After giving us a taste of what an all-female music festival can look and sound like back in 2019, the Alex Blake Charlie Sessions is making a bigger comeback this year. The sophomore outing will be a five-day affair – compared to the inaugural one-day festival – and will run from Feb 21 to Feb 25. Once again, it will take place at the cavernous and historic landmark that is the Pasir Panjang Power Station.
If the first edition brought together a coterie of musical acts and genres from the likes of electronic music superstars Nancy Whang and Rayna Russom as well as indie pop outfit Kero Kero Bonito, festival organisers 24Owls are promising an even more diverse roster of performers and programme this year.
For one, this year’s edition will kick off with a line-up of activities that spotlight the female creatives of our time from fields of literature (check out its bookstore), film (The Projector is running screenings featuring works by women and about women) and art (there is a dedicated art lane with works and merch for purchase). On Feb 24, the party crowd can also check in to The Nest Club Sessions, which runs from 9pm till late, to be entertained by Aya, EJ Missy and Kylie Nicole on the decks – all of whom are prominent female DJs from Singapore.
The festival will culminate on Feb 25 with sets by various female-fronted acts from the region and beyond that will bring with them a mix of sounds spanning genres such as indie, folk and even techno Ahead, we spotlight the names taking the stage that day.
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The openly queer Asian-American singer/songwriter Deb Never broke out on the Internet in 2019 with her EP House On Wheels. Since then, this bedroom pop artist has become a music idol of the Gen Z era for eschewing conventional definitions of both gender and genre (her music spans categories like emo, indie rock, rap and more). She has also turned out to be one of music’s most sought-after collaborators, teaming up with acts like Brockhampton, The 1975, Dominic Fike and Omar Apollo. Starting this March, the Los Angeleno who is of Korean descent, will be making selected appearances during the Hell & Black tour of alt-R&B artist, Keishi. Naturally, fashion houses have also come a-knocking: Never has appeared in campaigns for Friends With Animals and Calvin Klein, and most recently, made a FROW appearance at Saint Laurent’s Fall/Winter 2023 Men’s show during Paris Fashion Week.
You can say Korean Canadian musician Hannah Bussiere Kim is music’s pandemic baby. What’s for certain: She is part of a growing vanguard of female DIY musicians getting prominence. Best known by her alter ego Luna Li, the self-professed “feminist rock ‘n’ roll moon fairy” burst onto the scene during lockdown when her bedroom jam video clips achieved viral status for the otherworldly-slash-optimistic (read: escapist) vibes they oozed. To her legion of fans, the Toronto-based classically-trained multi-instrumentalist is also known as the Queen of Strings, thanks to her mad skills on the harp, violin and electric guitar. Since then, she has gone on to open for the alt-pop outfit Japanese Breakfast, which is fronted by her idol Michelle Zauner. Last year, Li released her debut album Duality, which features collaborations with other Asian indie songstresses like the alt-rock star Beabadoobee and dream-pop musician Jay Som. Expect Li’s distinct blend of classical sounds with psych pop and her colourful Y2K-inspired get-ups when she performs here.
Another queer indie icon on this list, Soccer Mommy is the musical moniker of Nashville native Sophie Allison – and is perhaps one of the most established acts in the lineup. For the indie rocker’s latest album, Sometimes, Forever (2022), she enlisted producer Daniel Lopatin, a.k.a Oneohtrix Point Never – whose recent behind-the-boards credits include the movie score for Uncut Gems (2019) and The Weeknd’s chart-topping Dawn FM (2022). The end result is a meticulous, synth-heavy and invigorating banger that is also a tribute to millennial angst. From her belief in witchcraft and magic to her metaverse-friendly approach to art – she held a listening party for her album on Roblox – Soccer Mommy is definitely one of those musicians who contain multitudes.
Born and raised in Seoul, Didi Han majored in art and textile design, and worked as a designer. She first began blurring the lines between fashion and music after working as a music director for fashion shows. Inspired by a performance by Chilean-American electronic music artist Nicolas Jaar, she threw herself into her new passion project: becoming a DJ. And she’s never looked back since – packing out clubs in major cities around the world for her gigs that showcase her heady blend of hip-house, house and R&B. Now based in Paris, she’s started her series of curated parties Dance Therapy, which has taken place in Paris and Seoul. In a seeming nod to her fashion origins, she has also played for private events as part of Paris Fashion Week for Maison Kitsune and Heliot Emil.
DJ rEmPiT g0dDe$$ – yes, dollar signs and all – is no stranger to the underground rave scenes in her native Kuala Lumpur and neighbouring Singapore. For the uninitiated, the term “rempit” is a colloquial Malaysian slang referring to youngsters who illegally partake in drag racing – hinting at the anarchy on the streets and the working class which her subversive sound symbolises. She started out sampling factory music, and now explores industrial club sounds at raves and party spots such as Boiler Room in Bangkok and Orbitware in Bali. Outside of making music, she hosts a bi-monthly radio show featuring Asian female musical artists from around the world and works as the music editor for Magazine for Young Girls, an independent publication highlighting female talents from Asia and asian diasporic communities around the world. Her social awareness and music intersect frequently; during the pandemic, she joined a London collective queer collective for an online fundraising event with other DJs in the UK.
Kyoto-born musician Ichiko Aoba learnt to play classical guitar at 17, finding inspiration from the soundtracks of the Disney and Studio Ghibli films we grew up loving. Her seventh studio album, Windswept Adan (2020), celebrates her 10th anniversary as an artist and was what truly propelled her recognition outside of Japan. Influenced by jazz, folk and impressionistic classical music, this album is a masterclass in storytelling. It tells the story of a girl’s journey through islands, loosely based on Japan’s Southwest Islands – the Ryukyu Archipelago that stretches from Kyushu to Taiwan – and is meant to be a soundtrack to this imaginary film. Her airy vocals are sure to transport you to the ocean, a place Aoba herself loves and does great work raising awareness for.
Kindergarchy is Singapore-based Indonesian Amanda Rizkita’s attempt to translate her inner world into music. Her mixes and sets are often tinged with lush and atmospheric sounds reminiscent of nature, a sense of play and curiosity, and sometimes a quiet tension bubbling underneath. You can spot her behind the deck at the Strange Weather collective’s parties, which she has a hand in organising, or on online radio platforms like Worldwide FM, Noods Radio, Norrm Radio. Expect the sound of ambient textures, rich melodies, and supercharged dancefloor grooves – total ear candy. Don’t believe us? Check out her most recent playlist with Strange Weather.
Singapore alt-rock trio Coming Up Roses combines elements of folk, grunge and shoegaze, manifesting their emotions through the use of evocative vocal melodies and expansive sonic textures. Fronted by vocalist-bassist Emily Sera and completed by guitarists Darius Oon and Lorenzo Romero, the band has performed internationally, including Fred Perry Subculture in 2019 and Canadian Music Week in 2022, and a tour across Taiwan. Their sophomore EP Everything Is (2022) is a tribute to the unique Gen Z vibe that blends idealism with existentialism – fitting for volatile but hopeful times we live in.
Another local act taking the stage on Feb 25 is Nicolette. Known for her infectious blend of disco, house and funk, she holds court for the bimonthly sessions at Phuture Zouk with its resident DJ Jeremy Boon. Or she can also be spotted spinning at some of the most fashionable parties around the region, such as sculptor Tom Sachs’ party at the Bangkok Biennale or the recent Art SG wrap party as part of Singapore Art Week. When she’s not hitting the decks, this multi-hyphenate runs and designs for the cult streetwear label The Salvages (peep its new handmade collab with Wemblex) – which she co-founded with the local streetwear pioneer Earn Chen.
Filipino-American singer-songwriter Lyn Lapid gained popularity in true Gen Z fashion: through TikTok. Her viral single, ‘Producer Man’ received over 50 million views on the app, even before its official release. In 2021, she released her first EP, The Outsider, and hit one million subscribers on YouTube – all at the tender age of 21. Today, she is represented by Republic Records, which counts Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift among its stars. When she’s not flying solo, she’s working those vocal chords for acapella collective Earcandy. Despite her sudden rise to fame, she’s still super relatable. Her fangirling over Blackpink – she’s a Rosé Stan– makes her all the more endearing to our hearts.
Add this emerging Vietnamese-American R&B sensation with the luscious vocals as a rising BIPOC artiste to have on your radar. Hailing from the Bay Area, Thuy (read as ‘twee’) is best known for her track ‘Universe’, which is an ode to all the highs and butterflies of young love. Her musical trajectory wasn’t the most straightforward. Like many children of immigrants, she opted for a conventional career path. After what she described as a “lacklustre” career in medicine, however, she set her sights on writing and releasing music. Recently, she was selected as Spotify’s ambassador for Equal in Sep 2022, a programme that highlights female game changers and promotes equity for women in music. Her work with brands like Puma, Foot Locker and Levi’s cements her rising status, not only in music, but also in the style sphere.
Hailing from Romania, this DJ and producer has been actively involved in the techno scene since 2007, playing in raves and clubs all over Europe. Her releases have hit the Beatport tops (think the Billboard charts, except it’s the world’s largest store for DJs) many times and she has shared her DJ booth with big names in the techno scene such as Dubfire, Solomun, and Green Velvet. We say come prepped with a pair of comfy shoes – you’re going to be banging hard to her set.