The Pigeonhole, a new cafe with an interest in books and the arts, will hold their first Music Camp tomorrow at noon. The concept is pretty simple. Anyone who wants to speak can come, post their topics and everyone will vote on who will speak within the limited 6 hours alloted for the event.Primarily concerned with the identity of the made in Singapore brand, a rather confident self would jump at this opportunity to air my thoughts about what is lacking in our scene. However, I have never done public speaking and have reservations about my orating skills. I fear I will be undone by my nerves.
Thus, instead, I think I'll post my thoughts here and perhaps, some day I will grow some cojones to air these views in public.
What is a Singaporean identity? Do we even have it? Our psyche and our very existence revolves around the pursuit of money. Many of us are largely middle-class citizens hoping to pay our bills and live comfortably. We're stuck in a cyclical rut that consumes us into a routine that bores us. We are dissatisfied and so we go out of the country to find ourselves. We hope to see the world to define who we are as a person. We look outside to feel that we can do more.
Why do we not do anything about the inside? Why do we not do anything about what is within our locality? Again, I posit that this looking out, looking West is born and bred in our media and our education. We are defined by what we know and what we know is that the world outside, no, the world out West is better. So, we emulate them. We eat their food, we buy their clothes, we play their games and we listen to their music.
At this critical juncture, we emulate their music like no other. We are the "Covers Generation". Spurred by the prospects of the internet and particularly Youtube, we cover their songs in hopes to show vocal prowess, technical skill and ability. We want to be just like these stars that we loved.
I am not against covers, per se. It's a good starting point. But it cannot be the be all and end all of our music culture. We need to cultivate our styles, our narratives and our own sound that breathes relevance to our own unique lives.
Bani Haykal, one of the four Banis in B-Quartet, virtuoso in his own respect recognized the shortcomings of our music culture. Why have we not developed our own voice in 40-odd years of our existence as a Singaporean nation? Perhaps, one might say, with generations passed and developments in technology today brings us closer and closer to the outside, we have not the need to play "Singapore music". The fact is, generally, people have no desire to hear our own styles, our own narratives, our own music. They just want to hear songs that we know.
And what do we know? These are the songs on the radio. These are the songs that websites/magazines like Pitchfork, NME and Stereogum tell us to listen to be in the cool crowd. There is so little love for our local music scene, it is a thankless task. We just want to play music and if the people want to hear covers, let it be so.
But such a mentality is precipitating and reinforcing the cyclical rut that we live in. We have NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING to call our own. There is a humongous gap in our culture and our identity as a Singaporean.
Look at our sporting teams, the successful ones, they're almost 80% foreign talent. When I grew up in the '90s, under the roar of the Kallang stadium, our football team was 100% pure, bred Singaporean and how we cheered them when they won the Malaysian Cup. Each and everyone felt Singaporean, then. Today, winning the Tiger Cup or whatever it is called, bears no meaning to us because they're not all our brothers. They're not all the guys who served, albeit disgruntled-ly, National Service with our blood, sweat and tears for this country. It's all about the money.
We need to change this. Bani Haykal, props to the man, is embarking on an experimental journey to construct a musical language, a hyperpentatonic scale that lives and breathes the Singaporean identity. Of course, not all of us, have that musical knowledge to dig so deeply but what can we do?
First of all, we need to write songs that live in Singapore. I don't mean, "This is Home/Truly, where I know I must be" and all the other songs that suddenly scream Singapore when National Day draws close. And heavens forbid the farcical JJ Lin Youth Olympic cheer, although that did garner a good amount of laughs. No, we need to be creative about this. Take for example, Youth of Gold by The Pinholes, written for the same Youth Olympic games. It lives and breathes a Singaporean identity. One that when we're all not being so atas, we actually sense the Singaporean-ness of it all. Further back, c'mon, what happened to songs like Zoe Tay by The Boredphucks? What happened to Girl on Queen Street by Plainsunset? What about the mat-anthem of the early 2000s, Mat Tapered by Hafiz As'ari?
You may think that a lot of these songs are jokes. But are they really? Dig deeper into these songs, and they're a form of social commentary on the Singaporean identity. But ok, you want to write songs that you feel. You want to write songs that express your emotions. Go ahead, do it, speak what you feel living in Singapore. Your dissatisfaction, your sense of loss or your dreams and hope. Because chances are fellow Singaporeans will feel the same as you do. And that connection is what is vital.
For guys, remember the days in the Army... Remember when we walked the torturous Route Marches or training felt so shiong that we just want to give up and then, a brother would sing a song and everyone would join in. The connection, that strength in solidarity, people who feel the same way as you and the spirits were raised by these songs we know.
We need to create these songs. We can't live by words sung from many borders away. We need the words that we all feel and live. This is one of the steps necessary to move towards honing and cultivating a Singaporean identity. We have to stop chasing fame or the money or even, dare I say it, narcissistic tendencies and reassess our goals and our duty to our fellow man. There is a gap in our socio-cultural identity that I believe can be filled by the songs we make here, written and lived by a Singaporean here.
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For more information about MusicCamp SG, click here.
hello Hanis.
ReplyDeletevery interesting post and your reflection on songs written by Singapore musicians makes for a good standpoint for others to think about.
personal thoughts though, and these are fairly recent thoughts and arguments i've had.
the first matter at hand i'd like to share is the use of the term "problem," or "a problem". my reason for this is that each time talks about music in Singapore is brought up (and i am guilty of this too), is that we refer to it as a problem.
by directly associating a situation as a problem, we are directly attributing a fact that there is an alternative ideal which is indefinitely or definitely, not the problem, rather, the ideal situation. by suggesting a problem, one is putting forth an argument that there is an ideal situation which isn't the current one at hand. i bring this up on account that, we need to bear in mind that many things over the history of mankind was borne out of "problems" seen by various sects of communities. the point about calling a scenario or a situation a problem is that, one must be quite certain that an alternative scenario is hereby the better ideal which best fits.
in short, for one to call it a problem, i feel is rather arrogant seeing that they believe in an ideal better than the current. although it can be a good thing, i feel.
the first question is, is it really a problem, or is it merely a natural progression? an evolution?
when we talk about music cultures, or music identity in Singapore, whilst we can see it as problematic, we should also respect that, as a progression in time, it is an evolving scenario. the concept of calling it a problem, in this instant, is difficult, although interesting, because essentially, many musicians in Singapore find it difficult to do what they love doing. whilst this is difficult, it doesn't necessarily mean it is a problem.
so the concept of "problems" have been something i'm in conflict with. personally, i think it would be easier if difficult scenarios are seen as a problem as opposed to it being seen as something incomprehensible, therefore making it difficult to fathom.
the next question is, is there a real problem at hand?
personal thoughts about music in Singapore, and the "problem" of it that i (maybe, used to) have is that it is suffering from a musical stasis. plateaued progression in musical evolution from a perspective where, the mash of cultures only goes as far as reflecting youth culture and the inherent influences from various street cultures abroad.
here's food for thought. consider how most gigs are only taking place in the town district and that very little heartland spaces (aside from Woodlands, which in my understanding has a strong metal music community) are breeding grounds for musical developments. in our own cluster communities, i am under the impression that there might not be any interaction (aside from maybe Community Centers where certain districts would have a rehearsal space for bands) between musicians. jamming studios aside, the idea of music cultures or communities brewing, and brewing well, is borne out of interaction, collective improvisations for the sake of it.
(end of part 1)
pardon my fragmented writing piece.
ReplyDeletethe reason why traditions exists until today is due to one primary cause. the consistent practice of it. as i am still researching on this matter, but from my understanding, collective music improvisation doesn't necessarily involve just musicians. communities are involved in ritualistic music activities, usually signifying something celebratory. audiences who don't participate appreciates the need for music done within their communities on account that it is what ties them together. and this leads me to my personal conflict with the "problem" of music i am seeing. that music in Singapore has very little, if not any (perhaps), social purpose, or that the social purpose of music in Singapore has been completely altered, or maybe not completely, but enough for it to have a major "problem" for musicians to do what they love doing.
maybe this is where another question should be presented, what then are the musicians doing music for? is it for people? or is it for themselves? (for this moment, we will leave the question of money out of the equation as i am bringing forth an argument about music and society)
and in this fragment alone, we can question the nature of freedom of expression / speech.
Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard wrote in his book Either/Or, and i'd like to add incredibly beautiful and profound, "How unreasonable people are! They never use the freedoms they have but demand those they do not have; they have freedom of thought—they demand freedom of speech."
from this quote, i'd like to point out several issues.
#1. musicians who find it difficult to play their music or making a living out of it, the question is, what really is the need to make music? isn't already playing your music to a crowd a means to complete the art?
#2. in doing music for yourself, and in already being given the opportunity to play to an audience, one is already given the opportunity to have freedom of speech. what then are they asking for? what other forms of freedom is it that will solve this "problem" of making music in Singapore?
#3. should your music have a social purpose, and has moved a group of people, one could say that it has already attained its purpose. is the "problem" then simply because it isn't getting a wider audience? if the problem lies in the acceptance of the audience, what is the "problem" at hand then? is it the accessibility of the music? if it is, shouldn't the need for a social purpose then mean that it has to be altered in order to reach a wider audience which could relate to or appreciate it then?
(end of part 2)
creators of music, as these musicians are, have a responsibility over their craft, over their actions for that matter. if one's reason for doing music is purely an expressive craft, a medium to express oneself, the freedom of thought in doing so is the answer to it. the fact that you are able to express yourself to the best you can, is the answer. but when one talks about intending to 'speak to others' (a matter of freedom of speech), this can be likened to a child throwing a tantrum, and i mean this with all the love in the world. in a sense where, should a child be unhappy about a particular choice made for her/him, he/she is bound to express her/his unhappiness in a way which would attract attention of her/his parents. either something happens then, or the child is tired out. similarly in music making, the musician who expresses a sentiment (practicing freedom of expression / speech) and is looking for an audience. if someone gives attention, a reaction could happen. without any attention, a reaction on the musicians' end could happen. this being, either the musician presses on, pursuing his craft nevertheless, expressing only on account that it is not about seeking attention, but because one is intending to purely express a sentiment to an audience to complete his craft, or the musician is tired out, because in searching for reaction or attention, nothing is given.
ReplyDeletefor now, i'll leave the matter of music and the musician's work in the context of social purpose as that.
pardon my lengthy post here as i do believe and feel that the "problem" many talk about isn't at all a problem of acceptance or this giant sphere of godknowswhat, or how society isn't as receptive to local music, rather the question of the creator and his purpose and intention, on top of that, the identity of music and the power of identity.
and in this context, i believe that identity starts with the artists themselves, the musicians who dwell on life and the world at large around herself/himself. and the subjectivity of this on its own is what's dynamic about music and the art of it.
a question (which i believe has been frequently asked) i'd like to put forth is, what is the musician's purpose in creating music? because if it is purely to express, by dedicating your time and effort in sharing your work, i believe that one cannot expect reciprocity, but appreciate it.
thank you for reading.
better days ahead.
bani.
Hey Bani,
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking (for what I can only perceive ) as a good deal of your time sharing your thoughts and personal views on the matter at hand with me. I am honoured and humbled by this.
I apologise for responding a good two months later, unfortunately I had to put the blog on the backburner for more pressing issues at hand ie. School.
It was great meeting you in person and speaking at length with you about this and more during your showcase. I hope to have more exchanges with you and more musicians regarding the view of the social purposes of music.
Thank you so much for this.