Soundcheck: Four Artists Reflect On Their Creative Journeys
In the spirit of end-of-year reflections, four artists compare their very first poem, rap and song, to their latest releases — discovering how much they’ve changed.
/ Article by William Beale
There’s nothing better than hearing an artist talk about their art. And at the end of what seems like an endless, Dante’s-Inferno-of-a-year, how good it is to take stock and reflect on how far we’ve come.
That’s why I reached out to four artists who create, using sound and text, and asked them to…
listen to their very first song/poem/rap, then
listen to their latest release or performance, and
reflect, via voice notes, on how they’ve changed and what’s stayed the same.
Let’s listen and reflect too — on how far we’ve come on our own journeys.
Anise, singer-songwriter
“Logically, I know I wrote that song, but I can’t even conjure up what I was like [back] then.”
First, meet Anise. The folk-based musician who launched her lilting, intimate acoustic EP Inward in 2015, and is now releasing her first foray into experimental electronic music with new single — “Eve”. Moving from luring cellos and introspective violins; to beats, breaks and explorations of femininity is a big change, and something I’m excited about seeing more of.
Take a listen to Anise’s very first release off her Inward EP, “Aoraki”. It always makes me think of a siren leading you on a Miyazaki-like journey from urban sprawl into a forest clearing called your happy place. I hope it takes you there.
Now for Anise’s latest release, Eve. This brand new single tackles her relationship with the oppressive social constructs of femininity, using the character of Eve as a starting point. The idea of conforming to other people’s expectations of gender is so full of horror, but this delicate interpretation envelopes you in interesting ways.
And here is her reflection — a profound conversation between Anise and her partner on their balcony, touching on conscious and subconscious changes, the role of her voice and her emotional palate.
Slick Bobby, Rapper
“I was just hella hateful la. As John B, I was kind of a dick. [...] But then I learnt it’s okay to be vulnerable on a song, right?”
Our next artist is an ex-beatboxer, rapper and musician who just released his hip-hop EP — Therapy, an intimate dive that explores hip hop’s ability to be vulnerable and tell stories that touch on mental health with choruses that fuckin’ bump with depth. A gem of a release in the local music scene.
As a lover of the local underground hip hop scene, a member of the collective known as ROTB, and someone who grew up with his father’s boombox playing Wu Tang Clan, his career’s seen such highs and hardships, and his craft is stronger for it. As we chat about the differences in styles between the bars of Malaysia and Singapore, he tells me how he sees Singapore as a “big old pot of sambal belacan. We take all these influences and cultures and inspirations and blend it with our own individual twist.” No doubt he’s got the spice.
Listen to his first track, “Four Flows”, recorded under his original rap name, John B, with friends and fellow members of his first hip-hop collective — Writers’ Block. He’s the first one on the mic.
And now take a listen to his latest release, Therapy. Extending the metaphor of writing as a form of therapy, it floats you through 2AM conversations, poor decisions and crab omelette.
Slick Bobby’s really fun reflection tells the story of how he became a rapper, the people behind his early career and how he developed his craft along the way. Take a listen.
Bani Haykal, Poet & Musician
“[Now], there’s a different reality I’m confronted with everyday. And it’s not a thing to escape from.”
As a poet, musician and artist, Bani Haykal needs no introduction. But if you’re a first-time listener, he’s an artist who experiments with sound-making and has an impeccable, surreal style of text-making too. Right now, he’s investigating modes of interfacing with feedback and experimental instruments, and is a member of b-quartet.
Follow him on twitter, check out his poetry collection Sit Quietly In The Flood and read his artistic essays on music exploration in No Space For Listening. It’s a stunning collection.
But before you do, let’s listen to one of the first tracks Bani wrote and uploaded 11 years ago, “adsurbism #01”. To me, it will always sound like Derrick Brown had a baby with Donnie Darko and a jazz trio — a beautiful, raw piece.
Bani’s latest release comes from Bandung-based label Hasana Editions and is called Maju. It’s as loud as a city-state and perfectly obnoxious and incredible. Transporting you to some Tuff Club hell where sweet-nothings and marching promises you the world, or what’s left of it.
Here’s Bani’s reflection: an exploration of time, space and constraints in the real world and the artistic world (sometimes, not always the same one) that transports you with spoken word.
Veshalini Naidu, Poet & Performer
“It felt like some kind of closing happened. And walking into something new.”
Veshalini (they/them) is a poet, artist and theatrical performer whose good work invokes the poetics of performance art — not just in their text, but also their space, costumes and body. This incredible multidisciplinary artist uses theatre, visual arts and spoken word to kickstart conversations on gender, sexuality, race and religion. I’d mention their acting and directing career too, but at this point you just assume they already do it all la, can? Good. :)
Let’s listen to “Maha”, the first poem they ever wrote and performed widely across the Malaysian spoken word scene. I can still hear this beautifully-sung intro ringing off the walls of Gaslight Cafe, seeping into the narratives of Malaysian Indian identities.
And now for Veshalini’s latest performance, “Mariamman's Vlog Entry”, a vlog entry from the perspective of the goddess Mariamman. Created for a cross-cultural Zoom storytelling show, SACRED//PROFANE, in which they remove their masks both textually and visually.
And lastly, their reflection: an insightful deep-dive into how it feels entering spoken word, understanding what art one wishes to make, and how acutely world-views and personal views impact our art — and therefore the world.
Listening to all these answers and changes, it’s fascinating to hear Slick Bobby’s proverb — that time teaches us much — seep into each one of their stories. Whether it’s having come so far you can’t recognise your past self, revisiting the past to centre your identity or finding your art sprawling into new, unmediated territories. Time gives us many chances to reveal what we can do.
Wishing you all the best in your own reflections, and for better times ahead.