Music

From aptly named playlist, Hazed & Confused (a pun on the Singapore haze season) to We Are Singapore (dedicated to Singapore’s National Day), Spotify has become quite the cornerstone of the local music scene – and to think we probably would not have fathomed as such, five years ago! Introduced to Singapore in 2013, Spotify came to be quite the fanfare of many – mostly as it was one of the first of its kind in new age music streaming services to enter the Southeast Asian region. Starting out with a small set of music in its digital catalogue, it…

At a tender age of 22 years old, Kehlani has already scored two GRAMMY nominations: one for her R&B hit single “Distraction” for ‘Best R&B Performance’ in 2017, and another for her second mixtape “You Should Be Here” for ‘Best Urban Contemporary Album’ in 2015. The queer R&B singer is also an LGBT icon ever since she opened up about her sexual orientation, and is well-loved for her strong advocacy for this community. After numerous false media reports on her sexual orientation, Kehlani has clarified that she is “not bi, not straight” and that “love lies in every gender there…

I’ve never been much of a concert-goer. The crowds, the screaming, the long queues, all that put me off from the moshing experience. But when my friend asked if I wanted to attend the Fall Out Boy Mania Tour concert, how could I refuse? This year’s venue was Zepp@BIGBOX, a modest indoor event hall in the heart of Jurong East, and although it’s not as picturesque as Fort Canning for their previous Save Rock & Roll Tour here almost 5 years ago, the energy presented by Fall Out Boy themselves erupted from the stage and dominated the evening. A 30-second…

It was a drizzling Friday night when I met Lincoln Lim at a bar in a nondescript corner of Bugis. He greeted me as if I was an old friend, extending his hands out warmly with a wide smile and said: “Hi, you must be Stacey!” Surprised by his nice reception, I shook his hands and greeted him back. Although he was scheduled to perform at the Jalan Klapa bar at about 7.30pm and it was already a little over 7.15pm when I had arrived, he assured me that he would have enough time to have a quick chat with…

“He said, one day you’ll leave this world behind So live a life you will remember. My father told me when I was just a child These are the nights that never die.” – The Nights, Avicii It’s unmistakable that the past decade was dominated by a flurry of progressive house music – among other EDM genres – and with DJs such as Calvin Harris, David Guetta, and Swedish House Mafia churning out hits after hits, one name stood out to me, more than any other: Avicii. As one of the few pioneers in the EDM house music scene, Tim…

Local emo rock quartet, Made with Monsters, have released a first taste of what we could expect from their upcoming EP, which would be released tentatively before the end of this year. The band’s new single, Cherry, was released on Monday night after the band was formed almost two years ago. Formerly known as Neptune, the band originally featured a semi-acoustic sound and was formed with the main intention of participating in a school’s talent competition with cash prizes. View this post on Instagram see you guys at Kilo Lounge next wednesday for @varcitysg! tickets are still on sale so…

Pyrotechnics? Check. Confetti storms? Check. Smoke effects? Check. A’ight, The Chainsmokers’ set is ready to roll. The Chainsmokers, consisting of Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart, were responsible for chart-topping pop hits such as Closer, Don’t Let Me Down, and Paris. But how would it feel like to be at the moshpit and watch them perform live? I was not expecting my night to turn out… something just like this. The duo played a private event at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre on March 28th, and boy, were their audience in for a visual treat. Mastercards Singapore did…

“I know you’ve got seats and you’re gonna treat this like you’re in a cinema, but you are going to find out later that the seats are for your handbags,” the 44-year-old English singer assured confidently as he addressed the 7,000-strong crowd last Friday, 23 March. In fact, the audience at the MAX Pavilion was treated to an evening of laughter and fun throughout the 90-minute concert performance last Friday, which is part of his world tour to support his fifth full-length album, The Afterlove. After 30 minutes of anticipation, Blunt got things started with two energetic and soulful opening…

After the critically-acclaimed releases of their two LPs, ‘Blush’ (2016) and ‘I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time to Time’ (2014), Canterbury’s Moose Blood has a lot of expectations to keep up to with their highly anticipated third new album, ‘I Don’t Think I Can Do This Anymore’. Any Moose Blood fan who has dipped their toes into this record would immediately notice that the band is headed for a mature direction with ‘I Don’t Think I Can Do This Anymore’. Noting that the band “always write like it might be the last album”, lead guitarist Mark Osborne explains that there’s almost…

It’s undeniable that the OG Californian Girl remains unforgettable, consistently churning out number 1 hit singles in every album cycle since the start of her decade-long career in 2007. Katy’s discography has also evolved alongside her, channelling influences from her personal life experiences and the zeitgeist of the day. Her brand of music is known for being quirky and relatable, often drawing fans with playful lyrics and undauntedly pushes against accepted boundaries, through its discussion of social taboos. Brandishing a genuine frankness, she has been able to cut a swathe through the years, establishing herself as a constant in a…