PopLore: Stories of Singapore Pop, produced by Hong Xinyi and Dorothy Ding, is commissioned by Esplanade as part of PopLore: A Year of Singapore Popular Music in celebration of its 20th anniversary in 2022.ĭesmond is presently a producer at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Singapore’s national performing arts centre. Some of the soundbites in this episode are in Mandarin and Cantonese, and these have been translated in the narration. This episode is narrated by Esplanade producer Desmond Chew, and also features music writer Chen Yuneng, music industry veteran Lim Sek and entertainment journalist Alice Kwan. And when more people believe in you, you can change the world.” If you can build some kind of energy within yourself, then with this energy, you can radiate to the people who believe in you. As Billy puts it, “We can't change the external environment, but what you can change is your perspective. This embrace of the specificity of the Singaporean perspective is the key to making an impression, and making waves. And, of course, the xinyao pioneers of the 1980s, such as Billy, changed the game when they started writing their own songs. Singer Lisa Wong shares how she was impacted by Western pop and local pop stars like Sakura Teng and Rita Chao, and her experience of venturing into the Hong Kong market in the 1970s. Musician John Teo explains how Singapore’s multi-cultural environment shaped his band, The Stylers-a highly sought-after getai and session band that worked with numerous local and regional artists beginning in the 1960s. In fact, the makers of Singapore’s Chinese pop learned to believe in their distinctive approach long before the 1990s. Hear from songwriter-producer Li Si Song about how he honed these instincts, which helped him to craft Stefanie Sun’s first hit song, Cloudy Day. And to do that, they had to continue staying true to what kept them unique, while assessing how to connect with listeners in Taiwan and Hong Kong. With that song, Heartache, Kit kicked off a golden age where Singaporean pop stars and songwriters flourished in the greater Chinese market. To overcome these challenges, it took a boost from Singapore record producer Jimmy Wee (a well-known champion of homegrown music) and a hit song from Billy that threaded the needle of striving for mass appeal while sounding just different enough. From her limited fluency in Mandarin then to the way Western alternative music influenced her debut album, there were many reasons for Taiwan’s music industry honchos to be sceptical about the commercial viability of this Singapore team. ![]() In this episode, songwriter-producer Billy Koh recounts his experience of working with singer Kit Chan in the 1990s as they tried to crack the Taiwan market. ![]() ![]() Standing out while fitting in-that’s what the creators of Singapore’s Chinese pop music have been doing for decades as they try to make their mark in the larger markets of Hong Kong and Taiwan. PopLore #2: Chinese pop in Singapore and abroad
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