Transcript of interview with Alan Francis (conducted by Amanda Lee), 18 January 2017, 1 pm, Skype.
Alan is a 26-year old male Sri Lankan-Welsh British national who works in the recruitment industry. Alan likes listening to English pop rock music by bands such as the Beatles, Black Sabbath, and Royal Blood. He likes this music as it has high energy and is relatable. Alan thinks that there is a cultural connection as he has heard Singaporean singers adopting regional accents from the UK. Alan does not actively listen to Western classical music but can appreciate the work behind some of the pieces. He finds that they are similar to rock music in that the music is about finding good hooks and invoking emotions. Alan thinks that Western classical music is the foundation of a lot of Western music. Alan appreciates traditional Welsh music and thinks that the anthem can be particularly moving. Alan listens to Welsh pop music and likes artistes such as Ellie Goulding. He listens more to Welsh pop music than traditional Welsh music. Alan does not actively listen to traditional Sri Lankan music but watches the Bayila shows whenever he visits Sri Lanka. Alan does not listen to or know much about Sri Lankan pop music. Alan grew up in Hong Kong and has heard a lot of Cantonese music but does not listen to any Chinese pop music because of the language barrier. Alan thinks that Chinese pop artiste Shin drew influence from Western pop rock music and thinks that his music is good. Alan thinks that Chinese pop rock music expresses a cultural connection withs Chinese Singaporeans as the New Year’s Eve concert was well-received. In addition to that, Chinese Singaporean singers are doing well overseas. Alan does not actively listen to traditional Chinese music but he has heard a lot of it. He particularly likes the sound of the guzheng. He thinks that this genre should be preserved as it is important for the Chinese people to keep in touch with their roots. Alan liked Chinese crossover music as he likes music that incorporates traditional instruments into a pop setting. He thinks this music is a good way to engage with young listeners and get them to appreciate traditional art forms. Alan thought the music sounded more Chinese because of the musicians’ intention for the piece. Alan thought that experimental Chinese music was interesting and sounded like something from a movie soundtrack. He does not think he would listen to it again as he likes music with more energy. Alan does not know if it expresses contemporary culture as he needs to listen to more music to be able to make a comment on that. Alan thinks that Singaporean music is a melting pot of different styles and ethnicities at play. Alan thinks that there is a Singaporean musical style apparent in Shigga Shay’s work as he raps about things that are Singapore-centric. Alan does not think that there is a musical genre that represents Singapore as there are so many different styles here. Alan plays in a rock band called Gilded Edge and is the guitarist and vocalist. Alan has always been involved in bands as he liked every aspect of it, from the practicing and recording to performing. Alan thinks that playing in a band is more productive if he could perform with his band first before having a good night out on the weekend. He thinks that the band stay motivated together since they can carve their own identity and can express themselves through music that belongs to them. The band does a few covers but play mostly original music, as they find it challenging to put their own identity into cover songs. They ultimately want to be honest with themselves by playing their own music as they can understand the mindset they had when they write their songs. Alan thinks that Singaporeans might not necessarily understand musicians and might see music as a futile pursuit. Alan’s bands are involved in the Noise Music Mentorship program. Alan thinks that it was helpful as they have met other Singaporean artistes, and were able to share and learn from one another through the program. They have applied for the National Arts Council EP grant twice but did not receive it. Alan thinks that the grant application process is tough as they do not get feedback or a chance to speak their case with the decision-makers in person. Alan thinks that bands can get more support from and reach out to more Singaporeans by playing in public places like Clarke Quay as opposed to rock bars that most bands are usually more comfortable playing at. Alan thinks that there is a unique band culture in Singapore in that a lot of musicians are passionate about making music even though it is hard to make money from it, especially when they are doing their own music as opposed to covers.
“The Beatles, The Doors, Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath. Er, and then even – some of the more modern rock bands sort of come out like Royal Blood, er, the 1975, er, Two Door Cinema Club. I mean, er, I think it ranges throughout the ages, just anything with a guitar music.”
“It’s quite funny for me hearing singers in Singapore who actually sing with like regional accents in the UK. So – like not even just like a – a British accent, but like actual parts of the UK, you can hear that they’ve picked up accents from – from listening to bands. It’s quite cool to see how that – that influences musical styles all over the world.”
“Four Seasons (1721) by Vivaldi, you know, I appreciate the genius that goes behind that kind of music. Er, and I guess it’s – it’s different from the rock music in that it’s a lot more soothing most of the time. I mean, I guess a lot of the concepts in terms of – you know – finding really good hooks, finding things that are – that you can latch on to, and – and the way they invoke emotions is pretty much the same.”
“In the 60s, English pop music got quite into Indian classical music. And then you had the Beatles for example, using sitars in their recordings. So I wouldn’t say that – you know – Western classical music was the foundation of modern music by any means. Um, but I would say that lots of musical styles have come together including classical music to – to influence, er, ya, to English pop music today.”
“Singing in big choirs are a big part of Welsh history. Er, all the way back from when it was a big coal mining industry there, you know. That was the way people used to unwind as they get together in their groups and sing. Um, so – yeah, I definitely appreciate Welsh music, Welsh traditional music.”
“I think one of the most moving experiences for me was being in the national stadium where there’s like sixty thousand people. You know. Many of whom are singing the song in Welsh. Um, and it’s such a passionate anthem, it’s called the Land of My Fathers (1856) in English translation. Um, but yeah, it’s incredibly moving.”
“I’d say definitely Welsh pop music has a – has tied in with – with the – with British music in – in a going across international boundaries. Ellie Goulding as well. Pop singer – modern pop singer. She is a – she’s from Wales. Um, so ... yeah, definitely, I would say I listen to – I listen to Welsh pop music to that extent.”
“We always go and check out the Bayila shows, where they kind of combine – you know – hypnotic music, which is kind of similar to Indian classical music, um, with – you know – Sri Lankan style dance called the Bayila. And then they wear the traditional Sri Lankan costume.”
“Shin – I thought was pretty – pretty awesome. Because he – I mean, he’s a pop singer, but a lot of stuff is quite rock-y, lots of guitars. And I can sort of see in terms of the way the songs were thought out, there were a lot of influences, a lot of crossover from – from Western, er, you know, pop rock music.”
“I grew up in Hong Kong. Um, Hong Kong is all about – I guess similar to Singapore, you go to the KTV lounges and, er, people will be singing Cantonese or Mandarin songs, and then it’s always – yeah, it’s quite – quite cool to hear the similarities.”
“The New Year’s Eve [concert] event was so well-attended, I think it’s testament to the fact that – you know – a lot of – a lot of people in Singapore – particularly Chinese Singaporeans – you know, they do listen to a lot of music coming out of Taiwan and China. Er, and I mean with Nathan Hartono doing well in China.”
“I remember one of my friends growing up, his mom used to play [the guzheng]. And, er, I thought it sounded really cool. Um, and I guess it’s sort of interested me in the same way that I found a lot of Indian classical music instruments also interested me. Um, because it was just a different kind of sound – you know – it’s a very different kind of instrumentation.”
“I don’t know how [instrumentation] works in [traditional] Chinese music in terms of, um, you know the musical scales. Er, but sometimes the – the systems for musical scales are completely different, um, you know. It’s a completely different perspective on how music should be done which I think is – ya, I think it’s quite cool.”
“I think it’s, er, always important to keep in touch with – with your [Chinese] roots, er, musically. I mean that – that – that means so much to all the people, um, and I think the best – the coolest thing I like is when there’s crossover.”
“I love it when you hear traditional [Chinese] instruments – you know – tradition music styles being incorporated into pop music in a way that – you know – young listeners who maybe don’t appreciate that kind of music will kind of hear ... maybe sub-consciously they will hear the instruments that – you know – are more traditional, but they’ll still appreciate it. Er, I think that’s always – it’s always cool when there’s that crossover.”
“I think [Chinese crossover music] sounds really awesome. I mean, honestly that kind of – that kind of style where they take pop songs and put it in a – in a more traditional setting, I love it when people do that. I think it’s awesome way to engage with young listeners and make them – yeah, get them to appreciate some traditional art forms.”
“I guess the [Chinese crossover] music that’s behind it is – is Western, but the instrumentation – a lot of it was – was Chinese. Um, I guess because of the intention, er, just – my – the way I interpret their intention, I would say it’s more Chinese.”
“I guess [experimental Chinese music] reminds me of like a – like a movie soundtrack. I mean, I guess it reminded me of just orchestral arrangements but with more ... more Chinese-style instrumentation, I guess. No, I was going to say I thought – thought that was quite interesting. Interesting kind of arrangements.”
“I guess being a young rock guy, um, yeah, like I like my music to be quick and energetic. Maybe in a different kind of setting, I’d appreciate [experimental Chinese music] more. Um, but ... it’s one of those things where I – just because I don’t actively listen to something doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate it.”
“There are some [Singaporeans] that are doing the English pop music, there are some people who are doing say – you know – more sort of Chinese kind of pop music. Um, and then of course you get all the traditional styles that are mixed in here as well.”
“Um, so I do like the fact that Singapore is a melting pot, there’s – there’s so many different ethnicities at play, there’s so many different styles at play. So – yeah, definitely – definitely a cool place to hear interesting sounds.”
“You get people, you know you get certain – certain artistes who even though they may be trying to – to do a Western-style or Chinese-style, maybe more in the lyrics. So – so for example, someone like Shigga Shay – you know, he raps about things that are very Singaporean. Er, very, very Singapore-centric, whether it’s the location, whether it’s the food.”
“I mean in terms of the actual – purely the sound without thinking about lyrics, that I would find it harder to identify. I mean I don’t think I can hear a – hear a instrumental for example and say, “Oh, that’s – that’s Singaporean music.”
“You get guys like Gentle Bones who are doing the pop, radio-friendly stuff. But I – then there’s also like some of the – the darker, heavier, you know, metal kind of bands that have done very well in Malaysia and Indonesia. Um, like Wormrot. Um, and I appreciate the – what they’ve done as well.”
“It’s tough for me to answer [if there is a musical genre that represents Singapore] since I’m not – not a Singaporean myself. Um, but ... my impression is – is no, and I don’t think that there’s a bad thing. I think there’s just so many different styles here. Um, that – you know – if there’s any kind of genre that you want to go into, you can find it here.”
“I play guitar and I sing, and I – I write the songs. But we – we arrange the songs all together. Um, but – yeah, usually I write the whole song myself.”
“So the first person I met in the band is the drummer. Er, Julian Stewart who is the cousin of my current girlfriend. And then through his girlfriend at the time, he met our bass player, Afiq Yusof. And then we were three-piece for about a year. We decided we wanted to expand our sound, so we met this guy called Melvin Lim at a competition we played at.”
“I’ve always been involved in bands, I’ve always liked being in bands. Um, you know I’ve liked every aspect from the – the practicing and creatively sort of coming up with ideas, to – to performing on a stage, to recording in the studio.”
“Um, you know, I guess it’s kind of a good outlet for boredom and frustration to – to – to put your energy into having a band because it’s more than just playing the music, you know. It’s everything from – from getting to know lots of people in the scene – you know – making lots of new friends. Um, you know, having a great night out on the weekend.”
“You know, I thought [playing in a band] was much more productive – much more valuable to me than if I was just going to – to Clarke Quay on a – you know – Friday, Saturday night. You know, just – just having drinks. I like the idea that I could perform with my band first, and then do that.”
“We love the way we can carve our own identity, so that’s why we don’t really do a lot of covers. Um, you know, we’re really trying to ... trying to express ourselves. And just have fun playing music that – that we feel is ours. It belongs to us. We know we wrote it, we arranged it together.”
“When you’re covering another song, it’s not as easy to put your own identity to it, right? And – and ultimately, you want the one who had those emotions that the song were to have when they wrote it. So it always feels so much different when you’re playing your own songs because you know exactly what mindset you were in.”
“So from an emotional standpoint you can – you can put a lot more into the song. Um, I mean there are some genius cover bands out there who – who can replicate it pretty damn well. Um, but for us, it’s – it’s always been about – you know – being honest with ourselves and playing stuff that – that is in line with who we are.”
“[Our songs] goes into deeper things as well such as self-doubt, er, frustration, um, you know, disappointments in – in romance, or something like that. You know. We try to cover everything because – you know – I never understand some bands where every single song is depressing, or every single song is happy. Because it’s very rare that people are like that, right?”
“You know, some people see [bands] as like – it can be a futile pursuit. You know, some people see it as like, “Oh, why are you doing this? You’re never going to make a living out of it.” Um, whilst from our side it’s more like – you know – we just enjoy doing it, something we love doing. Um, so it’s definitely – it’s a tough place.”
“[Bands are] about being free and honest with who you are. Um, even if that’s not necessarily – you know – the ideal that perhaps society thinks that you should fit into. Um, and that’s why I guess a lot of people who feel out of place in society do tend to get drawn into – into music culture.”
“[The Noise Music Mentorship program] helped us to meet a lot of other artistes in the scene from all sorts of different genres where people are able to share all sorts of ideas – you know – about things like – you know, “Oh, here –there’s a competition going on here. There’s gigs here.” We organize tours with fellow Noise bands to – to Malaysia.”
“I do find it – you know – a bit tough that the bands often get rejected, they don’t get any feedback and they never had a chance to actually speak their case face-to-face. Because my feeling would be if you’re going to give someone a big grant – you know – it’s not enough that they just submit your piece of paper, you should be meeting them in person.”
“I don’t really know any of the decision-makers involved in the process, which I think is a shame because it would be great to be able to talk to these people and – and hear about their ideas. Um, and, er, yeah, I guess, I – I guess financial support in a more indirect sense.”
“The thing we loved about the IMC gig on New Year’s Eve, is that the people in that crowd were not from the music scene. Like they wouldn’t have known any of the bands, they didn’t know us that’s for sure. So if bands sort of sort out cost over opportunities, you know, whether it’s doing more gigs in Clarke Quay, rather than in – in you know rock bars, you know that they know and are comfortable with. Er, I think that would be a good way – way to reach out to more people.”
“Actually I would say [the band culture is] quite unique here. [Be]cause, er, I guess – you know – it’s – it’s – the guys here, they’re – a lot of them are purely going on passion, you know. They’re not making any money out of it. Um, you know there – the infrastructure isn’t in place that – if – especially if you’re doing your own music as opposed to doing covers.”
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