background for some kind of staging where, you know, something is happening, I might appreciate it better. But as a piece of music by itself, this is something I would have switched off almost immediately.”
“I proudly sing [the National Day songs]. And even when I’m alone at home with my husband only and watching National Day, I would still sing, you know. If they – if everybody at the stadium is singing, I would sing it at home as well, ya, proudly.”
“I think we’re as good as anybody else on the world stage, you know. So as long as people know that this is one of those [Singlish comedy songs] songs, it’s fine. I think they can even go ahead and sing it at our expense if they – they – they must. As long as they acknowledge that that’s not all of us. There’s just one – one – one little aspect of our culture, our life here.”
“I don’t respond to all classical music. There are those that I find very boring as well, you know. But what’s important to me I think is what I can feel emotional about, ya. So it can – ya, ya. So the main ones like, um, um, from the – from the musicals.”
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