Singapore bands getting more recognition overseas and at home

Monday June 18, 9:17 PM

SINGAPORE: Singapore bands have been getting more recognition overseas and at home in the past decade.

Some have even been selected to perform at major international music festivals. But generally, more are venturing from the garage to recording studios to put out an album for sale.

Nonetheless, many still find it challenging to break into the mainstream, dominated by American and British bands.

Sixteen homegrown bands rocked over a 12-hour concert – the first-ever held as part of the Singapore Arts Festival. Such gigs have increased over the years and helped raised the profiles of many Singapore bands and musicians.

Saiful Idris, Musician, The Great Spy Experiment, said: "Avenues like the internet portals 'MySpace' has helped a lot. Radio stations are definitely more willing to play local music now. Even MTV has come on board. So the support is there."

Edward Neubronner, CEO, Recording Industry Association of Singapore, said: "It's not unheard of for local bands to have a fan base of 2,000 people. 2,000 may be small but it’s very good for Singapore. These youths actually see the music they play as niche music that is not only fun, but it also gives them a sort of identity. We have more and more young people who feel that way."
Unlike many of the Southeast Asian countries where local bands are very much part of local mainstream music, Singapore bands are usually part of the indie scene.

A majority of musicians here are playing music part-time, managing their bands on their own and doing everything from producing music to marketing. It is mainly through gigs that they are able to reach out to an audience. The bands earn their keep from ad-hoc performances, getting between S$500 and S$3,000.

Bands like The Great Spy Experiment put their earnings into producing an album, which costs about S$40,000. Much of it is spent on making sure the album sounds as good as those that are released internationally.

The band is also in the midst of discussing a distribution deal with a record label. Saiful Idris said: "We all grew up listening to all these foreign bands. Now there's more interest in local bands, which is good. But in terms of finding the definitive Singaporean sound, it's still quite a challenge. For me, the way we try to do this is through the lyrics and the subject."
Neubronner said: "A lot of local artists and bands get pretty good recognition from local establishments. Not enough, but I think a lot more than 10 or 20 years ago."

And that is reason enough for many Singapore bands to play on.