Music

Shiena Nishizawa is a Japanese pop-rock singer and guitarist who performed at C3AFA Singapore’s 3-night concert “I Love Anisong” on 30 November 2018. Shiena’s love for music began in middle school when she tried her hands on her father’s old guitar. In 2014, she won the grand prize at the Flying Dog Audition, a singing contest in Japan organised by record label “flying DOG”. In 2015, Shiena’s debut song “Fubuki” was used as the ending theme for the anime “Fleet Girls Collection (KanColle)” and was released as a single that same year. On March 15th, 2017, Shiena released her first…

One of the biggest hits at C3AFA Singapore’s I Love Anisong 3-night concert was SPYAIR, a Japanese rock band from Nagoya, Japan. Formed in 2005, SPYAIR consists of Ike on vocals, guitarist and programmer UZ, bassist Momiken and Kenta on Drums. Holding the simple, pure feeling of “Going to the people that do not know of us, rather than waiting for fans at a live house”, they started performing on the streets of Nagoya in 2006. In August of 2010, they received their major label debut with “LIAR”, under Sony Music. SPYAIR held their first solo outdoor live concert at…

On Friday, 26 April 2019, Ed Sheeran performed his sold-out show at the mammoth National Stadium — one of many performances of his Divide World Tour. Ed delightfully entertained some 51,000 fans that night, armed with nothing but his guitar and loop pedal. The show also saw Japanese rock band ONE OK ROCK performing as a special guest prior to Ed’s set. ONE OK ROCK started off their set at 7pm, and I was disappointed to find out that this information was not disseminated to concert-goers. The concert was slated to begin at 8pm and was promoted as so across…

Less than a year after his last single ‘Lift Your Eyes’, local folk-rock musician Lincoln Lim dropped his latest one ‘Alive’ at the beginning of the new year. Working hard on music for his new EP — which will be targeted to release in the second half of 2019 — he has released “Alive” which will be its first song. Lincoln is also a part of Cross Ratio Entertainment, a local integrated music entertainment label; this may be his first step into expanding regionally. “Alive” deals with the familiar affliction of unrequited love and of holding on to what has…

Back for its fifth edition, Ultra Singapore 2019 is shaping up to be the biggest and best in its history. Debuted in 2015, Ultra Singapore is an outdoor electronic music festival as part of Ultra Music Festival‘s worldwide expansion, which has now spread to twenty countries. Held at Ultra Park (open field near Marina Bay Sands), 8 to 9 June 2019, this year’s edition will be packed with world-class acts suited for every type of electronic music lover, and is sure to set the bar higher than ever before. Mainstage headliners Skrillex, Martin Garrix, and Porter Robinson – who were…

Japanese Heavy Metal Legends LOUDNESS returns to Singapore on 16 June 2019! Held at The Pavilion at Far East Square, the band will be performing in Singapore as part of their Rise to Glory World Tour – named after their album of the same name. ‘Rise to Glory’ was released worldwide on 26 January 2018 – via Ward Records in Japan and via earMusic Records throughout Europe and the USA. Akira Takasaki Guitarist Akira Takasaki describes Rise to Glory as the culmination of everything LOUDNESS has done throughout the years: “we still have the heaviness and progressive elements we had…

On Friday, March 8 2019, Singapore based singer-songwriter Dru Chen dropped his much-anticipated debut album, Mirror Work, a magnum opus spanning five years and three continents. In the first week alone, Mirror Work featured on over 500 playlists, amassing 15,000 streams in the process. To celebrate the album’s release, Dru staged an intimate show (Dru Chen Spaces Between Us) backed by his 5-piece band on Friday, April 12 2019, at the Aliwal Arts Centre. Billed as Spaces Between Us, Dru shared his wish to “break down the walls that separate us in the digital age; to create some old-school magic…

11 April 2019 marked singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter’s first-ever live performance in Singapore. Held at the Kallang Theatre, her debut concert in Singapore was part of her Singular Tour – titled after her third studio album Singular Act: I. Sabrina’s show started only slightly later from its stipulated timing – which is rather rare for concerts. As her band took to the stage, they were met with resounding screams from the fans gathered at the theatre. The screams peaked once Sabrina and her dancers were in full view, and it stayed that way for most of Almost Love, the first song…

You know a band is good when – apart from a small handful – the audience isn’t flipping out their phones for a picture or video. Taking Back Sunday performed in Singapore on January 19 2019, as part of their 20th Anniversary Tour. Back after five years, the band took to The Pavilion @ Far East Square and brought the house down for yet another show-stopping performance. Albeit the smaller venue – as compared to their previous concert at The Ground Theatre – the live house was packed with fans who were raring to go. Despite standing at the back…